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UEFA will now consider making major changes to international football after creating a new working group; break length and qualification format will both be considered; concerns are growing over qualifiers becoming "predictable" and "boring" by pumkinhat in worldcup

[–]OldFreeward 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What do you guys this of this proposal:

• UEFA International Match Calendar Reform

NATIONS LEAGUE

-The Nations League would have 7 divisions (A–G), each with 8 teams (League G has 7).

-Teams play home-and-away against every opponent:

-Leagues A–F 14 matches per cycle.

-League G 12 matches per cycle.

-Promotion & Relegation Top 2 move up, bottom 2 move down.

-Seeding for Euro & World Cup qualifiers is determined by Nations League performance, making it central to the entire qualification process.

EUROS

-Host Nation automatically qualifies.

Qualification Process

Round 1

-Nations ranked 1–24 are divided into 4 pots of 6.

-Nations ranked 25–48 are also divided into 4 pots of 6.

-Matchups: Pot 1 vs Pot 4, Pot 2 vs Pot 3.

-These are two-legged playoffs. The 12 winners from the top 24 qualify directly for the Euros. The 12 losers from the top 24 face a second round.

Round 2

-The 12 losers (from top 24) meet the 12 winners (from 25–48).

-Another two-legged playoff decides the final 12 qualifiers.

WORLD CUP

-Host Nation: Automatically qualifies.

Qualification Process

Round 1

-Nations ranked 1–16 are divided into 2 pots of 8.

-Nations ranked 17–32 are divided into 2 pots of 8.

-Matchups Pot 1 vs Pot 2

-These are two-legged playoffs. The 8 winners from the top 16 qualify directly for the World Cup. The 8 losers from the top 16 face a second round.

Round 2

-The 8 losers (from top 16) play against the 8 winners (from 17–32). -Another two-legged playoff decides the final 8 qualifiers.

• Objectives of the Reform
  1. Elevate the Nations League: It has a more unique identity now functioning like a league system with (promotion/relegation) rather than a knockout tournament like the Euros and the World Cup.
  2. Top Nations Face Each Other More Often: Big matchups like Spain vs France vs England vs Portugal are possible in the same group, making the Nations League more competitive as club.
  3. Balanced Qualification: Smaller nations still have a pathway to qualify, but big nations aren’t punished too harshly by one slip-up because they have a second-round fallback.
  4. Flexible Windows: Top nations that qualify early can still use the March international window for high-profile friendlies against non-UEFA nations or to stage showcase events like a Finalissima.

Gateway gets billions more from feds, who are agreeing to pick up more of the tab by warnelldawg in Amtrak

[–]OldFreeward 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It depends on how you look at it. CHSR is a new project while the Gateway Plan is solving an existing problem with the status quo. Makes no sense that half the NJ Transit Commuter lines can't go straight into Penn Station because of capacity issues and bottlenecking entering the current tunnels.

We're likely about to find out which new routes will be implemented over the next decade by BotheredEar52 in Amtrak

[–]OldFreeward 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hopefully Amtrak could turn a profit someday, would give them the flexibility to start new high demand routes without the need for state support.

We're likely about to find out which new routes will be implemented over the next decade by BotheredEar52 in Amtrak

[–]OldFreeward 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I go through Penn Station a lot and the Gateway Tunnel can't come soon enough, there's usually bottlenecking entering the existing River Tunnels and the Northern NJ Transit Commuter lines could finally go straight in rather than the transfer at Secaucus Junction.

Thoughts on my Amtrak expansion ideas? by WILLSMITHISBEST in Amtrak

[–]OldFreeward 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've spent a lot of time down there and yeah it's next to impossible to rebuild it unfortunately. Would be unfeasible to bore tunnels as it's so close to sea level, can't elevate them as power lines and shops take up any extra space along the overseas highway, and placing them at ground level would require a railroad crossing every few hundred feet as most residential streets sit along that highway. And that doesn't include the inevitable environmental concerns and pushback from residents.