Why this? The finals are expanding from 32 to 48 and CONCACAF shouldn't get an additional half or full spot? A 50% increase in the field and CONCACAF shouldn't get any increase?
The last WC saw 3/4 CONCACAF teams move through to the round of 16, and one to the quarters. Those teams left teams like Italy, England, Portugal, and Croatia behind in the group stage.
Now I know obviously UEFA and CONMEBOL need more spots, and CONCACAF doesn't really have many Cup contenders, but I don't see how CONCACAF doesn't deserve a piece of the additional 16 spots.
It really depends on what we want from the WC, and I don't have an answer for that. If what we want is to give countries that are passionate about soccer and have very little to cheer for (Central America has had an awful last 20 years, to the point some people think they require a Marshall Plan-type rescue) a chance to cheer for their NT at the big party, then, yes, by all means we should have Honduras and/or Panama and/or El Salvador in the WC.
If what we want is to preserve the level of competition in the WC then my answer would be NO. IMHO there is a big drop off in talent in CONCACAF after the first 3 (Mexico, the US, and CRC). A team like Honduras that comes over here and gets obliterated 6-0 is not at a level to contend with the big 3, which is what makes the elimination of the USA all the more shameful.
I am Peruvian-American and there is an emotional component for me, too. Peru hasn't been to the WC in 36 years. It has a big chance to make it this year, but the crazy coincidences that made that possible show clearly that a more natural result would be for Peru to go to the WC maybe every 80 years. Just 2 of them for you to ponder: If Chile hadn't complained to FIFA about the wrong inscription of a Bolivian player for their game in LaPaz, they would have qualified instead of Peru. Chile had tied in LaPaz, so they got 2 extra points. Peru had lost, but because of the Bolivia DQ for their match also (Peru made a similar complaint only after Chile noticed the irregularity) they got 3 extra points. At the end of the day, Peru edged Chile out of the WC by goal differential. And another one: Peru tied Colombia at home in Lima in the last match. The goal was an indirect free kick that Guerrero decided to kick direct, and Ospina dumbly tried to save, touching the ball and thus making it a valid goal. Such a set of freak coincidences is not to be repeated.
All the smaller teams in CONMEBOL dream of a day when FIFA decides to make The Americas a single region with, say, 8 spots in the WC. The reasonable expectation would be for Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Uruguay to claim their spots. And all the other guys to kill each other for the last 2. That would force Mexico, the US and CRC to get their points away at Honduras or Panama every single time, as they should. And not get complacent, and say "well, this is just our good, old, mediocre Hex". So in that sense, for those of us who root for smaller teams in CONMEBOL it really rubs us the wrong way to hear about CONCACAF getting more spots.
