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5 Reasons Why The European Football Championship Is Better Than The World Cup

June 24th, 2008 By The Gaffer --> Comments

argentina-1978-world-cup-logo 5 Reasons Why The European Football Championship Is Better Than The World CupAsk any soccer fan about their favorite World Cup memory and you’ll immediately see a smile on their face and hear the enthusiasm in his or her voice. My favorite memory was my first World Cup when I saw Archie Gemmill go on that incredible run to score against Holland in 1978 in Argentina.

Over the years, the World Cup has become more about the experience and less about the football. There are many reasons for this, but a major one is the over-commercialization of the sport. UEFA’s European Football Championship is not immune to selling out soccer either, but the competition is far superior to the World Cup in many ways. Here’s my top five list of the reasons why the Euros are better than Copa Mundial:

  1. No third place final. I’ve watched almost every World Cup match from 1978 to 2006, but in all of those years I think I’ve only watched the third place final once. The match is a waste of time for the players, the fans and the TV audience. Thank heavens UEFA skips this meaningless match.
  2. Fewer teams competing. Sometimes less is more especially when you consider that Euro 2008 features 16 teams, while the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will feature 32. With 16 teams, you have the best teams who deserve to have qualified for the tournament. With 32, you usually end up with several minnows that get thrashed in the opening round and that don’t deserve to be there.
  3. Better quality football overall. It used to be that you looked forward to the World Cup to see the contrasting styles of play and how the different countries displayed their football characteristics against other nations. But the game has become one giant melting pot and what comes out of the other end is a similar style of football played worldwide. As a result, the World Cup matches have become less interesting while the games involving European countries are more enjoyable to watch (Italy versus Spain, and France versus Romania aside).
  4. Less burnout for players and fans. Every four years soccer fans get so excited at the prospect of the World Cup but due to the sheer number of games, TV watchers get burned out. There are only so many games on consecutive days that you can watch. And the same applies to players. After a long season, it’s difficult for footballers to maintain the highest levels at a World Cup. At least the Euros are much shorter and less physically stressful.
  5. Less hype. The amount of media coverage of each World Cup is mindboggling. The hype builds up so much that it’s often impossible for the actual football games to live up to the expectations of the media and fans. In contrast, the European Football Championship generate lots of media exposure but nowhere near the levels that Copa Mundial produces.

Do you agree or disagree? Share your feedback by clicking the comments link below.

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Tags: Football Tournaments · World Cup · euro 2008 · european championship

Viewing 41 Comments

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    You make solid points but I would still argue the Copa America is the best competition of all. The most artistic and exciting attacking football around. I rarely if ever see South American sides play the sort of negative cynical football Spain and Italy engaged in the other night.

    The minnows in the world cup like Saudi Arabia, the USA, the 4th African qualifier, etc do hurt the competition. But the truth if the Asian Confederation and CONCACAF are both improving. Saudi Arabia has made three straight world cups after never qualifying previously but now given the level in Asia they may not.

    The US has been an absolute horror in four of the last five world cups but having watched CONCACAF qualifying as much as I have watched the Euros I can assure that the US is not one of the 3-4 best teams in the confederation any longer and may not qualify. So we'll have some new blood and get rid of some of the dead weight in the next World Cup. So give it a chance. The Euros are great but their has been plenty of dry, boring, cynical football, and quite frankly without England the tournament has less meaning for many Americans as I have discussed today over the CSRN website.
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    I kinda like having the minnows around, especially when they throw up games like Cameroon Argentina in 1990 and Senegal France in 2002.

    The greater number of games (3 a day! for weeks!) is awesome for the armchair fanatic and there's only a maximum of one more game for the players.
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    Sorry, a little US pride here. The US has only been a absolute horror show in 2 of the last 5 world cups (1990 and 1998) were simply very bad in 2006 and almost respectable in 1994.

    I'm also not sure how you could deduce anything from the first (silly) round of CONCACAF qualifying. I guess Jamaica won 13-0 on aggregate, whereas Mexico and the US only won 9-0 on aggregate, so that puts Jamaica in the top spot...?
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    Kartik you are on crack mate - the Euros not having England and Americans finding it less meaningful as a result has nothing to do with the quality of the football or enjoyment of the tournament. For those of us who can look past American interest levels its been terrific. I am English and obviously would love us there but am not so biased or US-centric to view the tournament negatively as a result.
    As for the US which I realise you moan about a lot, they werent too far off qualifying from the group of death in 2006 - could well have beaten Italy.

    As for the Copa, it was a great Copa last year no question - was it better than the Euros of this - possibly but the quality of team was weaker. Brazil didnt even send all their A team, America sent a C team.

    As for there being plenty of dry cynical football ?? Spain ITaly obviously, France Romania as well but honestly after its a lot better. This has been for me the best Euros ever and ranks up there with Mexico 86 for me in terms of enjoyment. Spain v Russia should be terrific, I cant see Turkey posing any problems to Germany alas.
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    I agree with a lot of what you say. The biggest thing I'd disagree with is the part about teams who "don't deserve to be there." I'd compare the world cup more to the FA cup, when we get to see the lower league teams have a shot at the big guys. This last years was great as we witnessed several "dragon slayers" beat the tar out of the big four teams. That was fun. And rooting for total underdogs can be exciting too (Trinidad & Tobago's run in 2006 comes to mind). It's also one of the only chances some of these country's get to watch their teams compete on the world stage- and explains some of the media overhype - and as Kartik said these teams are getting better.

    The big concern I share with you is player burnout. FIFA and all of the soccer confederations need to do something about their regular season schedules vs. cup schedules. I still think the EPL shouldn't even have regular games in January, and ending earlier in May might go some way to allowing players some rest before the summer matches.
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    One last comment. I'm American and really enjoying Euro2008 even without England in the tournament (and that's saying a lot as my wife is English, I've also lived there and am a huge fan). We were disappointed that they didn't make it, but I'm surprised at the amount of coverage it did get here and the amount of attention all of my soccer-skeptic friends have given it as well.

    This also skips the fact that there are *a lot* of non-Anglo Americans watching the tournament this year, though maybe living in Italian-American rich Boston biases my view a bit...
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    I'm not saying the Euros are less enjoyable w/o England, although that can be argued. I'm saying Americans are less passionate about the tournament and many are simply "keeping an eye on it" because England, the de facto national side of many Americans is not participating.

    Regarding the US team, I watch more CONCACAF national team matches than just about anyone in this country. I know to what I am speaking. The US two years into this world cup cycle still have not identified or developed comparable replacements for several players who led us in 2002 and 2006:

    Claudio Reyna
    John O'Brien
    Brian McBride
    Eddie Pope
    Tony Sanneh (2002)

    The top three on this list represent the most technical players the US has arguably ever produced save Tab Ramos and Hugo Perez. Right now the US has no technical skill, little tactical awareness and nothing in the attack especially when Landon Donovan who is a class footballer (but the only one we currently have) is injured are unavailable.

    Mexico has lots of issues as well but at least has Gio, Vela and Guardado integrating into their national side on a more accelerated schedule than we are integrating Jozy, Freddy and other youngsters that can help us.

    Sorry, the US was fairly dire in 1994 also, but no not a disgrace by any standard. That 1994 team and even the 1998 team that had good results before and after the World Cup just not in France could absolutely thrash this current US side if Donovan were unavailable.
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    typical euro-centric BS

    "don't deserve to be there"? shut your mouth. all the teams qualify and that is the fairest way. sucks that your team plays in europe with so many strong teams. a team like saudi arabia or togo deserves to be there as much as england if they qualify through their confederation. just shutup you euro pig.
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    " typical euro-centric BS"

    The whole Euro craze on this site and others smacks of this. Where I live people get fired up more by the Copa which I maintain produces better football but never gets this sort of coverage in the mainstream American press.

    Those here that have talked about how great this tournament is, please watch Copa America next go round. Then compare. The Euros are fine. I'm simply saying Copa America is better and the fact it doesn't get the love from so many commentators and fans in the US smacks of Euro snobbery at its very core.
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    I'd like to state for the record that I do not believe the US MNT deserves to be at Euro 2008.
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    Kartik,

    We covered Copa America pretty extensively on this site last summer. Not as much as Euro 2008, but this is a blog that's centered around European football, i.e. the Premier League.

    I enjoyed Copa America last summer. They were some cracking good games but overall I've been more impressed by what I've seen in Switzerland and Austria this summer.

    As Simon pointed out previously, Copa America didn't even feature A teams for several countries, so how can that tournament be better than this one?

    At the end of the day, it's all soccer, so I love it.

    Cheers,
    The Gaffer
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    Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina were the final four teams standing at the Copa. The US didn't send their "A" team but they weren't going to make an impact anyhow especially coming after the Gold Cup. But the football was still better. That is my opinion. Simply a matter of style. I respect everyone's opinion here but just to anoint the Euros the best tournament in the world when Copa provides such drama (and I would argue more passion in the stands) is a tough one.

    The World Cup? Again Saudi Arabia, Togo, the USA, Japan, etc ruin that. Bolivia maybe ruins Copa but they aren't much worse than Austria or Switzerland.
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    shut up kartik. who watched copa america last year? who? you did because you want to believe you are a proud american, even though you deny your cultural background from india. india has a rich culture that you need to stop ignoring. trying to be something your not is just annoying. so stop being a douche bag please. no one cares about the copa america and you should stop going to epltalk, a site devoted to english football and its ties to european football as well. dont go to an article about the european championship being better than the world cup and say that the copa america is better. you arent needed here.
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    I just agree in the number 2 and 3 points. The world cup is great and the Euro too.

    Greetings
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    First of all just want to say that the personal attack on Kartik was not needed and left a bad taste.
    Secondly, I want to add something else into this conversation regarding top class major tournaments. Since everybody's talking about the Euros and the World cup, and Kartik mention the Euro's, I want to throw in the African Nations Cup. Now before all of you'll start attacking me and saying that the Euros are superior, I'm not for a moment saying that the ANC is better than either of the 3 competitons mentioned. All I'm saying is that it is very entertaining, there are a lot of goals and even the atmosphere is electric.
    I think it's just fair to pay some more attention to the continent of Africa when you conisder the number of top players playing in the big european leagues and specifically England with the likes of Adebayor,Essien,Drogba, Toure, Kalou,Mikel,Martins,Yakubu, Kanu, Muntari, Utaka and all..
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    Also, for those interested in stats, the last world cup had 147 goals scored at a rate of 2.3 goals/game, the last Copa America had 86 goals scored at a rate of 3.31 goals/game, Euro 2004 had 77 goals scored at 2.48/game while the last African Nations cup had 99 goals scored at a rate of 3.09 goals/game.
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    I agree with Sanjay and to a lesser extent with Kartik and Betsy's Bolton Bum Baster .

    The Cup of African Nations absolutely produces the most exciting, dramatic wide open football outside the world cup.

    Copa America is good, but not as good as CAN.

    Actually the CONCACAF Gold Cup is better than the Euros in some ways as well. The US and Mexico don't have to qualify which isn't fair, but the other participants all go through qualifying and since unlike UEFA who has as many World Cup spots almost as teams that play in the Euro, it's a massive win at all cost tournament for those CONCACAF countires that qualify. Many of the island nations know they will never make the World Cup but they build towards Gold Cup qualifying because it something they can get to. Same for many nations in the Asian Cup.

    The euros is not everything and world football is not simply european football.