At risk

ne of the most important years in South American football is 1996, which marked the start of the marathon format of the continent’s World Cup qualifiers, with all ten nations playing each other home and away. It provided the type of calendar European national teams take for granted – regular competitive matches, guaranteed income, and it brought about a dramatic improvement in the traditionally weaker sides. South America can now boast the most competitive qualifiers around. No one is making up the numbers. All ten teams go into the competition