Soccer is back! MLS is sharing a sports bubble in Orlando, Florida, where the NHL and other sports leagues are also heating up. What does this mean for gearing up for World Cup qualifying?
The Return is Finally Here
It has not only been soccer, nor even the world of sports. Rather, the entire world has slowed, stopped, or otherwise transformed. Many of the biggest sporting leagues have come to a conclusion on how to advance in uncertain times.
After much controversy around restarting, the MLS is Back bubble is up and running. The soccer bubble is in Orlando, Florida at ESPN World of Sports complex where games are played without fans.
MLS is sharing its bubble with the NHL, for a total of 1,300 people going through regular testing to participate in the ecosystem. And the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel is cooking all the meals in the bubble everyday. It is truly a massive undertaking.
July has marked the opening up of soccer. We are all happy to see our stars out on the field again and hoping for the best in regards to their safety.
Not only do we get to see more action on the pitch, but we get to see the storyline advance. The players get closer to breaking records, champions will be crowned, and we can begin scoping out teams for the World Cup in Qatar.
Soccer still has a lot of uncertainty ahead of it. It is unclear how sustainable the MLS is Back bubble will be. Even less clear, is when the vaccine may come, opening up the possibility to be more certain that the World Cup will definitely take place as scheduled.
World Cup Qualifying Postponed
While the actual FIFA World Cup is still officially scheduled for December of 2022. Being the first World Cup scheduled outside of May, Juny, and July is not enough for this historic event. It is also the first World Cup to be held in a Muslim-majority country. Now we just have to see if it will happen.
Nothing is certain about the future. But we do know that here and now scouting for the World Cup qualifying has already begun.
These are, of course, less than ideal conditions. Some of the best players are in quarantine. Others soon may be. Most players are out of practice and not in their best form. All of this makes it more difficult to figure out who will be on the team.
But it does come with a few advantages as well. For one, the players that can keep their form up during these trying times might also be good bets for members on a team that will go through immense pressure.
All this uncertainty also presents the opportunity to clear it up. While most sports bettors will be able to make good, rational bets on typical sporting bets. The current climate is anything but typical.
It takes a special synthesis of political, scientific, and sports knowledge to make solid predictions. Future bets always have some increased level of uncertainty (and therefore potential profit), but this time around, it is even more so. There are lots of places to find these soccer bets.
Uncertain Future for Olympics as Well
The World Cup is a bit farther away then the Olympics. In fact, the Tokyo Olympics have already been rescheduled, though no one can be 100% sure that they will take place next year, one year after the original 2020 summer schedule.
The International Olympic Committee was hesitant to postpone the Olympic Games. With so much infrastructure and planning already invested, including the training of athletes, they wanted to make the right decision.
One of the factors that made it impossible was the need to also hold qualifying games. In other words, the Olympics involves more than just the actual games; they also involve months of qualifying matches.
This is why it is such good news that the World Cup qualifying is getting started. We won’t be caught upstream without a paddle this time. By getting started as early as possible, we will have more options to move forward as we get closer to the World Cup.
