WORLD. CUP. QUALIFYING.

Oh "spit". It's that time again, reader.

I've been waiting all summer for this competition to come back to town. It's that time where almost every country in the world duke it out with each other to see who is worthy of qualifying for the single biggest international soccer competition around: the FIFA World Cup.


That's right. It's time for World Cup Qualifying matches.


I love this phase of the competition so much. It's so much better than the final tournament, in my opinion. It's like a gauntlet everyone has to go through--save for the host of the occasion--where nearly every competitor perishes in order to make room for the best of the best to truly contend for the great trophy that is the World Cup. Think of this as the "dress rehearsal" before the main performance, reader. There's no avoiding it. Even if you happen to be the defending champion this time, you still have to qualify in order to actually defend it. It has been that way since after 2002, when Brazil had to qualify for Germany 2006 after winning it all 4 years ago in South Korea and Japan.

There surely is no easy way to qualify. You either get in or you don't. It's that simple. If you don't qualify, you have to wait a whole cycle--or approximately 4 years-- to get another shot at making the tournament. If you do qualify, then congratulations! You now have a time limit of less than 8 months to decide on a perfect 23-man squad to take into battle with the goal of winning in mind. Like those that failed to qualify, you only get one shot to win, so if you get eliminated early on in the group stages, then tough luck. You're going to have to try again next time.

World Cup Qualifying can make way for complex and exciting storylines you couldn't see anywhere else. These are things you normally see in books or movies. Fortunately for us fans, you can see them too on the soccer field. A small fragment of a nation miraculously qualifying after defying numerous odds; a big nation failing or almost failing to qualify in epic fashion; a two or three-year long race consisting of many nations fighting for a small number of direct qualification spots.... The possibilities are endless. And you know another thing about these scenarios? They're happening right now in this very moment! Let's check it out:

• War-torn Syria is unbelievably close to securing qualification to Russia 2018. Despite everything that has happened to them recently, they are sitting 3rd place in their group. If they beat Iran in Tehran and hope the results in Tashkent (Uzbekistan vs South Korea) go their way, they will qualify for the Cup for the first time ever.

• Saudi Arabia, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates are all fighting for 1 direct qualification spot and 1 continental play-off spot and are separated by just 3 points. One of them has to be eliminated by the end of the competition. Something's got to give.

• Uganda is leading their African qualifying group consisting of themselves, notable powerhouse Egypt, notable powerhouse Ghana, and respectable Congo by a measly 1 point. If they hold on to their position after playing 3 more games they too will qualify for the first time in their history.

• South America is blown wide open right now. Save for Brazil (qualified), Bolivia (eliminated), and Venezuela (eliminated), everyone else is fighting for their lives. Both 2nd place and 8th place are separated by just FIVE points. 3 direct spots and 1 intercontinental play-off spot are available so far. May the better team survive. GOOD LUCK.

• In Europe, teams are vying for their qualification dreams as well. Countries such as Iceland, Northern Ireland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Wales, Austria, and much more are trying to qualify. Nobody is safe. Like in the last bulletin, may be the better team survive.

Continental rivalries get amplified in this phase too. Matches such as Mexico vs U.S.A., Argentina vs Brazil, England vs Scotland, France vs Netherlands, Wales vs Ireland, Greece vs Cyprus, and Japan vs Australia are played which strikes a certain degree of fervor that the fandom of either side will not experience anywhere else in any other time except for the day of kickoff. Memorable matches and moments are made in World Cup Qualifying. People get immortalized there. Great plays will be replayed over and over again long after the matches are finished for the future generations of players to bask in and get struck in amazement as they wonder how it ever happened in the first place.

Tonight, I will be rooting for my side/country, Mexico, to secure their direct qualification to the 2018 FIFA World Cup by defeating Panama in the famed fortress named the Estadio Azteca. It'll be an opportunity for me put the dumpster fire that was Mexico's 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign behind my back. Trust me when I tell you, reader, that those matches in the last round of CONCACAF qualifying were plain bad. We were so bad we were almost eliminated at the last minute of our last match in Costa Rica. Ironically enough, our American rivals saved our asses thereafter by scoring the 2 most important goals in our history in quick succession. Finally, this grueling past will dissipate if we win tonight.

It's storylines like this that makes me happy to be a soccer fan. I love World Cup Qualifying. Let the madness begin again!