Senior Bowl (bridge) - Zones and Nations

Zones and Nations

There are eight geographic zones and eight associated zonal bridge federations, all permitted to enter at least one team in the Bermuda Bowl since 199? (Africa). The members of zonal bridge federations are national federations (NBOs) where "nations" are defined by NBO admission to membership in a WBF zonal federation and thus in the WBF. Wales, China Hong Kong, and French Polynesia are bridge nations in Europe, Pacific Asia, and South Pacific, for current examples. Zonal membership defines nominal geography: bridge Europe includes Lebanon and Israel, and previously included Egypt. Venezuela has represented South America (twice, 1966 and 1967) and Central American and the Caribbean (five or six of seven times, 1985 to 1997).

(Since when?) Zones may be represented only by teams that comprise players from one nation, or national teams in one sense. Further, there may be only one entry from one nation, except that North America is permitted two from the United States in its quota of three. Some zones select representatives by international tournaments which permit only one team from any bridge nation; that is, by competition among national teams in a second sense. The European Team Championships are the oldest and largest example, where ranks 1 to 6 subsequently represent Europe in the World Teams. North America does routinely pass on the nominations of two United States teams (selected by the USBF) and selects its third by a two-team "tournament" if Canada and Mexico both choose to enter a national team.

Exceptions

North America, formerly represented by North America teams that were sometimes transnational in composition

Central America & Caribbean, formerly represented by transnational teams such as Guadeloupe/Martinique.

Before the Senior Bowl grew to match the size of the Open and Women fields, 22 teams, there were transnational entries from Egypt and South Africa in 2001, Argentina and Brazil in 2003.