Two nations, one Rushmori and one Esportivan, have come together to start the 72nd World Cup Cycle with a bid for the 59th edition of the Baptism of Fire. The Baptism of Fire has traditionally been the place where nations make their WCC debut and fittingly both bidding nations are looking to make their debut as WCC hosts as well:
Firstly, there is the Kingdom of Saintland. Saintland is a small island nation in northern Rushmore that is internationally renowned as the home of the True Church of Iesus Christus. The True Church is the leading faith in a number of nations, most prominently the Holy Republican Empire, but also Acedonia and IesusisGodistan, among others. However, the Kingdom of Saintland is considered hollowed ground by the True Church in a way that other believing nations are not. On the pitch, the Saintland National Soccer Team has performed significantly better than one would expect from a team representing a nation of under a million souls. From their legendary battles with Nephara (then known as New Sideburn) in the 51st Baptism of Fire to their qualifications for 4 World Cups to their third place finish in the most recent Cup of Harmony, they have a consistent track record of success in WCC events. Outside of WCC events, they finished second at the last Swamp Soccer World Cup and second at the 19th Copa Rushmori while also winning an Olympic Gold Medal at the Orean Games. While Saintland has never hosted a WCC event before, they have hosted or co-hosted editions of the World Baseball Classic, World Bowl, World Cup of Hockey and IBC, among other events. The Holy Republican Empire (formerly the Federation of Free Republics, which is run by the same OOC user) has hosted or co-hosted editions of the Cup of Harmony, World Cup and Winter Olympics, among other events.
Then, there is The Utopian Republic of Star United States. Located in Esportiva, and with three official languages, Star United States is a center of diversity in the region. From the glistening shorelines to the deep jungle, sports are a desire of life for most Starians. The Starian Men's National Soccer Team appeared in the World Cup scene during the 47th Baptism of Fire, and then the country hit a period of isolation. After missing various cycles, the team came back for the 66th World Cup Qualifiers, and has participated in every qualifier after. The team successful qualified for World Cup 71. Star United States has previously hosted, or co-hosted, the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Star Triathlon Worldwide Tournament; International FireStorm Cup VI; First Triathlon World Championship; Five-A-Side World Cup VI; Runner Cup 4, and the March Triathlon Open. It has also been rumored throughout the Starian citizens that the Sixth Quidditch World Cup was hosted in the country. The National Sports Federation has regulated the league sports within the country.
Since the numbers are unclear at this point, we will announce our proposed format later, but it will consist of the conventional group stage followed by knockout rounds and all matches will be held within a host nation.
For scorination, we will utilize the latest version of Xkoranate as of of the opening of the event thread, with the NSFS formula and xkoranate (additive) style modifiers. RP bonus will be generous and cumulative and the maxpoints will be set equal to the highest RP/roster bonus obtained prior to cutoff.
Tiebreakers will be (in order): Points, Head-to-Head Points, Head-to-Head Goal Difference, Overall Goal Difference, Head-to-Head Goals For, Overall Goals For, Playoff Match
We welcome your questions.