With another set of regional competitions over (sans IAC) and the next World Cup cycle looming ahead, national and subnational football squads from across the multiverse are strapping on their cleats once more to challenge some of the greatest names in multiversal history for a chance to taste the most euphoric form of sweet, sweet victory. However, outside of the occasional friendly and their much more financially feasible domestic league careers, players lack the true preparation they require to represent their homelands properly for the road ahead.
Enter the Wonder Cup, an unofficial precursor tournament to the World Cup qualifiers like the good ol' Market Cup, but smaller in size and significance! In each edition of the showcase, 16 teams ranging anywhere from decorated footballing all-stars to rocks with jerseys will compete in an epic, ever-changing showdown! With the last tournament spotlighting the double elimination knockout format, this Wonder Cup will be taking their shenanigans back to the group stage with leagues! 2 groups (or leagues) of 8 will undergo a single round robin before entering a basic knockout phase (single elimination, one life, you get the gist). Those finishing in the top half of their respective league will advance to the Dawn Bracket, where the best of the best will duke it out for the title of Wonder Cup Champion! Alternatively, those sitting below the provided threshold will advance to the lesser acclaimed Dusk Bracket, whose grand prize is, I don't know, 9th Place overall? That's something, right? Regardless, each participating team can ensure their access to anywhere between 8-10 games-worth of action, enough to satisfy any hungry fan!
For the third edition of this tournament, the theme will be taking a break from space and focus more on its founding's anniversary nearly a month ago, so do expect more time-related affairs. Like the last two outings, the cat-loving Principality of Qasden will be the main provider of venues (and scorination) for this event, though other nations are more than welcome to suggest their own stadia as sites. With that in mind, this will be the last time (for awhile, at least) that Qasden will be hosting the Wonder Cup, so if any other organization would like to take up the mantle (be them a veteran looking to experiment with new formats or a newcomer wanting to garner hosting exp), feel free to contact officials at the spot listed below for questions, comments, and/or concerns.
To sign up, simply state your intention to participate below. While puppets are allowed, please note that they are limited to 1 a user and will be the first to be replaced, should more main nations enter. As spots tend to go quick, sign-ups will go for approximately 1 week (ending December 7th) unless the max of 16 entrants is achieved beforehand. Scoring will be done through xkoranate with the NSFS formula applied. RP bonuses will be cumulative throughout the tournament, with a grading scale that is generous, but not overwhelming (Rosters and active RPing do help in terms of advantages, however). While the tournament is usually held prior to the qualifiers, the Wonder Cup itself is not part of the official World Cup Cycle, thus making things like KPB irrelevant in this event. Group draws will be done without pots, meaning those who've had more experience on NS Sports will not be rudely barred from fighting each other immediately in the group stage. Should a tie be made an example of to the others, it will be done via: H2H, GD, Goals for, and (if still somehow needed) a coin flip.
Any questions, comments, and/or concerns? Please feel free to message Qasden via telegram or DM on Discord. Thank you for your interest, and good luck to all those willing to enter!
Sign-ups (16/16)Icecliff
