AN OFFICIAL HOST BID FOR...
WORLD CUP 72
VALANORA & EQUESTRIAN STATES
WORLD CUP 72
VALANORA & EQUESTRIAN STATES
I. Introduction
The Valanora Footballing Association and the Hoofball Association of the Equestrian States proudly present for the World Cup Committee's consideration this bid to co-host the upcoming 72nd World Cup.
II. Host Nations
Valanora is known by most as the home of the elves and as a vast sporting power. Located on the Arrosia continent and surrounding isles in southwestern Atlantian Oceania, it is ruled by Lady Oromë officially but most see her husband Tobias Raynor as the true ruler of the country. Valanora is an empire, sometimes referred to the Eternal Empire, that grew out of a loose affiliation of alliances into a constitutional monarchy where the monarch has the majority of the power. The Raynor family having held the throne for nearly five thousand years, they have seen the nation through adversity and prosperity and their name is synonymous with Valanora in the diplomatic world. Vanorian technology is both quite advance and clean, thanks to elven ingenuity when it came to scientific breakthroughs as well as innate magic and a desire to do as little harm as possible to the environment. To that end, Valanora is infamous for having banned automobiles apart from government officials and the military.
Football is most definitely the most popular sport within Valanora, with an extensive and well supported program that reaches from the inner cities to the rural areas and with academies given to educate and train future Vanorian footballers. Valanora first appears in World Cup 29 under the name of Elves Security Forces, before taking the name of Valanora during World Cup 36 and being recognized in World Cup 38. It won its first of a record tying five World Cup titles in World Cup 40 in Starblaydia and dominated most of the 40 cycles with Starblaydia, the two winning six of the ten titles during that time. While the Marauders have fallen on hard times as of late, they are still respected through much of the world for the previous titles and the ability to win them when least expected to, with the famous Laborious Hawk and the hero quartet leading the way for the squad.
Known throughout the multiverse for its majority population of sapient equines, the Equestrian States is a diverse and advanced island nation located in southwestern Atlantian Oceania. Ruled by Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the Equestrian States is a constitutional monarchy in name, though the Princess and the royal family hold considerably more political power than in most constitutional monarchies and thus play an active role in the country's government. Technologically, the nation is very advanced for one that only emerged from isolation a few decades ago, combining technology imported from its former regional allies with magic to quickly modernize without the pollution seen in many countries which undergo rapid industrialization. Described by many as a pleasant utopia inhabited by a friendly and diverse population of numerous sapient species which happily welcomes foreigners, the Equestrian States is a natural host nation with an economy which thrives on tourism and sports.
The most popular sport in the Equestrian States is easily football, which is more commonly known as hoofball by the country's sapient ungulate locals, and the Equestrians have a respectable history of participation in the sport's premier international competitions. First appearing in the Baptism of Fire prior to World Cup 58, the Equestrian States has competed in every World Cup since, finally qualifying for the first time at the tournament's 64th edition. Over the course of the next four cycles, the Ponies quickly rose through the rankings, peaking at 15th following a second round appearance at World Cup 67. Although no longer ranked as highly as they once were, the Ponies are again climbing through the rankings and boast an extremely talented squad featuring a few world-class players like star goalkeeper Gentle Breeze.
III. Format
Though the exact number of participants and groups is yet to be determined, our plan is to use a standard group stage format which ideally will allow all group winners to advance directly to the World Cup finals without needing to take part in a playoff. Teams that finish second in their groups will (most likely) take part in a two-leg playoff which would be seeded based on the participants respective results during qualifying. As it has at every World Cup, the finals will consist of 32 teams drawn into 8 groups of 4 divided between the two host nations. Valanora would host Groups A-D and the Equestrian States would host Groups E-H. The top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout rounds, culminating in the crowning of the world champions at the majestic Battleground in Raynor City, Valanora.
The tiebreakers to be used during both qualifying and the finals are, in the following order: points, H2H points, H2H goal difference, overall goal difference, H2H goals for, overall goals for, and a single-match playoff at a neutral venue (if necessary to determine advancement in the tournament).
IV. Scorination & RP Bonus
This bid will use xkoranate with the NSFS formula, but will use the xkoranate (additive) style modifiers over the NSFS3 (multiplicative) style mods. Without revealing the specific numbers, the RP bonus will be generous and cumulative throughout World Cup qualifying and the finals. There will be a carryover of any RP bonus earned during qualifiers to the finals which will be equivalent to approximately one MD worth of bonus.
When it comes to evaluating RPs, we respect that everyone has their own unique styles. But whatever style you prefer, we are looking for originality, creativity, and astute information usage in RPs. Don't expect to get much of a bonus if your opponent's posted a roster and you don't make any use of it in your match report RP. And as always: quality takes precedence over quantity.
V. Experience
The proposed co-hosts have both successfully hosted numerous WCC competitions in addition to other tournaments. If elected as hosts, there would be no shortage of experience whatsoever.
Valanora is one of the most experienced hosts of NS Sport, having hosted a wide variety of events with no less 9 WCC events as well as multiple WCoHs, CoH, regional competitions, the AOCL, the HCL, and one of the longest running domestic football leagues. The first World Cup being hosted in World Cup 39 along with Commerce Heights, with other notable tournaments including World Cup 45 with Vephrall and 47 with Kura-Pelland. Other tournaments hosted include the three editions of the Vahalla Invitational, as well as multiple Di Bradini Cups.
Equestrian States can safely be considered one of the NS Sports community's veteran hosts, most notably co-hosting the 67th World Cup alongside Cassadaigua and the 70th World Cup with the assistance of San José Guayabal, Mizuyuki, and Felix. Other major tournaments the user has hosted include the 57th Cup of Harmony (also co-hosted with Cassadaigua), 58th Baptism of Fire (co-hosted with Mizuyuki), 25th World Bowl, 25th and 29th World Baseball Classics, 21st World Cup of Hockey, and the 29th, 32nd, and 34th Di Bradini Cups. Lesser-known tournaments hosted by the Equestrian States include Quidditch World Cup 5, Runner Cup 3, Market Cup VI, and all four editions of the Equestria Cup.
Feel free to ask any questions!
