OFFICIAL HOST BID
I. Introduction
The Hoofball Association of the Equestrian States and the Mriin National League would be honored if the members of the World Cup Committee vote to approve this bid to co-host the upcoming 71st edition of the Cup of Harmony.
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 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. However, the next two years were not kind to the Equestrians as poor officiating and bad luck conspired to send the Ponies packing after the playoff stage two times. The Equestrian States returned to the World Cup for its 70th edition, qualifying as hosts and reaching the second round, the first of four straight qualifications. Since World Cup 74, however, the Ponies have languished in mediocrity, which was only recently revealed to have been the doing of the nation's resident "Lord of Chaos": Discord, who had placed the nation in a form of stasis seven years prior for his own amusement. Now, having returned fully to action in the World Cup, the Ponies seek to restore their once-powerful reputation as a top team, though there is still a long ways to go.
A relatively recent debutante in the football world, Mriin is an island republic most often noted for its majority satyr population. Located in eastern Atlantian Oceania, the relatively small nation primarily made its wealth as merchants (and sometimes pirates) on the open seas; in today's globalized world, that voyaging acumen has lead to a thriving logistics industry, drawing in the sort of international business that made the capital city of Maal into a cutting-edge melting pot. Unlike the Equestrians, the Mriinian monarchy was completely deposed--albeit peacefully--centuries ago, in favor of a heavily localized system where legislation is passed by volunteer councils or public referendums at a city or island level (foreign policy being about the only topic voted on as a nation). That localisation provides starkly different experiences depending on where in Mriin a visitor ends up, but all are charming in their own way.
Now, I know what you're wondering--satyr's have got hooves, right? So why don't they call it hoofball? The reason is that football was purely an import in Mriin--it was introduced through contact with the football-rabid, but primarily human, nations nearby; and it didn't seem that worthwhile to go against the grain just for the sake of a pun. At least at the time--as the movement to formalize the sport began just under a decade ago, there was a contingent of fans who wanted to follow the Equestrian's example, which is ultimately why the Mriin National League is totally devoid of any reference to the actual sport. Despite that recent formalization, there proved to be a deep pool of talent in amateur teams around the nation; that talent was tapped to provide a decent showing in BoF64, wherein current World Cup hosts Drawkland eliminated them in the quarterfinals, and a solid if unspectacular fifth place in WC77. On the other hand, WC78 was a spectacular accomplishment for the squad--winning their group over de facto world #1 Farfadillis, and leading the entire qualifiers in goals scored. And they didn't even rest at that overachievement for a second-cycle nation--they beat neighbors Osarius and held hosts Bonesea to a draw on their own soil, just barely not advancing out of the World Cup group stage to eventual champions Electrum. These high-flying adventures sent high-profile team members around the multiverse, plying leagues in the likes of Nephara, Apox, Valladares, and Chromatika. There is quite a lot of pressure on the young team to keep up that level of play, but it certainly seems like they're not taking their new-found reputation lightly.
II. Format
Our preference will be for 32 teams and eight groups of four. However, we will be very willing to take on 40 nations and eight groups of five, if we feel that number more accurately reflects the amount of nations who have met our standards for inclusion in the tournament and did not reach the finals. A 48-nation format could be considered as well should the numbers justify it, but 32 or 40 are the most probable numbers.
The tiebreakers used will be: Points, H2H Points, H2H Goal Difference, Overall Goal Difference, H2H Goals Against, Overall Goals Against, and a Single-Match Playoff (if necessary to determine advancement in the tournament), in that order.
The final will be held in the Equestrian States, with third place match being played in Mriin. Should one, or both, of the co-hosts have to also participate in the Cup of Harmony, the other co-host will scorinate the games involving that nation. (In other words, at no time, would one of us scorinate our own games).
III. 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. RP bonus will be cumulative throughout the tournament.
RP bonuses will be awarded based on quality, which, of course, takes precedence over quantity. Originality and initiative will also be rewarded, as will interaction 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.
IV. Experience
Equestrian States can safely be considered one of the NS Sports community's veteran hosts, having helped host three World Cups (67, 70, 72), the 57th Cup of Harmony, and the 58th Baptism of Fire. Other major tournaments the user has hosted to completion include three editions of the World Baseball Classic (25, 29, 41), the 21st World Cup of Hockey, 25th World Bowl, and the 29th and 32nd Di Bradini Cups. The lesser-known tournaments hosted by the Equestrian States include Quidditch World Cup 5, Water Polo International Championships 3, Runner Cup 3, Market Cup VI, the Baptism of Water, and all four editions of the Equestria Cup.
The user behind Mriin has taken a lengthy break from NationStates before their current incarnation, but has previously hosted Cup of Harmony 58 as Falcus and World Bowl XX as Karditan. Other scorination experience includes a smattering of smaller tournaments (Copa Rushmori de Béisbol, Third Interntional Chess Tournament) and, of course, a variety of domestic leagues. Hosting together with a user of Equestrian States’ pedigree would be an excellent way to get back up to speed.
Feel free to ask any questions!
Thanks to Qasden for designing the logo.
