The Freisan Farf Freitball Francitian, the Royal Banijan Soccer Association, and the Hoofball Association present...
BAPTISM OF FIRE 87
Farfadillis | Banija | Equestria
BAPTISM OF FIRE 87
Farfadillis | Banija | Equestria
World Cup 100 Signups | Host Bid
World Cup Discussion Thread | NS Sports Discord
Guide to Sports Roleplaying | World Cup FAQs | NS Sports History
Farfadillis Info | Banija Info | Equestria Info
Baptism of Fire 86 | World Cup 99 | Cup of Harmony 91
Baptism of Fire 87 | World Cup 100 | Cup of Harmony 92
Welcome to the eighty-seventh edition of the Baptism of Fire, to be contested in the Glorious Southwest of Arrosia at stadiums across magical Equestria, coffeeless Banija, and swervy Farfadillis! This also marks the beginning of the landmark one-hundredth cycle of the NationStates World Cup!
The Baptism of Fire is a tournament whose name matches its reputation as the crucible from which legends are born. For the overwhelming majority of teams which have ever competed in the World Cup, this was where they got their start. Many of the nations which have gone on to secure immortality as World Cup champions began their long and epic journeys here. The walls of the World Cup Hall of Fame are crowded with players, coaches, and personalities who first captured the attention and imagination of the multiverse at this competition. Over the past two decades, more than 2600 nations have played in the Baptism of Fire, but this tournament is unique among the multiverse's most prestigious sporting events:
You only get one chance.
Of the record-shattering 112 nations who will battle for the right to call themselves Baptism of Fire champions over the coming few weeks, none have competed here before, and none will play here again after the final whistle is blown. You may go on to play in every one of the next hundred World Cups, you may go on to everlasting glory as World Cup champions, you may even someday in the distant future become the most successful nation in the history of the sport, but no nation ever gets a second chance at the Baptism of Fire. The good news is that everyone else here is starting from the same spot as you. Every nation enters the Baptism of Fire without a ranking and whether or not you succeed is entirely up to your skill and luck.
If you are one of the many teams which will leave here after a heartbreaking loss, do not despair, as this is only the beginning of your journey. Many who have swallowed bitter disappointment at the Baptism of Fire have gone on to greatness. At the 45th Baptism of Fire, Equestria left Kagdazka & Pazhujebu eliminated after the group stage. Banija departed the 60th Baptism of Fire in Eura without winning even a single game. Today, those two nations boast four World Cup titles between them, and they are far from alone in tasting victory after defeat. As glorious as it is to emerge from the fire unscathed, there are rewards as well for those who rise from the ashes.
Now, to set aside the theatrics for a moment, for many of you this is your first time competing in an event here on NS Sports. If that is the case for you, please take the time to read the newcomers' guide we have written for you a little ways down this post. It will provide a quick introduction to some of the core concepts involved in roleplaying here on NS Sports which are unique to this forum, and reading it should help answer some of the questions you may have while navigating your first competition. We also request that everyone in this tournament reads the section containing some of the important rules and guidelines you are expected to follow while participating in the Baptism of Fire, most of which will likely also apply to any future NS Sports events you may take part in.
This thread is where those nations which have signed up for the Baptism of Fire should post their roleplays and team rosters, and is also where the hosts will eventually be posting their nation information, stadium assignments, and match results. Out-of-character questions, comments, or observations (including "tags" and "roster/RP placeholders") should not be posted here, and should instead be directed to the World Cup Discussion Thread or sent to one of the tournament co-hosts via telegram as appropriate. The hosts may also be contacted as needed via the NS Sports Discord server, an invite link to which can be found in the useful links section earlier in this post.
With those pleasantries and administrative notes concluded, on behalf of my Baptism of Fire 87 co-hosts, I wish you good luck in the coming weeks!
Table of Contents
Group Draw
The following 112 nations will be competing in the 87th Baptism of Fire. They have been randomly drawn into 28 groups of 4 teams. Groups 1-10 will play their group stage matches in Banija. Groups 11-19 will play their group stage matches in Farfadillis. Groups 20-28 will play their group stage matches in Equestria.
Group 1
Tremosia
Minoptra
Manuelian Empire
The Miniona Islands
Group 2
The Democratic Unionist Cool Kids
Soviet Kem
Mystris
United Arabian Emirate
Group 3
Natot
Knights of Lusitania
Sector 18
New Eastern Roma
Group 4
Jaoaa
Baman & Juket Liberationists
Travanta
Windows 7 Bliss
Group 5
Armeriea
Chemicala
Phoenicia
Annestah
Group 6
The Knockout Gun Gals
The Batavia
Santira
Skyberius
Group 7
Choppyhausen
Very Totally Free
Bruinswik
Saint Lazarus
Group 8
Tornadico
Seeberg
Bonusia
Nova Dackians
Group 9
Ziotah & Riverside
Montagne Noire
Burg Land
Aethelia
Group 10
AJTON
Behh
Riandera
Francanada
Group 11
Cardonia
Bythia
Imperial Regnum
Khachen
Group 12
Sibersky
Esistan
Merulla
Salagalu
Group 13
Putrasia
Stewartika
Greater Portugaliza
Hamborn
Group 14
Veleste
New Arbuckle
Kilichloom
Tristan de Cunha
Group 15
Salagavanya
Pichvi
X Country
Diollo
Group 16
Aritraroy
Khaelu
Mindhart
Grego
Group 17
Alixe
Moon Deing
Snestar
Lebronsleftnut
Group 18
Golfo Central
Colmaijo
Konkert
Hazardia
Group 19
Río de La Plata
Shin-Zetsubo
Canamn
Yangchenia
Group 20
Dixie Florida
Nergtul
Hanalia
Orioni
Group 21
Shizuna Rem Misurugi
United States of Alpha
Orcuo
Solarampa
Group 22
Capitulists
Andso Mangis
Narovi
The Ferret Lands
Group 23
Super Earth
Draftcubic
Baldorium
Brusselstein
Group 24
Rizzman Empire
Himurajima
Porotia
Bull Sheet
Group 25
Greater Deutsche
Atymnius
Biyambi
Bhumi Matawis Empire
Group 26
Denyssia
Cretian Territories
Equinox Auraterra
Europeasia
Group 27
Whispinia
South Kerala
Surne
Meris
Group 28
Coercia
Avote
New-Addlebrand
Konstantino
Tournament Schedule
Group Stage
The group stage will consist of each team playing the others in their group once in a single round robin. Groups 1-10 will play in Banija and will be scorinated between 7:00-9:00 PM EDT (23:00-01:00 UTC). Groups 11-19 will play in Farfadillis and will be scorinated between 8:00-10:00 PM UYT (23:00-01:00 UTC). Groups 20-28 will play in Equestria and will be scorinated between 10:00 PM-Midnight EDT (02:00-04:00 UTC).
Each match day below includes the fixtures to be played on that day. The numbers correspond to the order in which teams are listed in the group draw. For example, on Match Day 1, the first-listed team will play the fourth-listed team in each group, the second-listed team will play the third-listed team, and so on. Tiebreakers for the group stage are: points, head-to-head points, goal differential, number of wins, and drawing of lots (the result of which will be determined by a scorinated OOC playoff with RP bonus taken into account).
Friday, October 3: Match Day 1 - 1v4, 2v3 [BNJ Results | FFD Results | EQS Results]
Sunday, October 5: Match Day 2 - 4v3, 1v2 [BNJ | FFD | EQS]
Tuesday, October 7: Match Day 3 - 2v4, 3v1 [BNJ | FFD | EQS | 3rd Place Table]
Knockout Stage
Following the group stage, the top two teams from each group and the eight best third-place teams will advance to the knockout stage and the Round of 64. The knockout stage will consist of a single-elimination tournament with a set bracket. The pots, procedures, and draw for the knockout stage can be found in this post.
A complete bracket for the knockout stage can be found at this site.
Thursday, October 9: Round of 64 [BNJ Results | FFD Results | EQS Results]
Sunday, October 12: Round of 32 [BNJ | FFD | EQS]
Tuesday, October 14: Round of 16 [BNJ | FFD | EQS]
Thursday, October 16: Quarterfinals [BNJ | FFD | EQS]
Saturday, October 18: Semifinals [Results]
Monday, October 20: Third Place Playoff [Result]
Tuesday, October 21: Final [Result]
A Newcomer's Guide to NS Sports
For those of you who are new to the NS Sports forum: welcome! Before you begin, I strongly encourage you read the Guide to Sports Roleplaying as it does an excellent job of giving new participants a general idea of what to do and how tournaments generally work. Additionally, the World Cup FAQs factbook provides a guide which is slightly more focused on World Cup Committee (WCC) events, including the Baptism of Fire (BoF). If you have any questions, feel free to ask them on the World Cup discussion thread (WCDT) or by sending one of the hosts a telegram.
NS Sports Basics :: "How does all of this work?"
On NS Sports, the programs hosts use to produce results are called scorinators, which generate a realistic-looking result for a match in a given sport. In the case of this tournament, the scorinator we will be using is xkoranate. Scorinators take into account a participant's rank (typically earned by competing in prior editions of an event) as well as their roleplay (RP) bonus (the grade assigned by hosts to a participant for RPs posted during the event), and then inputs some degree of randomness when producing the final result. Together, rank, roleplay, and randomness are known as the three R's of NS Sports. For the Baptism of Fire, no teams enter with any rank, and therefore the only factors which will be accounted for are RP bonus and randomness.
Randomness is a crucial part of NS Sports, as sports are just as inherently random here as they are in real life. If you have followed any sport or competition for any time, you are certainly aware that sometimes you see upsets, where a competitor that nobody expected to win defeated the favorite. Therefore, even if someone enters an NS Sports tournament with the highest ranking and writes the best RPs anyone has ever read, they may still lose to that unranked team which didn't even post a roster. Upsets will happen in this tournament, and if you stick around here long enough, you'll likely be the victim and beneficiary of more than a few. On NS Sports, particularly egregious upsets are frequently attributed to the will of Margaret, the mysterious and often fickle goddess of random chance.
The last basic concept we'll cover is the multiverse, which is what we typically call the "world" of NS Sports. Competitors in NS Sports come from countless regions, worlds, and planes of existence. They may come from a tribe which is stuck in the Stone Age, or belong to an intergalactic empire with technology pushing the bounds of reality. They can be male, female, or not have any gendered characteristics to speak of. They might not be human or even be technically sentient. However, in NS Sports, they all compete alongside and against one another on a level playing field. You could field a starting lineup composed of literal gods, but the scorinator might still have them get demolished by that team of sentient dust bunnies.
Roster Construction :: "How do I tell everyone about who is on my team?"
For most people, the first thing you'll post is your roster. For an association football (or soccer) tournament like the Baptism of Fire, the roster is - in its simplest form - a list of the names of your starting 11 players, what positions they play, and any reserve/bench players also on your team. However, many participants often include additional information on their players, manager/head coach, and other staff members. This can include their ages, genders, their personal and professional backgrounds, what club teams they play for, physical traits like height or weight, their strengths and weaknesses, or really anything that might be considered relevant. Other things you might consider including in your roster are: formations, strategies/tactics, team background, traditions, kits/jerseys, fans, players' roles, team achievements, nicknames, or whatever other info you want your opponents to know about your team.
If you're still struggling with creating a roster, you may want to check out the roster threads from previous World Cups for inspiration. From World Cup 99, Sarzonia is a good example of a shorter and simpler roster which still conveys all the needed information. Calgasia is considerably more detailed and has some of the supplemental features included. Finally, if you're a bit of a masochist, there's Saint Eleanor who provides just about everything you could possibly want to know about their players and then some.
The two things which every roster should include, however, are RP permissions and your style modifier, which we will cover in detail in the next sections.
RP Permissions :: "How do I tell other people how to roleplay my team?"
One of the most important things to include in your roster (aside from your players) is the RP Permissions box, an essential part of participating in any tournament on NS Sports. The idea behind the permissions box is to let your opponents know what you are willing to allow them to do, and what you aren't willing to allow them to do. Please copy and paste the following somewhere in your roster when you post one and indicate your preference and any restrictions for each option:
- Code: Select all
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes/No
Godmod scoring events: Yes/No
RP injuries to my players: Yes/No
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes/No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes/No
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes/No
Godmod other events: Yes/No
Now, you may be wondering: what do each these individual options mean?
Choose my goalscorers: The most straightforward RP permission, this is exactly what it says as it gives or denies your opponents the ability to say which player(s) scored your team's goal(s). You are strongly encouraged to grant this permission as it is at the heart of the most common type of roleplay on this forum: the standard game summary. Similar to the basic goalscorers permission is the godmod scoring events option. Though opinions vary from person to person on what exactly is a godmod and there's no consensus definition, those granting this permission generally allow opponents to RP methods of goalscoring which tend not to happen very often in reality (e.g. a long-range bicycle kick goal from midfield). However, in more extreme cases, godmoded scoring events can be those which would never happen in reality and can be frankly absurd (e.g. the "Giant Bird" incident), though such events tend to be extremely rare.
RP injuries to my players: Also pretty self-explanatory, this permission allows opponents to have your players injured during a match. However, most participants who grant injury permissions will often set limits on the severity and/or causes of such injuries, thus allowing their opponents to include injuries in their RPs but still maintain control over just how badly the player is hurt and whether or not it will impact them in future matches. Godmod injuries to my players is the more drastic version of the standard injury permission, including less common and more unrealistic causes of injury (e.g. a player slipping on a water bottle and breaking their arm) as well as more severe injuries which may result in a player being unable to continue playing in the rest of the tournament, ending their career, or even killing them. Thus, to a greater extent than any other RP permission, godmod injuries tend to be restricted by participants.
Hand out yellow/red cards to my players: If you've ever watched a game of football/soccer played on television at any level, odds are you've seen a player shown a yellow card by the referee and sometimes (either after a second yellow card or for a particularly bad violation of the rules) even a red card, resulting in the player being sent off the field and their team playing the remainder of the game with fewer players. Simply put, these permissions allow your opponents to include such disciplinary actions against your players in their RPs, though you may choose to grant them but limit their numbers and/or causes if your team is less likely to take actions which result in your players being shown a yellow and/or red card.
Godmod other events: Simply put, this gives your opponents permission to RP events over the course of a match that wouldn't be likely to happen in reality and don't involve scoring or injuries (as those are covered by other permissions). Whether it's antics by fans, extreme weather conditions, or a portal to another dimension appearing in the stadium in the middle of a game, plenty of events could fall under this permission and thus you may wish to set some limits for your opponents.
Style Modifiers :: "How can I influence the way my team plays?"
You may want to include a style modifier (or style mod) with your roster, integers which range from -5 to +5 and give you some control over your team's results. A team that plays offensively, attacking more and focusing on scoring more goals at the cost of defense, should choose a positive style mod (anywhere from +0.001 to +5.0); they will both score and concede more goals on average. Teams that would rather sit back and focus on defense to prevent their opponents from scoring too many goals should choose a negative style mod (anywhere from -0.001 to -5.0); they will give up fewer goals, but will also have more difficulty scoring goals than their offense-first counterparts. For those who want the best of both worlds, or just don't really care to choose one style over the other, a neutral style mod of 0 is the best option. Nations that do not indicate a style mod will be assigned a neutral one.
It should also be noted that your style mod will have no influence on your likelihood or margin of victory, but will only influence the odds that your team will be involved in higher or lower-scoring results. Should you wish to change your style mod at any point during this tournament after the first match day, you may do so by contacting the hosts. However, you will only be allowed to do so once, so make sure that you'll be comfortable with using whichever style mod you change to for the rest of the tournament.
Fundamentals of Sports Roleplay :: "How do I get a good RP bonus?"
The post that is the heart of NS Sports is the roleplay (RP). Every match day, the hosts will read what the participants have written for that day and assign them a grade, which will contribute to their RP bonus and improve their chances of winning. RPs can take on a wide range of forms including but not restricted to: a summary or story of the match itself or part of it, your team's pre-game preparations, post-game celebrations, and so on. In addition to this, they can also be stories entirely unrelated to the match - current events in your country, politics, historical background, anything you want. These can take on the form of newspaper articles, play-by-play commentary, personal narratives, inner monologues, poetry, or any other form you could imagine or feel like doing. The only requirements are to respect the RP permissions of your opponent, and abide by the generated scores, as well as whatever facts about the match your opponent has already established (if they have RPed first).
There are several ways in which you can improve your chances of receiving a higher RP bonus:
Vary things up a bit. There is nothing wrong with writing match reports, and this is the primary way most nations RP. That said, if you get a bit bored writing them or if your opponent has already done a detailed match report, trying different formats can add some creativity. Examples could be an interview with your coach or one of your players, a report from a tourist who visited the host nation to watch the game, some reaction from people who watched it back at home, a preview of a coming game, or a diary entry by a player or coach. Not all RPing has to involve written text: you could post a picture of your team's kit or use a lineup builder website to generate an image of your team's formation and tactics.
Interact with your opponents, hosts, and fellow competitors. A good RP strategy can be to incorporate elements from your opponent’s roster or RP. If they've posted a roster, try to credit their players by name in your match report rather than just saying that 'a striker' scored a goal. If they've RPed their fans doing a specific chant, you could RP your fans responding to the chant. Use information provided by the hosts or other players to flesh out your RP. There’s nothing wrong with only writing about your own team, but RPing is meant to enhance interactivity, so anything that does that will usually earn a good bonus.
Obey good etiquette. Once again, make sure to check your opponent's roster before you RP their game, and specifically make note of their RP permissions. Don't do anything that contradicts their permissions. If they've RPed first, don’t do anything that contradicts the way they've RPed the game. If you're planning to RP your match, but are concerned that your opponent may RP about it first, you may want to consider contacting them earlier to agree upon the details of the game like who scored and when, if anyone was shown a yellow or red card, mid-game substitutions, or any other notable events. If you think your opponent hasn’t followed your RP permissions, try to contact them and ask if they would agree to change a detail: these problems can usually be resolved amicably. If not, notify the hosts by telegram and we will check the situation over. Do not post an RP you’ve previously posted in another tournament to try to 'double dip' RP bonus.
Finally, and most importantly: have fun. We don't expect everyone to spend hours every day working on RPs: you all have real lives, which will take priority. RPs should be fun for other people to read and for you to write. RPs do not need to be long or detailed to earn a high bonus. A short and funny RP could earn a higher RP bonus than a long and dull one. The hosts will make generous allowance that not all users are native English speakers and not all users are adults, but an effort with spelling and grammar will make it easier for hosts and fellow competitors to read, reward, and respond to your RPs.
Important Rules & Guidelines
All participants in this tournament are expected to adhere to the following rules and guidelines to the best of their ability. Should the hosts determine that a participant has violated these rules, they may choose to warn the offender and/or impose an appropriate punishment, including but not limited to: resetting of RP bonus, awarding forfeits, point deductions, or (in extreme cases) removal from the tournament. Except for those issues requiring intervention by NS site moderation staff, or the action of the World Cup Committee or its Executive, the hosts' decisions will be final on any other issues which arise during the tournament.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism, or the presentation of others' full or partial work as your own without their consent or proper attribution, is strictly prohibited. Should you be found to be engaging in plagiarism during this tournament, at a minimum your RP bonus will be reset to zero, and the hosts' may choose to impose additional penalties as they see fit to resolve the offense.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage
The development and adoption of generative AI for creative purposes poses a new challenge for NS Sports hosts. Although the hosts of this tournament are willing to allow the use of such programs for some limited purposes, this is not without restrictions. As such, AI usage by participants will be addressed within the following contexts:Roleplay Etiquette
- AI Generated Images: The use of AI-generated images is permitted, but must be clearly labelled as such.
- AI Generated Text: The use of AI-generated text is strictly prohibited, and any instance thereof may result in punishment by the hosts, including but not limited to the awarding of no credit for the offending post and the reset of any prior earned RP bonus. Limited exceptions may be made for explicitly-labeled text serving some specific purpose within the context of a broader RP, but participants are warned not to count on these exceptions. Participants must communicate with the hosts first, before trying anything which might merit a ruling.
- AI Translation: As all posts in this thread are expected to be made in English but not all participants may be fluent or comfortable with writing in English, the use of AI translation services is allowed, but the original language text should be posted in a spoiler for the purpose of transparency. A good example of this being done correctly can be found in this post by Huayramarca.
NS Sports roleplay is, at its' core, a large-scale collaborative and cooperative creative writing exercise which should be enjoyed by all those involved, including tournament hosts and participants alike. That enjoyment is jeopardized when one or more parties disregard basic etiquette at the expense of another. All participants are therefore expected to respect and follow other participants' posted RP permissions and interact with them in good faith. If you feel that your RP permissions are being violated or should other conflicts arise, it is recommended that participants first attempt to resolve their dispute politely and privately via telegram or other means of communication. Should this fail, you may request intervention by the tournament hosts who will have the final say in any such dispute.
Additionally, there are also certain godmodding events that we don't wish to see. You may not RP destructive damage or threats to the people or infrastructure of the host nations (e.g. stadium collapses, bomb threats, terrorist attacks, assassinations, pandemics, etc.) without first informing the relevant host as to the proposed nature and extent of the event and receiving permission from the host and, if necessary, your opponent. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in your RP bonus being reset to zero.
Optional Roleplay Prompts
RP prompts are given by the hosts if one hits writer’s block and needs some help figuring out what to write about! But so we are clear, there is no rule that you must follow RP prompts. You can edit, diverge from, or completely ignore the prompt. There is no extra RP bonus for responding to the RP prompt, nor is there a penalty for ignoring the RP prompt. Use them as you choose.
Pre-Match Day 1 RP Prompt
Your nation is about to enter the Baptism of Fire, ahead of their first ever appearance in World Cup Qualifying! Talk about your nation’s relationship with the sport of association football. How popular is it in your country? Will everybody be watching, or just a select few? Will your nation’s fans be traveling in large numbers to the host nations for this tournament? Are there expectations of glory at such a unique chance to win silverware?
Special thanks to Graintfjall, Ko-oren, and Valladares, whose work was borrowed for parts of this post.
Ministry of Humanity 
Lavenya, 
Edervina, and 
Dandelicha Continental), the league has stayed highly competitive, allowing for underdogs to claim high spots on the table (such as 
Arentas' incredible 7th place finish in the 2024-25 season, after just gaining promotion the previous season), though the mid-table and relegation battle are also entertaining to watch.
