World Cup 100 | RP thread

[Milchama]

"Well that was a start"

"It sure was"

"Surprisingly good start"

"Ridiculous start"

"I guess that's what happens when more nations sign up"

"Yeah, we can roll through the real crappy ones"

"Pretty much"

"But United Hawkland's been around awhile"

"This is what happens to suburbanites, they think they're so cool and then they get into the City and realize that the suburbs are just a small place and not really worth as great as the real big city"

"What does that have to do with United Hawkland?"

"Everything and also the Southland sucks, North Side forever"

"I am still very confused about all this"

"Look if Awa III is trolling Leo XIV about the City then I can troll United Hawkland about which side of the city he's not in"

"Still confused"

"We beat suburbanites ok"

"Sure, I get that but I don't understand what that has to do with two nations competing in an international sporting event"

"Ah, I will not explain, I will just continue to lean on the 4th wall"

"And I will continue to pretend there is a 4th wall"

"This feels like a fair compromise"

"Yes it does"

"So it's all downhill from here right?"

"Oh most definitely, we're screwed very soon"

"Especially now"

"Especially now"

"What can we do?"

"I would recommend continuing to win, maybe we can get lucky, it's certainly a distinct possibility"

"Margaret does do that sometimes"

"So just hope for the best but expect the worst"

"Pretty much"

"Come on You Warriors!"

"Let's Go Milchama!"

[Tristan de Cunha]

An unexpected summer storm has struck Tristan de Cunha, severely damaging electrical and communications infrastructure across the island, resulting in a temporary communications blackout of the island. While Tristanian officials have pledged that service will be restored in short-order, visitors traveling to/from the island for recreational reasons (including tourism relating to the NSWC Qualification matches) are advised to reschedule or plan for an extended stay on the island, as storms are projected to continue for the next few days.

(OOC: My computer's hard drive went kaput, and I'm posting from my phone. RP will be lacking or substandard while I work on resolving this issue.)

[Cardenao]

Can't Win Em All If You Don't Win The First Two!!

With the sun hanging low over the beauty of Safiloa, the Cardenaoan Blue and Golds kicked off their qualification campaign for the historic World Cup 100 and just like that, our country ground to a halt as the entire nation tuned in. While things started a little shaky, La Furia Azule quickly found their footing and opened their scoring account and secured their first three points. The next foe to face the sword was Hafamarimët who traveled to our beautiful New Cardonia, the first home fixture of any tournament, especially so when it’s the World Cup, and the lads didn’t let us down. It was a straightforward affair that showcased the fluidity of the modern Cardenaoan system as we blew them away from the first minute. Next up for Camilo Zavala and the boys is a home fixture vs Jaoaa before a bye day that will let Scooter McNash get his team prepared for the long march ahead. Let’s get into it.

To start the game? Wow, well it was pretty rough to watch, the Cardenaoan team looked more than a little lost out on the pitch as basic passages of play completely failed. Short passes bounced off ankles or went straight to the opponent, shots landed in the stands, duels were lost, tackles missed their mark; it was ugly. It took us over ten minutes to fashion our first real decent opportunity when Ricky Delafont slid the ball through the defensive line for Kiko Nécib, but the forward fired it harmlessly past the post. Around the 20th minute you could see the team start to steady themselves, retaining possession in Safiloa’s half and allowing the fullbacks to push up and start penning our opponent in and those efforts were rewarded when ChuChu Hernandez broke the line and curled it neatly ‘round the keeper but it was correctly called back for offsides. Another few minutes though and we opened things up; a period of sustained possession allowed Camilo Zavala and Ricky Delafont to spin through the defense before Ricky Ticky fired a laser of a ball to Kiko Nécib’s outstretched boot to poke the ball into the net. 1-0 to Cardenao. It was a solidly crafted goal, though it seemed to light a fire in the Safiloans and we were forced to retreat and play defensively, hoping for the halftime whistle to come but they managed to level the score in the 44th minute when one of their players used a nice bit of skill to get down the byline and lofting a cross in for another of their players to head home. It was a bit of a playground goal and I know Scooter McNash will be disappointed in his team for conceding a goal of that quality. Halftime.

When the second 45 got started, it became clear McNash wanted his team to progress possession through the midfield and for Camilo Zavala and Ricky Delafont to push further up the field. He almost looked like a genius when this overload freed up Moustir Yves-Almeny, our glorious captain, on the left wing, and he swung through the ball to catch it with the outside of his boot…oh how beautifully the ball swerved in the air but it wasn’t enough as the shot went narrowly wide. Frustratingly, the Blue and Golds didn’t push the tempo more after that, seeming content to control the flow of the game rather than taking it to the opponent like teams past. A cornerkick in the 58th minute gave Vittorino Seve Dioli the chance to the impossible with a wild bicycle kick but the centerback whiffed it entirely and the ball rolled pitifully out of bounds for a Savolian thrown in. That seemed to breathe some life into La Furia Azule, who brought the fight with renewed vigor. Kiko Nécib had his second denied by a great bit of goalkeeping in the 62nd minute, but it was Camilo Zavala who finally made the breakthrough two minutes later. Htay Koko, recently subbed in for Dimitri Micalizo, had immediately set to tearing through the defense with his deft dribbling and was hacked down 23 yards outside the box. Camilo Zavala stepped up to it, perhaps memories of an injury plagued WC99 that forced Haritz Larrainzar out of national team retirement to cover for him blazing through his mind, and absolutely walloped the ball into the net with a powerful free-kick. 2-1 in our favor and Scooter McNash made a mixture of subs designed to both solidify the lead and bring on some firepower to perhaps score a third or more. Unfortunately, no such treat for Cardenao as the scoreline held to the final whistle, but a solid second half gave the team some momentum heading into the home game against Hafamarimët.

It’s always a joy to see an unranked team get their World Cup campaign starter, the joy that comes with unbridled optimism; it’s been a while since we experienced that. The away fans were in full voice in Stadi Nacíonal, the home stadium for the Cardenaoan national team, and you honestly love to see it. To their credit, the Hafamarimëtians got off to a decent enough start as they got the first shot of the game, though Sït Ničïh’s effort went considerably wide, and first tackle, both sending their fan section into brilliant roar…and that was about all they had to cheer for for the rest of the match, though that certainly didn’t stop them from doing so! Perhaps juiced up from his failed bicycle kick vs Safiloa, Vitto Dioli jumped with confidence to meet Camilo Zavala’s corner kick and powerfully headed home to make it 1-0 Team Nao in the fourth minute; that’s how you want to start a World Cup game! The early lead combined with the Hafamarimëtians inexperience meant we faced little resistance implementing our gameplan and by the 15th minute, Kiko Nécib was comfortably breaking through the lines, ChuChu Hernandez and Dimitri Micalizo were stretching play and toying with the outside defenders, Camilo Zavala were posted up in the half-spaces with wingbacks providing security in the wide zones; it was domination and it paid off when Kiko Nécib got his second of the tournament after a nice passage of play where the ball flowed from defense up wide to the midfielders, Kiko and Camilo combined to open ChuChu up for the third man pass and it was simply a matter of pinging the ball to the end of Kiko’s run for him to sweetly slot home. 2-0 and we were cruising, all gas no breaks baby! Perhaps sensing a blowout brewing, the Hafa’s retreated into their shell and proved difficult to crack and we were unable to add to our side of the scoreline…unfortunately, the Hafamarimëtians added to theirs. It wasn’t the prettiest goal but they don’t have to be to count on the scoresheet and Gadvar Puntërë will certainly be happy about that as he found the net right before the stroke of halftime and perhaps turned the tide of this contest.

Kiko Nécib said ‘nope’ and put that to rest by scoring a banger from just outside the box in the 53rd minute to make it 3-1 and you’d have to think that was it. And, barring one spectacular long range effort from their right back Kïmöjan Pëšnetka that barely whistled over the bar, that was more or less the case. Salva Perez, Htay Koko, and Lasso Smith came on in the mid-60s, and they were joined by striker Mariano Torquato and 18 year old wonderkid Francesc Fabregassi, reviving a Cardenaoan tradition of getting them started young. The center midfielder for Ciudad LeBois looked good as he traded the famous blue and orange of LeBois for the Blue and Gold of Cardenao, and he immediately made an impact with his keen eye for passing lanes and his ability to perfectly fit a ball through them to his target. Anyhow, he made use of that vision to play a brilliant ball that curled around the defensive line right to Mariano Torquato who confidently finished his 1v1 with the keeper and with that, the scoreboard read 4-1, which held to the end of the match.

I’m being advised by my editor to wrap it up, so let me leave you with this: we looked good in our opening matches but there were against fairly easy competition. The next match against Jaoaa extends that, and then we have our bye week, so were not facing the best of the best but at least Team Cardenao is building momentum, scoring goals, and stacking wins. On to the next one!

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

CUTOFF
Qualifying stage MD3/4

[The Martian Independent Republic]

OOC note: Try it yourself!

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"What do you mean, they got third?"

"The M4F swept Jezero District and the Socialists almost did the same in Gagarin. The only base where we outright beat the M4F was Gagarin, and that was one seat to zero out of 10."

"They swept Jezero?"

"I don't know, Najib, the local branch nominated an extremist and the M4F and the Socialists formed a non-compete agreement."

"I don't fucking care how they got third. I just care that they got third. This is a base we're supposed to be winning. We'd do better in Borealis."

"Calm down. It's unbecoming of a national leader to act like this."

"Alright, fine. Seriously, though, is there even a point in putting energy into the northern three? Based on this result, we need to cut our losses in Mangala."

"I mean, if they forget about Sagan, we could always try to pick up stuff there or in Milan-"

"They know as well as we do that Borealis is as pink as it gets. Two other tiny bases where they have a 99% chance of winning seems like a bad fight for us."

"I guess you're right. Do you want to give Lexi Jones a call congratulating her on her upset victory?"

"No, I don't want to. But I know I have to."

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Vetrahjart 4 - 1 The Martian Independent Republic
??? 10', 25', 45+2', ??? 74' | Jowling 38'

[Kelssek]

It could have been a tense home opening for Football Kelssek’s project to start hosting games in the national capital, with many expecting Vetrahjart to provide a stern test of a Kelssek squad undergoing churn and low on morale and momentum. But instead the visitors came apart, allowing Kelssek a feast of goals in a runaway 7-1 win.

Rémy Niemi scored after 17 minutes capitalizing on a defensive mistake, but Vetrahjart responded with resolve and equalized soon afterwards. But it all started to go wrong when a desperate challenge by the last man back on Emre Massinen sprinting away on a counter-attack was judged as denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. The red card unsettled the visitors and they duly came apart, with Niemi notching a first half hat-trick from the penalty spot to make it 3-1 at half time.

There was no respite in the second half, though, and after it seemed Vetrahjart would be able to limit the damage with a dogged defensive deadbolt, Sammy Mao’s speed had the winger through the backline 14 minutes into the half. That seemed to break the resolve of their opponents and from that point on Kelssek controlled the match and only had to connect properly with their movements to sink the world’s 30th-ranked team deeper into the muck.

KELSSEK 7 – Niemi (17’, 32’, pen. 41’), Mao (59’), Coulter (74’), Pogbacar (79’), Vergland (90+2’)
Carrieri, Casiraghi, Vergland, Lalande, Jouppi (Bastien 65’), Pogbacar (Pépin 65’), Mylonakis (Rendon 71’), Mao, Cutter (Coulter 65’), Niemi (Hartzell 71’), Massinen
VETRAHJART 1 – (23’)
Stadium of the Workers, Neorvins (attn. 66,874)

RANORIA 0
KELSSEK 2 – Nyhof (60’), Obident (70’)
Carrieri, Nyhof, Vergland, Zivkovic, Sauvé, Pogbacar, Pépin (Licea 77’), Lìos (Nordet 81’), Cutter, Niemi, an Deòir (Goh-Lemaire 63’), Obident (Consðntin 77’)

[Soviet Kem]

Soviet Kem 1-0 Minoptra in Matchday 3
Banija 3-0 Soviet Kem in Matchday 4

By Frediand Drocov

In matchday 3 Soviet Kem came out with a 1-0 win at home over Minoptra. In the 11th minute Gligimesh attempted a wonderful through-ball, but it was intercepted. By the 39th minute Mosjow attempted a cross off a deflected clearance, reaching Nort, who smashed it past the keeper into the net. Fenski was substituted in for Nort in the 63rd minute. In a post-match interview with Ken Stavisk said his about the Banija match, "We now have confidence that we should be able to get a win on the road at Banija, but we will still be fighting tooth and nail for that win."

In matchday 4 Banija came out with a 3-0 win at home against Soviet Kem. The scoring opened early with a 7th minute goal by Resnais-Mahama, who scored a wonderfully in the top-left corner after a cross from Son-Saka. Fengski attempted a run in the 21st minute, but was tackled concisely by Rouse-Jurun, but the tackle was from behind resulting in a yellow card. Banda attempted a long-range shot from the mid-field line, due to Zoinski being near the top of his box at the time, due to a sudden change in possession, the shot made it into the goal. A 64th minute corner kick from Wentibwa sealed the 3-0 win as it reached the head of the Banija captain, Son-Saka, going into the bottom right corner. Putanik would attempt to sink a free kick from 25 yards out in the 86th minute, but it narrowly missed the top-left corner, going just wide, eventually the final whistle blew as the slaughter was over. I managed to catch Naskin Putanik after the game, with him saying, "We need to be more defensively minded against teams of this caliper. I trust that Ken is already planning our next training session, and I am guessing it is a defensive one. Now if you will excuses me, I need to do my own self-punishment and start running drills until I can barely walk." Ken Stavisk said in a post-match press conference, "It is a shame that we lost, an even larger one that we lost 3-0. But I see this as an opportunity for us to improve our defending, we now know what we must work on. We will improve."

[Seeberg]

“They told me to do some commentary about current events, like the many past, present and future faces of St. Lazarus The Undecided, or the art of losing to StrayaRoos,” said Sigismund Schiltze and adjusted his feathered green felt cap, “but how can you say something about today and tomorrow without firstly discoursing protractedly on the many yesterdays of time gone by,” he continued and took a long swig from his stein while seated at Doktor Gugelhupf’s old stamtisch in the back of the Vergoldete Mackrell Bäckerei on Grimmaische Straße, in the Heilige Birgitta Quarter in the eastern parts of fair Brinterberg. “So while you might expect a small treatise on multiple personalities or the pain of an emu’s kick, I instead invite you to sit down and dedicate yourself to the story of How The Horkenheimers Ended Up Here.” Herr Schiltze devoured his last bite of a particularly chewy quarktasche and smacked his lips in contentment, before continuing: “Call me old fashioned, but when the dough rises, you must bake, and so I suggest we now proceed to Part 9, wherein the Brinterberger Liga is born, serialized competition becomes the norm, and the people rejoice”

“So, the Seebergundian Fußballverband (SFV) was founded in the aftermath of the 25th Brinterberger Cup, and the ministerium thereby handed over responsibility for all things FußBall to the new governing body, charging them with managing the rules, training and certifying judges, developing the new capital league system, administering the Brinterberg Cup (and probably whatever kind of competition they were up to out in the provinces as well, I would assume), scheduling fixtures, ensuring that the stands didn’t devolve into anarchy, etc. etc. There was a considerable transference of competence and resources, where both employees and vast annals of documentation accompanied the establishment of the SFV on the top floors of the old Haus Tolleknolle on Sehr Altes Pumpernickelstraße, just off Morgenmuffel Platz in the heart of fair Brinterberg.

The first SFV chairman was one Doktor Eberhardt von Wackelstein, a retired bureaucrat of middling fame and considerable girth, known for his work on the Regulation of Public Umbrella Usage in Windy Conditions. He had little to no prior knowledge of FußBall, but was a master of procedural nuance and in many ways he seemingly had a calming effect on crowds simply by existing. Under his leadership, the SFV introduced the Code of Spectatorial Decency, which banned excessive shouting and unauthorized festive or otherwise suggestive movements in the stands, and also the wearing of rival team colors outside of the stadia in sensitive districts. He also implemented a semi-paramilitary branch of the SFV - officially called the Game-Gastgeberstaffel - of burly men in red-white striped blazers armed with batons who attended all games and made sure the Code was upheld. These GGs were often recruited from retired ßa purpleshirts, but operated under their own strict code of conduct - authored by Doktor von Wackelstein - and were generally fairly well-regarded by FußBall fans and associations alike. That’s not to say there weren’t any questionable incidents, but von Wackelstein’s tenure was mostly marked by stability and a notable reduction in spectatorial chaos.

The considerable task of establishing a Brinterberger Liga was of the utmost priority, and the SFV only spent two years developing and refining their plans, launching their intentions in the summer months following the 27th Brinterberger Cup (which, by the way, was deemed a great success with very well-behaved crowds and a rare triumph for Ballclub am Fluss, claiming their first ever cup win). The Liga was to be a seasonal affair, stretching from the first day of spring until the last manageable frost of autumn, with a suitable summer break. Each of the recognized FußBall associations of fair Brinterberg - 14 in total - would participate, and the format was to be round-robin, with points awarded for wins, draws, and, at the judges’ privilege, particularly elegant losses as part of a Points of Panache system, where the losing team could be awarded a bonus point for things like particularly stylish goals, commendable team effort or laudable dedication to fair play.

The autumnal build-up in preparation for the inaugural Liga start had large parts of fair Brinterberg buzzing with excitement, and those who preferred having their strudel or bier without a side of Fußall struggled greatly to find a cafe, brauhaus or kneipe of the lowlier variety not completely occupied by the spirit of the game; many of the teams even had small droves of spectators present at their weekly training sessions. And then, finally, came the Brinterberger Liga’s first matchday. It was a spectacle. Crowds gathered in the parks, plazas, and designated pitches, waving flags, shouting slogans, and occasionally throwing pastries. The GGs had their hands full with maintaining order and in parts of town they had to rely on reinforcements from the ßa to keep things proper. The upstanding people of Brinterbergundian Society observed the tasteless straflosigkeit with the required detached disdain, but by this time it was a poorly kept secret that FußBall had started to become a topic of cautious excitement and suitable intrigue also in some of the salons along Schönes Brinterberg Allee, on Philharmonisches Platz and all around the heart of fair Brinterberg, where people of course supported either Staad FBV or SV Brinterberg.

The matches themselves were played with fervor, and while the quality of play varied wildly, the passion was undeniable. As the weeks went by, the Liga developed its own rhythm. Matches were played every Sunday, with Monday reserved for recovery, Tuesday for gossip, Wednesday for tactical overanalysis, Thursday for withdrawal symptoms, Friday for training, and Saturday for a potent mix of overexcitement and existential dread. The Brinterberger Beobachter eventually started running a dedicated Liga section, complete with scores, stats, player ratings and scandalous rumors. The latter often acted as fresh firewood on already smoldering local rivalries, like when you could read in the paper, in the days leading up to the anticipated clash between Dinkelbrot Fußball and BSV Oxwaldstadt, that Dietrich Marlenerheimer of the former was seriously considering changing his membership to the latter, something which sparked many a heated exchanges on the streets of northern Brinterberg. These tendencies were not exclusive to the north, but rather rivalries intensified all over town. Both inaugural Liga games between Felina FußBall and BSV Gneis became infamous for mean-spirited pre-match banter, and even fans of the central teams, Staad FBV and SV Brinterberg, found themselves embroiled in disputes, although mostly over pitch etiquette and the proper way to fold a matchday program.

As the inaugural season drew to a close, the standings were tight. Felina FußBall of the southern neighborhoods was tied on points with northerners Münsterheim FBV and Staad FBV from the heart of fair Brinterberg. The final matchday promised ecstasy for the winners, heartbreak for the losers and drama all around. The people of fair Brinterberg held their breath, flags, and streuselkuchen, in anticipation, and the events did not disappoint in terms of drama and excitement. However, perhaps not in the way one would have expected or hoped for, because the three associations fighting for the title lost their games, all seemingly ending on the same number of points. That would've normally meant going to the Goal Difference column of the table, where both Felina and Münsterheim sat at +17 (opening up a whole other can of würmer) as opposed to Staad’s +5, but moments after the game between Staad FBV and Baden-Baden-Baden FBV had ended it transpired that the judge of the day had awarded Staad a Point of Panache for Jürgen von Windelmann managing to score his team’s only goal from their own half of the pitch with a kanon of a shot. This pushed Staad FBV to the top of the inaugural Brinterberg Liga table, and there was much rejoicing in the central parts of fair Brinterberg.

The 1st Brinterberger Liga - final standings.

1. Staad FBV
2. Felina FußBall
3. Münsterheim FBV
4. BSV Gneis
5. Ballclub am Fluss
6. SV Brinterberg
7. Dinkelbrot Fußball
8. BSV Oxwaldstadt
9. VfB St. Paulina
10. Baden-Baden-Baden FBV
11. BSV Mordorheim
12. Knackwurst FußBall
13. VfB Hügelheim
14. BSV Allmannsdorf

I will not say that parts of the city descended into riots, but there was definitely a feisty and somewhat hostile atmosphere in the northern and southern parts of fair Brinterberg after news of the fateful Point of Panache started spreading, but it was nothing some good old flogging by the purpleshirts couldn't handle. The events of the final match day prompted plenty of debates, both about the use of the Panache system, a potential bias towards central teams like Staad amongst judges and within the SFV, and more broadly about the ethics of long-range shooting. The results of the inaugural season stood, but the SFV subsequently published a memorandum stating that going forward, Panache privileges were not to be utilized on the last match day of the season.

The dissatisfaction eventually died down, and soon enough people started looking forward to the next season. Despite its quirks, the Brinterberger Liga was a resounding success, and would usher in what has been called the Vergoldete Age of Seebergundian FußBall.”

[Riandera]

RIAN☆STAR
WEDNESDAY - October 29, 2025

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Riandera celebrates one more victory at WC 100 qualifying
Rafflesias defeat Baker Park on home soil
by .. Kevin Widiyanto

Bandar Suryana—The Rafflesias have celebrated yet another win at the WC 100 qualifying, defeating Baker Park 2-0. This marks While their opponents were ranked World #30, fans saw the match as a possible win for the Rianderans. Riandera had gone undefeated previously on MD1 and MD2, sweeping their opponents. But as for Baker Park, they had won two of their three previous matches.

Striker Woolridge nearly scored at 14', but was stopped by a swift Parker defence. He struck again at 49', which turned the scores 1-0. Then Wahyuni came along and scored another goal for Riandera at 67'. Sutantoputri nearly scored at 88', but then she met Longstreet who stopped her from scoring in the last few minutes of the game.

"As of now, it's been a success for my Rafflesias," team manager Krishna said in a post-match presser, "hopefully they'll be making it to the hexadecifinals at least."

"I honestly don't care if we don't make past qualifiers," Zhang said in an interview, "at least we had fun playing at the centennial World Cup. It's something to remember."

Riandera's next challenge is in Ethane, world #377. Fans think the Rafflesias might end their winning streak in that match, but there is also potential for them to win. Will the Rafflesias surmount the Red Kites? Only time will tell.

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RianStar has been Riandera's most trusted news source for forty years. It offers unbiased views of different domestic and international news, making their reports to the best quality.

[Paradystopia]

MD3

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Safiloa 0–3 Paradystopia

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Olii 5', 78', 85'

MD4

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Paradystopia 3–0 Hafamarimët

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Olii 20', 89', 90'+2

"Would they still call it a golden boot, given I have paws?"

Error glared at the clueless white and ginger xat' with as much venom as he felt his eyes could muster without giving himself some sort of aneurysm. Olii, possessing all the perspicacity of a wilting houseplant, naturally failed to pick up on the unspoken social cues that were screaming at him to drop his current line of enquiry.

"Maybe, if I do win it, it could be the golden footpads? Oooo ... or a golden cape. I'd wear a golden cape. I'd look sooo dashing in a cape. Can I have a cape?"

The Paradystopi manager pictured a hundred ways he could bring about the death of his top goalscorer in over-elaborate and spectacularly gory fashions. The main point of his frustration lay in the unfortunate juxtaposition of his anger at the fact that he, as the striker, should be scoring all these goals, and that Paradystopia were flying, having had a run of three impressive wins, three clean sheets, and at least three goals in each match. It would be hard to say whether they would be doing as well without a certain moronic feline exhibiting some unbelievable form in front of goal. Even more astounding was that the Paradystopi top domestic team; Xat'i Paradystopi, had sold him off to Random Penguins XI; the previous season's wooden spoon recipients, ahead of the second season of the FLoP. Perhaps they would be rueing that decision tremendously. That is, if everyone in the country hadn't been duped by a bogus report that the hundredth world cup had in fact been cancelled and they actually knew of his ludicrous goalscoring form.

"Error! So, can I have a cape?"
"No. There's regulationies against them."
"But what about yours?"

Error passed his fingers over the fine ermine mantle he had recently taken to wearing, tenderly stroking the luscious fur. It was a beautiful item that had come at an exorbitant price (courtesy of the Paradystopi Association of Football, and hidden away amongst 'additional expenses'.) and conveyed, he thought, a certain level of gravitas. It was an absolute bitch to play football in though.

"This, is a mantle piece. It's differential. It's not a cape."
"Looks like a cape."
"This, is the clothing of emparchs and monperors, quings and keens, and by extension cables, other leaders of a similar standing room only."
"Is a football manager really of a similar standing to a monarch?"

Error once again scowled at the xat'. Olii once again failed to register it.

"Not yet, but spoon."
"What?"
"I suppository if you must know, I have set in motion a great referenduminium. A national vote to set the great city of Erroropolis freebies of Paradystopi oppression!"
"What?"

[Indusse]

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Know your Team!

With the Centenary Edition of the World Cup on the way, Indusse is all set with their squad to compete their way into the final stage. While the team has a few familiar faces in them, there is a bunch of players who are here in the national camp for the first time. "Know your Team!" is a special section of our reporting that focuses on introducing the team to our readers. Two players will be introduced to the readers, every issue. While we introduced Shehzad and Paulson in the last issue, today will take a look at another two.

Cyrus YAZDANI
Position: LB | Age: 19 | Club: Southbay Riveria FC | Apps: None

Yazdani was born in San Aurelio, a city in the Province of Neagra. Yazdani belongs to a family that practices Mazdayasna and was the first Parsi (those who follow Mazdayasna) to reach the National Team. Yazdani paved his way to this oppurtunity over the years starting at the age of 12 when he started playing for the school team and the Neagra Under 16 Squad. His performance was widely appreciated and at the age of fifteen he was signed by Neagra FC as a youth product. His performance for the Neagra FC Youth Team in their debut season was wonderful which made him to be signed by Southbay Riveria FC Youth within a year. While in Southbay Riveria FC Youth, he was able to showcase his talent, eventually turning himself into the captain of the youth team. His performance got him a call from the Indussean Under 18 World Cup camp and Cyrus was able to be a starter when Indusse reached the Round of Sixteen in the U18 World Cup's 23rd Edition. This performance by Cyrus got him promoted from Youth Team to the Southbay Riveria main team for which he plays now. Cyrus got a recent call up to the National Team starting with the centenary season and is pretty determined to keep his spot forward. Cyrus is pretty fast and focused compared to many of his colleagues, his tackles are precise and he is vigilant about not making unnecessary fouls.

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Akshay ADHAAN
Position: CB | Age: 18 | Club: Capitolians | Apps: 5

Born in Sindhupura, Adhaan is another player who started his football journey pretty early than many. His parents who were huge football fans decided to send him for local training camps from the age of eight. With the training and skills from then, Adhaan has been able to build up his performance and play for school teams as well as local clubs in the city. At the age of fourteen, he joined the youth academy of Sindhupura Union FA which was a club that used to be pretty relevant in the national level years ago. His performance in Sindhupura Union FA (Y) got him a youth contract with Southbay Riveria FC at the age of sixteen. While playing for the Southbay Riveria Youths, he was confirmed to play for Indusse's Under 18 side for the 23rd Edition Squad. Playing for Indusse as a leftback, Cyrus was able to make brilliant play in the ground which made him a newsmaker for a while. While being back at Indusse, he was signed by the Ralsalin side Dasein. He was able to make some noise at Dasein but soon after he made a move to the Ktyler Peninsulae Club Capitolians. Adhaan is a player who has been able to showcase his tackling strength which sometimes turn out to be rash, but more practice and control would make him more flexible at his position.

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Top the Table!

Group Twenty Four seemed like a tougher group with teams like HUElavia and Osnari Federation in it. Indusse was a bit more confident than the rest since their records with these major opponents were all positive. Indusse was more hyped about facing The Osnari Federation after they were able to defeat them in their home in a friendly match as part of the Federation Shield. The four against one victory had indeed made the Indussean players very eager to defeat their opponents once again. After the first two matches of the qualifying stage was done and Indusse sharing their table topper position with the other two, everyone was eager to know what's next. Indusse was meant to face Saperetia at away and The Osnari Federation at home.

In the third match of the qualifying stage, the Team from Indusse visited Saperetia inorder to clinch their next victory. Indusse expected it to be an easy match on the way considering that the opponent seems pretty new to the international arena. Matthew Sconfield, assistant coach of Indusse remarked that Saperetia seems to be a zero threat opponent for them and it would be a big feat if they even manage to score a single goal. While comments were coming out from here and there, the match started at the stadium. The Indussean side had been showing majority possession over the ball than the home team. But out of nowhere came the blow, a ball that was beautifully intercepted by the Saperetian defenders were passed towards the forwards. A couple of dribbling and then a pass to Saperatian striker Richard Seppel and a quick blow which gave them a lead in the match against the flocking blues.

The crowd started shouting in joy, ofcourse they would after all it was their home team. The designated stand for The Flocking Blues went all silent. The match resumed and the game went on. Indusse could not score a leveller even when the half time was called for. Fans were disappointed even when the second half resumed. They were waiting for the right time it seems and at the fifty third minute, the captain of the team scored the leveller with an amazing header off the corner. This time the flocking blues screamed with joy and the sound was so strong that even the home supporters' disappointment and cries were neglected. The team seemed like they just had got freshen. Not much after, O'Shaugnessy who came a bit forward in the new formation made a sudden attack through the left side of the post. He crossed the ball to Rahul and Rahul made a shot. The keeper was able to punch it off the danger zone but O'Shaugnessy was still around, he made a quick run and snatched the ball with just one thing in mind "A Goal or Nothing". The ball was kicked, the keeper was still down and it happened. The Visitors take on the lead! The home fans went into deep silence.

Soon after the second goal, the manager called off Rahul and substituted Vineeth K K to the field. Vineeth was having his debut in the national team's jersey. There was not much time left, only ten minutes in the clock. Indusse continued with a bunch of shots in target but nothing went inside. But then at the eighty-eighth minute, it happened. The Debutee Vineeth made a wonderful bicycle kick towards the keeper. The ball hits the gloves of the keeper, but he is unable to save it. That ends the game, a complete victory for Indusse. "We gave off a goal this time, but that is not happening at home." said Jahangir Shehzad the team goalie.

For the fourth match, Indusse was at home. The Osnari Federation, with whom Indusse had a friendly not too long ago at their soil was once again coming to challenge the flocking blues. A Pot 3 team, one to be careful about has not been posing threats as it was meant to be for the past few matches they have been around. Before the friendly, Indusse had met the Osnari squad twice for a game. In both those matches, Indusse had not had defeat. In the first leg of the qualifying stage of World Cup 99, Indusse faced the federation and defeated them for a score of five against two and in the last match of the same stage, they met again but this time it was a close call of a three goal tie between the teams. Now for their fourth encounter, they are at the Adityavarma Kulashekara International Stadium. The stands are filled with the Flocking Blues whereas the Osnari fans even though they are there in quite some numbers got to be missing in the crowd.

The match started with Indusse having the same squad as all the previous games. The Osnari players seemed tensed, probably due to them wanting to secure a win that could turn out to be a huge relief for them. The match started with a counter attack from Osnari, as everyone had hoped they were keen to win the match at any cost. The chemistry between players like Blum and Mullis was very visible in those early counter attacks. Not just one but many of similar counter attacks where performed by The Eagles until the first quarter of the game. Slowly, Indusse was able to regain possession so that they could also start with their attacking mentality. Not long after at the thirty second minute, Djetson Hasle who plays for Taxhavn side Standard Lily in the domestics made a quick counter and chipped the ball into the nets. The stadium roars and that was a goal! Indusse mark their lead before the first half has time to end.

Many would have thought that the Eagles would have been taken back. But no, they continued with their attacks which seemed stronger than what they had in before. The Indussean defenders tried their best to make sure the ball does not get past them. But it did, multiple times making it hard for the keeper to take over. Soon the half time whistle was blown and when the game resumed Indusse had substituted Lhazang Tsang Po who plays for Raulmans' owned Biyambi club Ngwazi Strikers in the place of Akshay Adhaan. It was true, the defence did want changes because the Osnari players were keen on making counter attacks that constantly got past the defenders. This was a universal truth when Indussean forward Djenkzo scored a header goal at the sixty eighth minute further solidifying the lead. Did The Eagles grow weak? No, they still felt that they could take over any time. For the next five to seven minutes, Indusse was not able to maintain possession. But soon after Grundjee made a interception and rushed forward with the ball, he made a cross towards Djenkzo who perfectly curved it into the post. The Third one was in! A Double for Djenkzo! Indusse made sure the game was theirs. Now the attacking mindset of the Eagles grew more aggressive and Indusse made another substitution replacing Bhattacharya with Buschelus. Now all the players in the squad has had their debut, and Vineeth had made his memorable with the winning goal last match. The whistle was blown and it was a total destruction to the Eagles at Indusse.

Osnari seems to be pretty adamant about having a revenge at their home soil and the team is very much looking forward to it. Indusse leads the group with ten points in hand, followed by others who are pretty much closer to Indusse in points. For the next match, Indusse is set to face Nova Dackians at Away and Warkus at Home. Information from internal sources suggest that the playing eleven for the upcoming matches would remain the same.

Saperetia 1–3 Indusse
Playing XI: Shehzad (GK), Cyrus, Paulson, Akshay, Bhattacharya (All Defenders), O'Shaugnessy , Grundjee, Djetson (All Midfielders), Mersiás (c), Rahul, Djenkzo (All Attackers)
Substitutions: Rahul ⏷ Vineeth ⏶
Goals: Mersiás (53'), O'Shaugnessy (66'), Vineeth K K (88')

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Indusse 3–0 The Osnari Federation
Playing XI: Shehzad (GK), Cyrus, Paulson, Akshay, Bhattacharya (All Defenders), O'Shaugnessy , Grundjee, Djetson (All Midfielders), Mersiás (c), Rahul, Djenkzo (All Attackers)
Substitutions: Adhaan ⏷ Tsang Po ⏶ , Bhattacharya ⏷ Buschelus ⏶
Goals: Djetson (32'), Djenkzo (68', 78')

Other Headlines

• The Refrainers Strikes Again!
  Rubber Chicken thieves who call themselves "The Refrainers" was found to have looted seven farms in Southbay and the Rajpura side of Hind.
• VEIO Named As The Nation's #1 News Agency
  VEIO Sports Network which owns multiple TV Channels and also a newspaper has been named as the Top News Agency in the country but the Ministry of Broadcasting, Indusse.
• Heavy Rain Floods River Nisarga
  Heavy rain has been reported at the areas drained by River Nisargra. Districts at the Cheralam - Saharanchal borders are kept in high alert and the people living at the banks of River Nisarga has been asked to evacuate.

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OOC: The Player Images are AI Generated.

[The Sernetian Empire]

SERNESPORTS TV



contents:
1) Sernet Triumphs over Yangchenia
2) Goalless draw against Yuezhou
3) Next 2 matchdays analysis
4) Guide for visiting Republican fans
5) Stoberus Pond interview

SERNET TRIUMPHS OVER YANGCHENIA - 1st EVER NSWC VICTORY

the match
Sernesports TV
reporter: Grzegorz Woskiewicz

final score: Sernet 1-0 Yangchenia

Sernet bagged a juicy 3 points following the exhilarating face off against Yangchenia. Genuinely, what a night for Sernet! In a tense and hard-fought World Cup clash, our national heroes smashed it with a deserved 1-0 victory, making this our first ever world cup victory. It was a performance built on discipline, determination, heart, stamina and physical excellency, the values our team upholds.

From the opening whistle, Sernet showed intent. There wasn't going to be a repeat of the Juvencus match. The pressing was relentless, the midfield organization impeccable, and the backline as solid as a wall. Every two minutes players were making breakthroughs, Bolsting, Oluwawa, Stork, Sakayo, Jatrowski, you name it.
However, Yangchenian goalkeeper Damdul Gyatso deserves an honorary mention for saving a stupendous amount of out shots, keeping the scoreline even until half time. Even though no goals had been scored yet, the crowd at Seven Bridges were going wild. There was an ocean of sernetian flags, a sea of sernetian shirts.
They also seem to have found a new nickname for the team, chanting 'COME ON STEAMERS, COME ON STEAMERS'. Personally I think Steamers fits well. Of course there was the usual 'SERNET IS HIM' chant. Meanwhile, Yangchenian fans observed the situation intently, praying for the tide to turn...

The breakthrough finally came in the 56th minute, when Sporius Bolsting produced a moment of brilliance. After receiving the ball from Stork, he ploughed forward on the right wing and then sent an absolute rocket, or a steamer you could call it, flying into the back of the net, sending the goalkeeper to Narnia. That strike that will live long in the memory of every sernetian supporter, a strike that every steamer at that stadium will tell their awestruck children and grandchildren about in the distant future. It was, after all, Sernet's first ever goal at the world cup. Sporius had written his name in the history books. The roar that followed could be heard across the nation. A renewed burst of energy charged up the fans, chanting 'COME ON STEAMERS', 'THE POWER OF SERNET' and 'SERNET IS HIM'.

After taking the lead, Yangchenia managed the game superbly. The defense stayed composed under pressure, with Mantrostem, alongside the rest of the defence, and goalkeeper Pasarowski, standing tall against every attack Yangchenia could muster. The tactical discipline from Stoberus Pond's side was exceptional - every substitution, every formation tweak showed a clear plan to protect the lead and see the job through. He too will be praised and lauded as a national hero, alongside captain Sporius Bolsting.

When the final whistle blew, the stadium erupted. Players fell to their knees, fans sang the chants with tears in their eyes, and the nation celebrated together. It was a beautiful show of Sernetian unity. A beautiful show of the passionate love for this country that courses through the veins of every sernetian. This wasn’t just a victory - it was a statement. The Steamers have the belief, the passion and the spirit to go all the way. The sernetian fans were over the moon, the Yangchenians certainly weren't.

Make no mistake, the journey continues, and tougher challenges lie ahead. But tonight, Sernet can hold its head high. One goal, one victory, one proud nation united behind its team.

Final Score: SERNET 1 - 0 YANGCHENIA
Goals: Sporius Bolsting (SRT) 56’


ALL CREDIT TO YANGCHENIA FOR THE ABOVE IMAGE

GOALLESS DRAW AGAINST YUEZHOU

Another step forward for Sernet on the World Cup stage - and while the scoreboard may read 0-0, this was far from a dull encounter. Our boys showed grit, organization, and national pride in abundance, earning a valuable point against a tough Yuezhou side.

The Steamers quickly had to run to Sernetesen Storimidros International airport following their victory against Yangchenia at Seven Bridges - next matchday we had Yuezhou to play, a country many miles away. And it was an away match. And so the Steamers were loaded onto the newly named 'Flying Steamer', the national team's premier plane, and were flown all the way to Yuezhou, celebrating their victory above the clouds and taking in the breathtaking view of the sky.
Eventually the plane touched down in Nangang, not long before the fixture was due to start. At the stadium, the atmosphere wasn't dominated by the sernetian fans like it was at the Seven Bridges match, but you could certainly hear them sing and you could make out a decent amount of sernetian flags with the names of the supporters' home towns on them. The Yuezhou fans did actually cause quite a racket though.

From the first whistle, Sernet matched their opponents in every department. Our slightly altered starting lineup showed some strengths; the defense remained rock-solid throughout, with goalkeeper Twisk (who replaced Pasarowski for this match) pulling off crucial saves and S. Zerning leading the line with authority. Every tackle, every interception, every block spoke of commitment and belief - the kind of resilience that defines sernetian football.

Going forward, Bob Yarisem and Wasori Oluwawa linked up well, creating chances that had the crowd on their feet. Though the finishing touch was missing, the intent and movement showed just how far the Steamers have come since the first ever BOF match, a competition we prefer not to talk about. Pond’s tactical setup once again proved effective, balancing defense and attack with admirable precision. The crowd was chanting his name throughout.

As the final whistle blew, our players walked off the pitch with heads held high - and rightly so. A clean sheet, another point, and a performance full of fight and determination. These are the matches that build champions - matches where teamwork, stamina and discipline matter as much as flair.

With this result, Sernet remains firmly in control of its destiny; there genuinely is hope of making it past the qualifiers. The dream lives on, and the belief grows stronger with every game. Onward to the next challenge against Free Republics and Jeruselem, because this team, and this nation, never stops fighting. Good game Yuezhou.

Final score: Yuezhou 0 - 0 Sernet

Group 13 Table

Group 13
MD3
New Rotterdam City 0–3 Jeruselem
Macbon 1–3 Free Republics
Juvencus 4–0 Yuezhou
Sernet 1–0 Yangchenia
MD4
Yuezhou 0–0 Sernet
Free Republics 1–1 Juvencus
Jeruselem 0–0 Macbon
Lisander 3–0 New Rotterdam City
Group 13 after MD4
                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Free Republics          4    3   1   0    12    5   +7    10
2 Juvencus                4    3   1   0     7    1   +6    10
3 Jeruselem               3    2   1   0     4    0   +4     7
4 Sernet                  3    1   1   1     1    1    0     4
5 Lisander                3    1   0   2     6    6    0     3
6 Macbon                  4    0   3   1     3    5   −2     3
7 New Rotterdam City      4    1   0   3     3   11   −8     3
8 Yuezhou                 4    0   2   2     3    8   −5     2
9 Yangchenia              3    0   1   2     1    3   −2     1

thank you Kylter Peninsulate for the tables.

Pre-match analysis: MD5 vs FREE REPUBLICS @SERNETESEN LIGHTHOUSE STADIUM, Sernetesen (home)
and MD6 vs JERUSELEM @ DAZZA DALLAS STADIUM, Jeruselem (away)

by Salman Ferisen
Squads for both matches:

We are using our original starting 11 for the next two games, but we are planning multiple substitutions throughout the course of the game. Everyone will have the chance to do something meaningful on the pitch for Sernet this gameweek and the next.

Analysis:
Following a brilliant win and an also brilliant draw, we find ourselves at 4th place on the group 13 table. Our next two matches are against Free Republics at home in Sernetesen, and an away match against Jeruselem.
The Republicans seem to be playing us with an Under-17 squad. I don't know if great bulky sernetian men tackling teenagers is going to be fair, but hey, maybe those teenagers have the same abilities as grown men. They also have a cheerleading squad with like 90 girls it; personally I think that is a great idea that we should steal, I'm going to put it forward to Sernefoot later. But our next opponent is even funnier. After we face Free Republics, we play Jeruselem. Also known as the Princesses. They are a mixed-gender squad, but the vast majority of the players are females. And the goalkeeper sounds like a certain adult filmstar we locked up last month... ...nevermind. So we're playing a squad of women, but things get better. They only ever wear clothes when they are at away matches. Yes they walk around bloody naked. Their national religion is also called 'Sex' and their national news channel is called Naked News. They have also been excluded from Tikariot's World Cup 100 West Pavola game to ensure that the game has a family-friendly rating. I think that last one speaks for itself. For God's sake why do we have to play this kind of country? They're like the nudists we foughg back in the 4th sernetian civil war, before I was even alive. We're not accusing them of anything, it's just these nudist nations remind us of the 4th civil war. Nevermind, as long as they don't get freaky it should be fine... ...Jeruselem, the land of naked girls.

Hopefully, we continue our trend of not losing matches. Both Jeruselem and Free Republics seem to be doing well, with Jeruselem just above us in 3rd place with 7 points, and Free Republics top of the table with 10 points. I hope the Steamers can squeeze some points out of these next two matches; I'm hoping for at least 2 more points on the table. Come on steamers, the whole nation is counting on you boys.
#thepowerofsernet

GUIDE TO REPUBLICAN FANS - how to get to Sernetesen Lighthouse

Welcome, Republicans, to the wonderful country of Sernet! Thank you for visiting Sernet. You may find that our extensive rail network may be challenging to navigate, or that you can't seem to find where Sernetesen Lighthouse stadium is. This guide is designed to help you!

When you arrive at Sernetesen Storimidros International (we're assuming that's where you land), follow signage until you end up at the SMR station for whichever terminal you land at - for you lot its its likely to be Terminal 4. From here you have two options: take the slow SMR service down to Sernetesen, or take the fast Airline service to Sernetesen Arsenal. We'd recommend you take the Airline; it gets you from the airport to Sernetesen in just 15 minutes (a bit longer if catching it from Terminal 4) for a very slightly higher fare. Once at Sernetesen Arsenal, utilise the covered walkway to get to Sanosia Junction. From there, catch a westbound SMR Lime Line service towards Damonesiyum. Be careful, most SMR lines have a ton of branches, and the Lime line is no exception. However, the Lime Line has helpfully been named after the colour it is shown as, so that's nice. Just make sure to catch either a train that terminates at Spaldensen Banks or a train that says it goes via Lighthouse Wharf. You shouldn't have to wait too long as frequency on the SMR is good. Get off at Lighthouse Wharf, and from there it is literally a 2 minute walk to the stadium. Sernet has an abundance of public toilets should you need the loo. The SMR train doesn't have toilets, but Airline does. Upon arrival at Lighthouse Wharf, you should find all the amenities you need; restaurants, cafes, shops, you name it. Free wifi is available at the airport, on the trains and at the stadium. If you wish to stay at a hotel, there are plenty relatively cheap but high quality hotels at Lighthouse Wharf. Staff will be at all mentioned stations and around the stadium to provide assistance. We hope this guide will allow you to navigate to your destination with ease. Enjoy your visit to Sernet!

Stoberus Pond Interview
An anonymous Sernefoot reporter caught Stoberus Pond after the Yuezhou match and decided to have a chat with him.

Reporter: Coach Pond, congratulations on Sernet's strong performances in the last two games - a 1–0 win against Yangchenia and a goalless draw with Yuezhou. What’s your overall assessment of the team’s performances?

Stoberus Pond:
Thank you. I’m really pleased with how we handled both matches. Against Yangchenia, we were disciplined and took our moment when it came - that’s the kind of maturity we’ve been trying to build. The Yuezhou game was more of a test of structure and focus, and I thought we defended superbly. Two clean sheets and four points from two very tough opponents - that’s a good sign of progress.

Reporter: The team looked compact defensively and more confident playing out from the back. Was that a specific area of focus during preparation?

Pond:
Yes, definitely. We’ve emphasized organization and calmness under pressure. Yuezhou especially press aggressively, and I thought our back line handled it with composure. We worked a lot on communication - making sure every player knows when to press, when to hold shape. It’s not flashy football, but it’s intelligent football, and that’s what wins you consistency.

Reporter: The goal against Yangchenia came from a well-worked move. Were you happy to see that kind of patience and precision in the second half?

Pond:
Very much so. It was a great team goal - patient buildup, quick combination play, and a confident finish. We’ve been trying to be more deliberate in the attacking third, not just rely on moments of individual brilliance. It’s something we’ve been drilling in training, and it was nice to see it come off in a big match.

Reporter: Yuezhou are one of the top sides in the competition. How significant is it to hold them to a draw on their own ground?

Pond:
It’s huge. They’re a technically gifted team, and they dominate possession against most opponents. But we showed real defensive discipline - everyone from the front line to the back four worked as a unit. We might not have created as much as we’d like, but tactically, we were excellent. Getting a clean sheet there says a lot about the team’s growth.

Reporter: Some say this is the most organized Sernet side in recent memory. Do you agree with that assessment?

Pond:
I think that’s fair. The players are buying into what we’re building - structure, accountability, stamina, and collective responsibility. It’s not just about flair or talent; it’s about commitment to the system and to each other. The unity in this squad is special, and you can see that on the pitch.

Reporter: Finally, what’s next for Sernet as you look ahead to the next international window?

Pond:
We’ll take a short break, analyze everything, and keep improving. There’s a lot to like about how we’re playing, but also plenty we can still refine - especially in transition and finishing. The foundation is solid; now it’s about building on it. Sernet football is moving in the right direction, and the players deserve a lot of credit for that. I wish the Steamers luck against Free Republics and Jeruselem. Let's hope we can squeeze some points out of the next two matchdays.

[Woodsmere]

Woodsmere sighs as they lose yet again – but manage a draw – at WC 100 Qualifying Stage
Maks Pohve • Harbude

Woodsmere has yet again lost, this time in an away match against Saint Lazarus, despite their preparation and support from Woodsmere.

It started as an even match, with forwards on both sides showing off great skill and tactics. The Hares were especially confident, Groibyz was pressing high up the pitch along with Markuz. A couple of chances were available, but the home team's excellent defence held the Hares off. The tables quickly turned when Casimiro Marasigan opened up the opposition's attacking with a powerful strike 15 minutes in. Another goal was yet again scored at 24', by Cheon who was assisted by Rahman. As the Carabao fans cheered, the enthusiasm for the Hares drooped rather low. Uska was given a yellow card at 43' for a foul. This was almost the breaking point for Woodsmere.

The second half was when the game was being played proper, starting off with an extraordinary save by Saar at 53'. The first 2 Woodsmerean goals were scored by Groibyz at 57' and 62', the latter assisted by the popular Roheline. The Woodsmerean were enthusiastic, thinking that for once they would win. However, this enthusiasm rapidly subsided when 3 goals were scored in the span of just 14 minutes by the Lazarenes. The final goal was scored by Markuz at 96', with his agility and exploitation of space.

Markuz glamorously scoring his final goal at 96'
OOC Note: This is AI Generated

Although we were yet again obliterated by another team, we have also learnt many lessons as well as strengths of the Hares. Woodsmere will always proudly be there for the Hares, even when at the bottom of the group table. Nothing can shatter the Woodsmerean spirit! Also well done to Saint Lazarus; we also heard about some funding issues from them so we hope they're doing okay

Saint Lazarus
5
Marasigan 15', 71'; Cheon 24'; Rahman 64'; Banaag 68'

Woodsmere
3
Groibyz 57', 62'; Markuz 96'

On Matchday 4, we had another team to overcome: the Xannerian Maroons. A rather tense match it was, it was also our first draw and our first game where we didn't lose . Both sides demonstrating passion and professionality, but our defence was about as good as their attack so both sides struggled to penetrate the opposition well. One advantage for us was we got to play home, at the Redbricks Stadium. Thousands of fans from both teams stormed the metro stations, but the Glēre Transport Company planned ahead and added extra services. Many criticists say that this draw was just pure luck, and that the Hares are destined to fail.

There have been many videos of Xannerian fans hanging out with Woodsmerean fans after the match, having a laugh at the metro station or a good meal at the restaurant. This is very heartwarming, and we wish all the best to Xanneria on their next matches!

Comments from our website (translated):

@AdorableFilter said: Told you, @Matti_P! These Hares are pathetic as hell!

@dehobragas said: Ignore the haters and keep pushing! True Meares will always be there for ya!

@Paullu3029 said: Glory to Woodsmere! Glory to Woodsmere!

@erongjo said: No worries guys, we'll win eventually! Also W Roheline for that marvellous assist, really out of the world...

Inside the Mind of a Captain - an interview with Reged
The past few days have been tough to the spirit of the Hares, so we interview Reged.

Interviewer: Oh, It's been a pleasure to have you! Thank you for meeting us today

Reged: No worries

Interviewer: So obviously my first question has to be: How do you view the reactions of Woodsmere to these tough games?

Reged: To be frank, I've been overwhelmed by the many nice Woodsmereans out there. Everyone is forgetting their differences and uniting together, it's also been heartwarming to see the videos of our people celebrating with Xannerians. In the end, all that matter are the friends you make along the way. There are some notable trolls, but besides that it has been really great to receive the support.

Interviewer: Yes, it is always nice to see our nation doing good deeds. How is your team doing though? Is their morale still high?

Reged: In summary, we're still fighting for a win. We all know we're not making top o' the table, but it's the effort that matters. We all know that regardless of what happens, we will still be welcomed home with love. Some players, especially Tanel Saar, have been wrongly targetted by trolls. Tanel has expressed sadness, but he is still energetic and ready to play.

Interviewer: Wonderful, glad to know you're doing great! How do you manage to keep your team motivated despite these losses?

Reged: That is a thoughtful question - we do this in many ways. Every morning before our daily training starts, we do a team talk for 20 minutes about anything. I always check up on teammates who do not seem excited, and have a nice chat with them. I rarely put pressure on them, our team is good enough to get the message. And obviously, they all remember the intensive support from the fans.

Interviewer: Nice! Now I have a personal question I've always wanted to ask.. um.. who is the funniest player in the team?

Reged: Laughs Ha, it's deffo Jeremy. His sense of humour is truly amazing, and his green vibrating fidget toy is also peculiar. It's absolutely hilarous to see Jeremy's reaction in the morning when we hide that toy - he can't live a day without it!

Interviewer: No wonder the fans make so many memes of him! Anyway, thank you for the interviewer and all the best Hojma.

Reged: Thank you, have a nice day!

Predictions for the next two Matches
LIVE on Woodsmere Sports News (WSN) by Jukas Pitre

On Matchday 5, we face Norway-Sweden-Finland at Redbricks Stadium and Bythia at an away match. Although their name only mentions these 3 nations, they have capitals in Scotland, Latvia, Iceland and Italy? This should be called a Pan-European Federation! They are rather new to the World Cup, since they aren't ranked and are also participating in the Baptism of Fire it seems. I'd say we have a fair chance of winning against them, also since they're second-to-last in the group table. We may have a decent chance against Bythia, but they're third in the table so I will likely have to take that back. They are also very religious, being a theocracy, which is rather interesting, heh. I'm sure our Hares can play well in their beautiful nation. We have very little clue about their teams as well, which is a bummer. Enough of trying to offend them, both nations do have great vibes and lore. Good luck to them I guess

We also have shuffled our positions a bit, for example replacing the goalkeeper. This is to make sure everyone has a shot at playing and we can determine the better players.

The national bird of Bythia, the Kea, a gorgeous bird indeed

Team Kits released to the public!

Many Meares have been asking for images of the actual kit used by the Hares, so we have released our home, away and goalkeeper kit.

Home Kit


Away Kit


Goalkeeper Kit


OOC Note: Also viewable here

[Kita-Hinode]

Four pairs of legs darted down the open stretch between towers that stood firm still, displaying their lustre of what was once the rule of the Lion King. Marble and blue banners, all that had seen better days, remained there as wolves collapsed against the walls from being flung and spun into it. Flames lit their path. A blonde laid some warning shots to keep their way open.

[Blonde] - Hey, Doc... Hah... Do you think the lady is going to actually do it?

Following her was a man, tagged along with a ginger-haired miss and a Roman-dressed bloke. They weren't exactly doing any better than the blonde, but still kept pace with her.

[Doc] - Sure! Hah! Small but dedicated, I think we'll make it to Tower Delta!
[Ginger] - Good, I'm tired of running!
[Roman] - Hah... S-Slow down... This armour weighs a lot and I can't remove it!
[Doc] - Thankfully, Rory, I'd rather see you clothed.

A wolf flung itself against the Roman's shield, seemingly explaining to him then and there why that armour was useful.

[Rory] - ...OK, I see it now. Thanks, Doctor.

All they could do was dodge to the side as a heavy blast of energy blared through the path. Was this it?

TEAM IC and TYPE IOCA present...

(Sunrise/Great onslaught)
all worlds come to a shared point

Guy woke up thirsty, the sight of the sun meeting his closed gaze through one of the openings of the remains of the tower. As he motioned to get up, he found Valanora and Pasarga, both standing guard outside.

[Guy] - Hey, uh... mornin'.
[Valanora] - Ah. Good morning. I suppose our duty of guarding you has ended for the night. Bit of a late riser, too. Everyone else woke up by now.
[Guy] - Huh... Yeah, right, where is everyone?
[Valanora] - Our new friends went to get some oil for the road; they would rather not risk the Axeman rusting off.
[Guy] - ...Say, does your friend-
[Valanora] - Pasarga has been unable to speak ever since we arrived here. We've also made sure to anchor both of them to your command codes, since they'll be joining you for the full haul, and you don't seem to have much of an issue shouldering multiple summons.
[Guy] - Wait, you found out how to-
[Valanora] - Yes. While you slept, I made sure to look into as much information as I could. I had plenty of time, after all.
[Dreamplanet] - BALL!

A lemon narrowly missed Guy's head, having been flung there by Dreamplanet, who had a couple of other lemons in hand that she juggled. Tumbra, who tagged along to make sure she didn't blow any resources up, grumbled.

[Tumbra] - Did you really need to juggle the lemons we got? This isn't the time for circus tricks.
[Dreamplanet] - Silly drummer, it's always time for tricks if you're careful enough.
[Tumbra] - Which you're not.
[Dreamplanet] - Says you.

The elf cleared her throat, causing the two to stand still until the point the lemons dropped on the ground, hitting the magician's feet, who cartoonishly hopped around in pain.

[Valanora] - Ahem. If you two are done with your comedy routine, I believe we should start gathering our forces and discuss our next step, which is likely to continue moving.
[Tumbra] - Again? I mean, we spent yesterday on the run.
[Valanora] - And did you feel particularly tired?
[Tumbra] - ...Uh, no, not really.
[Valanora] - That's precisely the point. From what I've read, our current state of existence allows us to perform unimaginable talents... including moving for a good, long while. One map that I believe to be the one from where we are currently at denotes a point called Tower Delta, not too far from here.

Other members of the party gathered as she continued to explain herself.

[Valanora] - And the map also signalled that Tower Delta would serve well as a lookout spot. We could get a good look at our surroundings from there, maybe spot something or other to guide us further.
[Kitsunia] - Sounds reasonable enough, but I doubt Guy here is going to take another of those long walks for at least a day or two.
[Guy] - ...Yeah, I'd rather not risk it.
[Licentian Isles] - Good!

His yell caught them by surprise as he wheeled a carriage made of tropical wood with some wheels that they apparently came across on the way there. The axeman helped him drag the carriage along.

[Licentian Isles] - We're strong enough to bring this, right? Why don't ya get up there, and we can then make our move?
[Guy] - Are you sure that doesn't... You know, weigh too much?
[Licentian Isles] - Cy here's got an oil refresh, he should be fine to lead you all the way. We did throw in some oil cans over there just in case the big lug here screws up.

He said that delivering a slap to Cyborg Holland's back... which naturally didn't go too well for a hand smacking literal metal, causing him to wince.

[Northern Sunrise] - Rad, then. So all we gotta do is get there and check around, right?
[Valanora] - Yes. Just allow me to dump the important news into the carriage as well, and we shall be good to go.

With that, the party proceeded further along the walls, slowly coming across the signs of fighting, black marks against the marble, which naturally caused some concern.

[Northern Sunrise] - Damn, look at all this smoke.
[Tumbra] - Hm... I thought you two were the only ones here.
[Licentian Isles] - We were the only ones in that part of the castle, yes. We couldn't exactly go and explore further when we kept getting attacked.
[Kitsunia] - Good thing we've arrived, then.
[Licentian Isles] - Yes, I enjoy not being a sitting duck. But really, all we had were those maps, books and some small resources like they were waiting for us to be there. Alas, I couldn't make heads or tails of the books, and the maps were just... You know, not aligning.
[Valanora] - I have a theory, but we may confirm it once we make it to the tower.
[Kitsunia] - Which is?
[Valanora] - All of those maps are accurate, and they do represent the place we ended up at. One of the maps there showed the beach where you all awoke and the adjacent forest that Pasarga and I were in. What puzzles me is, if that is accurate, then why?
[Guy] - Sounds like a hodge-podge event from a game I play.
[Kitsunia] - Well, this isn't a game.
[Tumbra] - Yeah, it's barely a story written in a rush to beat deadlines.
[Kitsunia] - We really need to talk with our agents.
[Tumbra] - You got that right.
[Guy] - Look, it would make sense with how those go. They have different settings that are all combined into one for some goal that only reveals itself halfway through. And then it turns out it was either spawned by some vengeful lover or a spiteful father.
[Kitsunia] - ...What kind of game is that, exactly?
[Guy] - ...I'd rather not elaborate.
[Tumbra] - This guy sucks. Ow!
[Dreamplanet] - Don't badmouth him, he's the one anchoring us now, you know.

The magician went ahead, stopping in front of what had to be the tower. There, they could still spot bits and pieces of what probably were more wolves.

[Tumbra] - These red bones... aren't they like the ones those things dropped yesterday?
[Guy] - Guess they really had more numbers than we thought.
[Tumbra] - They did flee, too.
[Kitsunia] - Ahem. How do we get onto the top of that tower, then?
[Valanora] - Try jumping there. You'll be surprised.

The fox-eared lady did as asked and quickly found herself landing on top of the roof of the tower.

[Tumbra] - ...How the hell?
[Valanora] - I told you we're more powerful than you'd think.
[Guy] - Well, that's cool. But how do I get there?
[Valanora] - Pasarga, do the honours.

The carriage suddenly rose, Guy clinging to it in shock. A loud yell could be heard, and he quickly found the carriage landing near the entrance to the tower's watch-house... and it was guarded by a Roman warrior, whose mouth was pretty much agape by this point.

[Ginger] - Rory, what happened?
[Roman] - Uh... Amy, I think you will never believe me.
[Amy] - We travel with an unaging alien, I think almost everything is possible and... Oh.
[Rory] - Yes.
[Amy] - Quite.
[Guy] - Uh... greetings. I'm... the Saint of Dropping Carriages?

...

A while later, the blonde walks past the entrance.

[Blonde] - Oi, Doc, what's with the wagon? Oh, uh... who are these?

The party sat around the watch tower, the maps unfolded while the Doctor examined them. Valanora stood by his side, pointing out information she found interesting. All the while, some of the party mingled with the Doctor's aides.

[Northern Sunrise] - Wait, so you guys are like... tied to the guy?
[Amy] - Yes. We only exist as long as he does. It's a bit bad for our morale, but we manage.
[Rory] - His story is bigger than ours. Much as I dislike it.
[Amy] - But hey, did you also just wake up in this place?
[Kitsunia] - Most of us did, yes.
[Northern Sunrise] - I was summoned by that goofball, the one drinking some soda.
[Guy] - Y-Yeah, and you then washed us all out of where we were!
[Northern Sunrise] - Yeah, saved you and that missie's lives, didn't I? Ya should thank me later with some barbecue or something, I'd dig.
[Blonde] - Did anyone hear me? Who are these?
[Doctor] - Oh, Eura, they're another party of contractees. We should probably unite forces, given the little troubles we've had recently.
[Eura] - Oi, Lodge, you having a laugh? We got the girl, we don't need them.
[Valanora] - I believe you will find us quite useful to have around.

Pasarga quickly stood between his "master" and the gun-wielding girl, who just looked doe-eyed at the sight of him.

[Eura] - ...Yeah, this big fellow checks out.
[Valanora] - Splendid. Guy there is our magical energy boost. You do well to anchor to him.
[Eura] - Uh... shouldn't we congregate with the lady, then? Oh, uh... I'm Eura, by the way.
[Doctor] - And both me and my two assistants that you've been talking with stand for Eastfield Lodge. We should work well together.
[Northern Sunrise] - Well, cool. Uh... who's the lady the chick there talked about?
[Eura] - Well, she ain't here, Lodge.
[Doctor] - Oh, she has been doing some reconnaissance of her own. Said that she felt her subordinate might have screwed something up, and that's why we're here.

A door opened on the other side of the room, revealing a girl decked in the most peculiar of costumes, holding a piece of wood in her hand and a spiffy hat over her green hair.

[????] - Hm? More souls to judge?
[Doctor] - New allies, Yamaxanadu.
[Yamaxanadu] - ...If you insist. Bear in mind, we only work together due to necessity. Your judge should not make friends and-

A stray arrow flared past the Yamaxanadu, lodging itself against a wall. The arrow itself bled purple, seemingly a poisonous arrow.

[Yamaxandu] - ...It appears that our new allies have a chance to test themselves.
[Doctor] - You're not going to help them, lady?
[Yamaxandu] - Neither should you. After all...

A wild archer stood under the sunlight, backed by hundreds of the wolf creatures they've stumbled upon.

[Yamaxanadu] If they cannot beat Atalanta, I doubt they can beat whatever foes are to be expected.

...

The butler proceeded to slash a hoodlum's arm off using the edge of his shoes. As said arm evaporated into light energy, his eyes focused on delivering a good kick to knock the head of the hoodlum off. The vampire clawed her way through another three in quick fashion.

[Butler] - Indeed, these beings must've been put together with spit.
[Vampire] - They're probably here just to serve as fodder. Whatever brings them to be must be some serious force.

They then saw a burst of lava in front of them, erasing two hoodlums, unveiling a girl sitting on the ground in despair.

[Girl] - Great. Are you the ones the saviour sent me to finish me at last?
[Vampire] - I doubt we were sent by a saviour. Nor a sinner.
[Butler] - Regardless, what are you doing here?
[Girl] - Waiting to end. I'm the Damned, after all. Theresa.
[Vampire] - ...I never heard of you.
[Theresa] - You do well not to know me. Now let me be.
[Butler] - ...I cannot. Father taught me never to back out from someone in need.
[Theresa] - I need my own demise. I have nothing left to fight for.
[Butler] - These hoodlums clearly won't end you. Maybe fighting someone stronger than you would help you with your goal, much as I advise against it.
[Theresa] - ...Is that a challenge?
[Vampire] - Not from us. We'll gather you when it's time.
[Theresa] - Suit yourself.

The two turned around, walking back towards the hotel.

[Vampire] - I believe you can tell what I'm thinking, pupil.
[Butler] - That our gateway into this world has turned into a Kaleidoscope?
[Vampire] - Precisely.
[Butler] - I see.
[Vampire] - And all hell shall break loose.

... PART THREE END ...

---

GUY DE PERSSON'S PARTY
NEW INFO! Part One / NEW INFO! Part Two

EURA
Height/Weight: 162 cm, 63 kg
Origin: PokéCards
Region: Rushmore
Alignment: Neutral
Gender: Female

"Hate being in battlefronts, but they keep drawing me in! I can barely catch some shut-eye most of the time..." A true veteran of the battlefields, this pint-sized terror is prone to tough days and even tougher nights, followed by even tougher mornings as she has to nurse headaches from some terrible drinking binges. Surprisingly, still an accurate shooter in spite of all that.

EASTFIELD LODGE
Height/Weight: 172 cm, 66 kg (Doctor), Variable (Companions)
Origin: PokéCards
Region: Rushmore
Alignment: Chaotic-Neutral (Doctor), Variable but generally Good (Companions)
Gender: Variable

"To infinity and beyond is quite the crummy catchphrase. Personally, I would prefer to quote some more notable friends of mine. However, I believe Elizabeth is still a bit angry at me after what happened last time, so..." A time-travelling alien that chose to lay his allegiances with humanity despite their faults. He's not particularly combat-capable per se, being only known to use tools and some questionable karate that hasn't aged well in this era of combat sports, which is why the Doctor always brings companions along for the ride.

Said companions are, presumably, from different points in the history of humanity. Although necessary for combat and general survival of the Doctor when it comes to fist-to-fist, their existence at the moment relies heavily on the Doctor's well-being. To say it frustrates certain companions would be an understatement. "That's why I leave people like Alaric and Donna back in the Spirit Card. The last thing we need is someone to explode such a delicate situation as the one we now face due to hubris or flat out anger."

[Katzeburg]

Katzeburg 3-0 Konkert
Field 13', 27', Greenberg 85'

1 Ry Whinery, 2 Katharine Howland, 3 Erik Clarkson (Jerrold Dallas 65'), 4 Monday Mynatt, 5 Laurence Herman, 6 Serena Plank, 7 Joachim Newell (Desiree Lynton 65'), 8 Elmer Spears, 9 Meriel Arkwright, 10 Lloyd Field, 11 Drake Wruck (Elvin Greenberg 65')

Possession - 71% / 29%
Shots - 23 / 6
Shots on Target - 13 / 1
Fouls - 4 / 11

Pasarga 3-1 Katzeburg
Náttúlfsson 38', 58', Meister 86' // Wruck 35'

1 Ry Whinery, 2 Katharine Howland, 3 Erik Clarkson, 4 Monday Mynatt (Winton Burgstaller 65'), 5 Laurence Herman, 6 Serena Plank, 7 Joachim Newell, 8 Elmer Spears (Royce Earls 65'), 9 Meriel Arkwright, 10 Lloyd Field (Brigitte Ball 65'), 11 Drake Wruck

Possession - 65% / 35%
Shots - 12 / 10
Shots on Target - 11 / 4
Fouls - 14 / 20

(OOC Note - Images for LoE and the KBC article have been generated using AI. For best viewing quality, please follow this link.)

The following is an excerpt from a series of articles published by leading Katzeburgian gaming magazine Starter Life.

"I think the first thing I remember about him was the fact his character always had this stupid pair of wings he would wear everywhere he went in-game."

As she adjusted her wide-rim glasses, a subtle smile slowly crept across Jennifer Thomas' face as we spoke in her Hundsend home. Now in her mid-40's, the primary school teacher told us she was never the type of person to bring up the fact that much of her youth was lost to a virtual world and a video game, but when she saw the news Lands of Eternia was shutting down after all these years, she began to reminisce. "I spent so much time in-game after getting into that small beta group right at the start," she said. "As a kid, I didn't have much going on at home and was never the type of person to get really into sports, so I spent a lot of time at the CyberCup which used to sit right in the town centre here in Hundsend. It was there that the store's manager told me one day that a group over in West Katzeburg were working on a whole new type of game and were looking for testers all over the country - so I thought, why not?"

Jennifer was one of the initial group of beta testers of Lands of Eternia, playing under the username of Birdy_Early, named after her own pet bird at the time. When we asked her what really drew her into the game at the start, she chuckled for a moment. "It was the people. It always was. The friends and relationships I made through those early years in the game have stuck with me ever since. And I wouldn't change any of it for a moment."

The social aspect of Lands of Eternia was one system which never got as much attention as it deserved in the initial years of the game, with a relatively simple chat system allowing both guild and general chat - but anything beyond that would need to go off game onto various web-channels. As a result, if you ended up making friends during your time on Eternia Island, you'd naturally end up migrating onto a wider IRC channel which could cross guilds but at the same time cut out the often overwhelming noise of general chat. Once the game eventually launched out of beta, Jennifer and a couple of her fellow testers built the Eternia Leisure Party guild, a group committed to ensuring that all those who came within their walls had a good time and made friends across all of Eternia. "We just wanted to have a chill group we could hang out with after school or work," she said. "It ended up becoming the main friendship group for many of us for years afterwards."

The group was a popular one, which saw steady growth in the early years of the game, bringing people in who joined the MMO by themselves and without a steady guide or knowledge of anyone else playing the game - in the early years of the game, this was almost to be expected by many with the overhanging context of the looming Katzeburgian Revolution. It would be in this group that Jennifer would meet a fellow beta tester she hadn't previously come across in the early stages of the game - Rob Page, playing under the username Pagerboy. "Those wings," Jennifer laughed again as she expanded on her first meeting of Rob. "I remember asking him at the time where he even got them. He simply said it was a small dungeon in the beta which ended up getting removed entirely. As he had one of the only copies of the item in the history of the game, he wanted to flaunt them at every chance he got."

The two would quickly form a strong friendship in-game, spending hours alongside each other playing the game and helping arrange a number of events for the guild in the early years. "We just kind of fell into each other, I guess," Jennifer said with a wry smile. "We spent so much time in-game with each other just enjoying the other's company that it became a bit of a running joke within the guild that we were secretly an already married couple." Of course, the bulk of Katzeburg itself separated the two - with Jennifer living in Hundsend, Rob was himself based in Waldstein, a good day's drive from the other. But the two would continue to spend hours talking and forming a relationship, culminating in the two making the choice to meet in Katzestadt one summer afternoon in BK0. Amidst the ongoing Katzeburgian Revolution, the two would make the dangerous trip to find each other and spend their first day together in real-life, as opposed to the hundreds of hours spent alongside each other at the ELP guildhouse. "In retrospect, it was an absolutely stupid idea," Jennifer said. "The Revolution was in full-swing by that point but we had spent so long talking about meeting, we just had to rip the plaster off and actually do it. But it was worth it."

The two would quickly fall into regular patterns, as if the patter and banter which was echoed across the internet between the two felt natural without the screens and distance separating them, and a relationship would blossom between the two. "He was the most stunning man I'd ever laid eyes on," she said. "I remember distinctly when we first laid eyes on each other in person - he flashed me a smile and pulled something from off his back. He was wearing a set of fake wings purely to let me know it was him I was looking for!" According to Jennifer, the pair fell quickly in love - leading Rob to move down to Hundsend in the months following the end of the Katzeburgian Revolution to live with Jennifer and further explore their blossoming real-life relationship. Of course, Lands of Eternia would never fade from the view of the two of them, with both of them remaining key players in game.

"It was always going to be a huge part of our relationship," Jennifer told us. "We met there and for us, that relationship in-game was just as important out of it. I even remember going for various date nights around Eternia Island, taking in different sights and quests with Rob - not many people can say they had a hot date night eating pizza and killing various packs of wolves in a forest, can they?" Rob would eventually propose to Jennifer in early AK2, doing so in the only way which was suitable - arranging a special event at the ELP guildhouse to act as the proposal site in-game, before Rob would get down on one knee in their shared home in Hundsend. "There was a part of me which thought it was going to be a bit of a coup within the guild!" Jennifer laughed. "Everyone was there in-game and it put me right on edge, and then I got a tap on my shoulder - it was Rob, getting down on his knee and pulling out a ring. At that point, it was just tears. Followed by various pings from the guild chat asking what was going on!"

Of course, before the actual matter of their real wedding - they decided to have one in the lands where they met with all their virtual friends invited. And so, Birdy_Early and Pagerboy gathered with a select group of their guildmates and friends on the banks of the Athian River, just downstream from the ELP guildhouse, on September 23, AK2. The event even made server-wide news, with some recordings being taken at the event itself and shared wider across the Lands of Eternia community - especially given the wedding was the first in-game event of this nature in the game's history; many were curious to see just what would happen (and more importantly, if anyone would swoop in and try and ruin it all entirely.) Thankfully, that didn't happen, and Jennifer and Rob were wed in-game following a short ceremony led by their ELP guildmate elefriend_123 in what those who attended would describe as a loving, caring ceremony between two people who had found each other in the cosmos through the game itself.

"In fact, I think that was the first time I ever saw his character without his wings," she laughed.

The event was even marked in-game by Mercer Software, the developers of Lands of Eternia, who gifted the happy couple a spot in the long-standing lore of the game by redecorating the site of their wedding ceremony with a small shrine going into the history of the couple as well as sending them a small wedding ring item for use with their characters which would not be removed upon death - an incredibly rare item given the game's mechanics. The two would get married in reality a couple of weeks later, in a lavish ceremony in Hundsend with their real-life family invited alongside a handful of other ELP guild members who the couple had ended up befriending in real-life as well. "We had to have it for my parents' sake, I think at the end of the day," Jennifer said. "If they had known I'd gotten married in a virtual game before I did in real-life they would have had a conniption!

"I will say that I think we both preferred the in-game wedding over the real-life event - there was something just so special about being able to share our love in such an intimate way in a place which meant so much to the both of us. Every now and then, I'll boot up the game for an hour or two and just wander around our wedding site, taking it all in over and over again. I think that's why I'm quite sad about the game finally going into the night - I feel like that such a huge part of me is being removed and there are some moments and memories I'll never be able to see again. And that hurts."

Of course, things were rarely so wrapped up in a neat little package on the Island of Eternia, and while the happily married couple would live in bliss for a while, circumstances would change. But that is a story for next time.

---

Tale of two games as Blue Cats continue stuttering Qualifiers campaign

By Otis Huffman, KBC

Katzeburg's mixed start to the World Cup 100 Qualifiers has continued in the second matchday window, with the side delivering one of its strongest performances in months before collapsing under the weight of a powerful Pasargan side.

With the side coming into the second window off the back of a collapse at home to Natkr and a slim comeback win over lower-ranked Europeasia, the Blue Cats needed a strong response to show they were a team to be reckoned with in Group 21, and against Konkert at Axmund's Maplewood Park - the first ever World Cup Qualifier in Katzeburg held away from their traditional national stadium of Katzestadt Arena - the side put their best foot forward. Becka Haberkorn named a full-strength line-up for the clash against the World Number 336, and was rewarded with a dominant showing - Katzeburg taking more than 70 per cent possession and a Lloyd Field brace all but wrapping up the game before the half-hour mark, before Elvin Greenberg netted his first national team goal in the final stages to secure all three points in a comfortable win.

But for a side dominant against a lower-ranked team, the side found themselves on the other foot against World Number 15 Pasarga, who continued their unbeaten start to the Qualifiers with a handy 3-1 win in Pasarga. The Blue Cats were under constant pressure, but did manage to get a few select chances off - even taking the lead in the 35th minute through Drake Wruck. But the Pasargans would storm back into the game - Járngrímur Náttúlfsson netting three minutes later before grabbing his second of the game mid-way through the second half. Substitute Christian Meister would come off the bench to put the final nail in the coffin for Katzeburg in the 86th minute, capitalising on a defensive error from Winton Burgstaller to round captain Ry Whinery in goals and condemn Katzeburg to their second loss in four games.

"Pasarga are one of the top sides in the multiverse, so we knew we were always going to be under a lot of pressure coming into their backyard," Becka Haberkorn told media after the game. "But we faded away very quickly in the second half and that allowed them to storm back into the tie and take all three points. We need to be doing better if we want to keep that pressure on. Ultimately, they're at the performance levels we need to maintain all the way through if we want to come back into qualifying contention.

"That's why we named a full-strength lineup against Konkert - to try and elicit that reaction from our team and it's fair to say it worked there. We need more of that momentum going forward."

Katzeburg's next window sees the side take on Kaumann at Katzestadt Arena in a game where the Blue Cats will need to take maximum points from the clash to ensure they can keep pace with early group leaders Pasarga, before they head to Manuelian Empire in another game the Blue Cats need to be picking up points from lest they slip too far behind the leading pack as the qualifiers approach the end of the first third.

[Audioslavia]

THE
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                    CYC 100

Debut-lition Derby
Comparing Every Team in History* by How Well they Did in their First Cycle

We all have to start somewhere. No matter how big the team or full the trophy cabinet, every single team in multiversal history started out as a loose band of plucky also-rans, observing how they measure up against the best the multiverse has to offer. Even taking into account Baptism of Fire semi-finalists Super Earth’s three-nowt demolition of supposed World Champions Audioslavia on matchday three of these qualifiers - and wait til we check that particular result against out Upset Metric - the overwhelming result is the established veteran grabbing hold of the newcomer’s neck and rolling them over in deep water until they understand. Some teams get it quickly. Others are still tumbling in the sea bed. And, if we’re keeping this odd metaphor up for slightly too long, some got straight out of the pool and decided, yeah, nah, this isn’t for me.

This article looks to account for each and every debut in World Cup history, from cycle 12 and the inception of a modern ranking system, to the present day, not quite yet taking into account cycle 100 on account of the fact that, well, most of its games haven’t been played yet.

We’ll start off by looking at the teams who entered the Baptism of Fire and, for reasons best kept to themselves, decided they’d had enough there and then, and recused themselves from the World Cup Finals.

.
              Team Name CYC  P  W  D  L  F  A   GD Pts  PPG KPBa Points
                    Jey 038 11 09 01 01 29 05   24  28 2.55 02.55
              Mrkvejina 029 10 08 01 01 22 07   15  25 2.50 02.50
         Lake Arrowhead 039 04 03 01 00 09 05    4  10 2.50 01.43
     Unreal Stereotypes 048 05 04 00 01 08 04    4  12 2.40 02.00
  Anathematic Republics 025 06 04 02 00 15 06    9  14 2.33 01.75
               Bederich 055 03 02 01 00 04 02    2  07 2.33 00.70
              Polaskaan 070 04 03 00 01 08 06    2  09 2.25 01.13
          Zanazabarland 022 06 04 01 01 07 04    3  13 2.17 02.17
               Bulagabu 060 06 04 01 01 12 05    7  13 2.17 01.30
           North Miklik 082 06 04 01 01 08 03    5  13 2.17 01.18
              Palatazze 051 07 05 00 02 13 09    4  15 2.14 01.50
                Hakifao 071 08 05 02 01 13 03   10  17 2.13 01.70
 The Fourth Northern Fe 080 06 03 03 00 09 04    5  12 2.00 01.33
                 Hainan 026 05 03 01 01 07 03    4  10 2.00 01.25
            Beleminares 026 04 02 02 00 07 01    6  08 2.00 01.00
              Iseteskog 067 03 02 00 01 06 09   -3  06 2.00 00.86
                  Silar 053 03 02 00 01 04 02    2  06 2.00 00.75
    Crime Evil and More 054 03 02 00 01 02 01    1  06 2.00 00.75
               Jonestan 016 06 03 02 01 05 04    1  11 1.83 01.83
          Future Events 054 06 03 02 01 07 05    2  11 1.83 01.38
               Rhodorus 050 06 03 02 01 11 05    6  11 1.83 01.10
            Lennon Marx 012 05 03 00 02 07 05    2  09 1.80 01.50
           Cassandrinia 054 05 03 00 02 04 06   -2  09 1.80 01.13
          Kirrin Island 039 04 02 01 01 04 04    0  07 1.75 01.00
               Collonie 025 04 02 01 01 08 06    2  07 1.75 00.88
        British Ecuador 054 04 02 01 01 05 05    0  07 1.75 00.88
                Liongya 081 04 02 01 01 07 04    3  07 1.75 00.88
               Sibirsky 047 06 03 01 02 10 11   -1  10 1.67 01.11
                Aerodon 090 06 03 01 02 08 10   -2  10 1.67 01.11
                Myanmar 052 03 01 02 00 06 02    4  05 1.67 00.50
                Jalisca 050 08 04 01 03 08 06    2  13 1.63 01.30
               Ikoville 038 08 04 01 03 09 12   -3  13 1.63 01.18
             Uan aa Boa 082 08 03 04 01 17 09    8  13 1.63 01.18
        Furbish Islands 078 05 02 02 01 06 06    0  08 1.60 01.14
              Tasrailia 065 05 02 02 01 07 05    2  08 1.60 00.89
             Matschusin 050 07 03 02 02 09 09    0  11 1.57 01.10
             Angelastan 069 07 03 02 02 12 13   -1  11 1.57 01.00
 Free Territory of Makh 080 09 04 02 03 14 13    1  14 1.56 01.56
                 Pljeva 048 04 02 00 02 04 04    0  06 1.50 01.00
             New Jehova 090 06 02 03 01 06 05    1  09 1.50 01.00
              Ghanariar 055 06 03 00 03 11 11    0  09 1.50 00.90
            Marligantis 019 04 02 00 02 08 08    0  06 1.50 00.86
                 Khacia 076 04 02 00 02 06 07   -1  06 1.50 00.75
     Romania va invinge 049 07 03 01 03 08 07    1  10 1.43 01.00
               Richtnon 052 07 03 01 03 05 07   -2  10 1.43 01.00
    Flexsys Cefn Druids 017 05 02 01 02 13 14   -1  07 1.40 01.17
       Trollish Islands 091 05 02 01 02 03 04   -1  07 1.40 01.00
 The Greater Aryan Race 058 05 02 01 02 08 08    0  07 1.40 00.78
  The Islands of Ishtar 030 13 05 03 05 23 15    8  18 1.38 01.13
          San Plasciosi 045 06 02 02 02 06 08   -2  08 1.33 00.89
            Portlandian 064 06 02 02 02 04 04    0  08 1.33 00.89
        Christian Isles 074 03 01 01 01 05 05    0  04 1.33 00.57
  Senatus Populusque II 044 07 03 00 04 09 13   -4  09 1.29 01.00
         Osesnsasandaes 057 07 02 03 02 07 06    1  09 1.29 00.90
            Bernegastad 083 08 03 01 04 10 11   -1  10 1.25 00.91
             Christstan 054 04 01 02 01 04 05   -1  05 1.25 00.63
             Innovative 088 04 01 02 01 09 10   -1  05 1.25 00.63
               N00bzors 028 05 02 00 03 03 07   -4  06 1.20 00.75
           Tanah Tinggi 043 05 01 03 01 07 08   -1  06 1.20 00.75
             Anglonesia 054 05 01 03 01 03 07   -4  06 1.20 00.75
              Subramani 065 05 01 03 01 03 03    0  06 1.20 00.67
         Fauxhan United 029 05 02 00 03 04 10   -6  06 1.20 00.60
                Toronat 030 12 03 05 04 07 12   -5  14 1.17 00.88
                Behetij 089 06 02 01 03 08 09   -1  07 1.17 00.78
  Citadel of Cittagazze 056 06 02 01 03 08 09   -1  07 1.17 00.70
             San Havana 056 06 02 01 03 05 11   -6  07 1.17 00.70
       Terre Des Gaules 069 07 02 02 03 14 12    2  08 1.14 00.73
                 Monsaw 082 07 02 02 03 12 14   -2  08 1.14 00.73
     The Veiled Islands 085 07 02 02 03 13 15   -2  08 1.14 00.73
     Perturbed Leopards 030 12 03 04 05 13 19   -6  13 1.08 00.81
        Lost Limeyville 030 13 03 05 05 12 19   -7  14 1.08 00.88
                  Oslea 031 07 02 01 04 13 10    3  07 1.00 00.78
            Etres Vrais 033 07 02 01 04 04 16  -12  07 1.00 00.70
               Surgeius 090 06 02 00 04 10 18   -8  06 1.00 00.67
              Mantwenic 043 05 01 02 02 07 10   -3  05 1.00 00.63
                Ilyseum 076 05 01 02 02 10 11   -1  05 1.00 00.63
                Zaferil 050 06 02 00 04 07 10   -3  06 1.00 00.60
               Allitrom 050 06 02 00 04 04 09   -5  06 1.00 00.60
             Villapange 019 04 01 01 02 06 05    1  04 1.00 00.57
             Dannieljoh 021 04 01 01 02 04 08   -4  04 1.00 00.57
               Knalland 073 04 01 01 02 02 04   -2  04 1.00 00.57
                 Gwaine 041 05 01 02 02 04 05   -1  05 1.00 00.56
           Kitsuneshima 066 05 01 02 02 10 11   -1  05 1.00 00.56
              Nacaltora 080 05 01 02 02 02 05   -3  05 1.00 00.56
               Bresanie 082 06 01 03 02 11 12   -1  06 1.00 00.55
           Gleam Street 012 03 01 00 02 04 05   -1  03 1.00 00.50
              Medilenia 050 05 01 02 02 04 06   -2  05 1.00 00.50
                ITocapa 052 05 01 02 02 03 05   -2  05 1.00 00.50
             Blutrieger 057 05 01 02 02 04 09   -5  05 1.00 00.50
             T Republic 087 05 01 02 02 05 05    0  05 1.00 00.50
           South Wienda 047 04 01 01 02 02 06   -4  04 1.00 00.44
 Seraphic Empire of Gra 068 04 01 01 02 04 12   -8  04 1.00 00.44
              Commuicar 072 03 01 00 02 03 05   -2  03 1.00 00.43
                Finland 078 03 01 00 02 08 06    2  03 1.00 00.43
                  Kebec 078 03 01 00 02 05 06   -1  03 1.00 00.43
    Castolo and Minanda 099 03 01 00 02 07 08   -1  03 1.00 00.43
              Arctantur 063 03 01 00 02 05 06   -1  03 1.00 00.38
               Yanghoon 081 03 01 00 02 05 07   -2  03 1.00 00.38
           New Morrisia 038 07 01 03 03 05 12   -7  06 0.86 00.55
           Mitra & Soma 084 06 01 02 03 06 10   -4  05 0.83 00.50
                  Belac 087 06 01 02 03 09 14   -5  05 0.83 00.50
               Ekamijan 082 06 01 02 03 04 11   -7  05 0.83 00.45
              Maimeiras 043 05 01 01 03 02 09   -7  04 0.80 00.50
             Talon Deil 041 05 01 01 03 05 10   -5  04 0.80 00.44
              Anglegard 058 05 01 01 03 02 06   -4  04 0.80 00.44
             Ellesmerus 066 05 01 01 03 04 07   -3  04 0.80 00.44
                Maramaa 089 05 01 01 03 08 12   -4  04 0.80 00.44
            Nederlandss 096 05 01 01 03 06 13   -7  04 0.80 00.44
             Banu Hajir 096 05 01 01 03 07 09   -2  04 0.80 00.44
                Koodart 049 05 01 01 03 05 13   -8  04 0.80 00.40
               Colurada 050 05 01 01 03 03 05   -2  04 0.80 00.40
              Listanbul 052 05 01 01 03 04 10   -6  04 0.80 00.40
           Freezingland 057 05 01 01 03 05 07   -2  04 0.80 00.40
              ArmedKing 087 05 01 01 03 06 08   -2  04 0.80 00.40
                Aeprelh 087 05 01 01 03 04 09   -5  04 0.80 00.40
     The Turkic Shahdom 039 04 01 00 03 04 08   -4  03 0.75 00.43
               Morvonia 024 04 01 00 03 04 07   -3  03 0.75 00.38
           New Historia 026 04 01 00 03 01 03   -2  03 0.75 00.38
                 Kiljor 076 04 01 00 03 04 08   -4  03 0.75 00.38
                 Vyknov 051 06 01 01 04 05 10   -5  04 0.67 00.40
      Dragons & Bronies 084 06 01 01 04 07 13   -6  04 0.67 00.40
   Pineapple Porcupines 082 06 00 04 02 04 10   -6  04 0.67 00.36
                 Sernet 099 03 00 02 01 03 04   -1  02 0.67 00.29
               Catocton 061 05 01 00 04 03 14  -11  03 0.60 00.33
                Molonia 080 05 00 03 02 01 03   -2  03 0.60 00.33
                Nomatra 050 05 01 00 04 04 11   -7  03 0.60 00.30
             Streleheim 052 05 01 00 04 06 11   -5  03 0.60 00.30
                  Ideam 056 05 01 00 04 04 13   -9  03 0.60 00.30
        Southwest 2Fort 056 05 01 00 04 01 10   -9  03 0.60 00.30
             CoolBoyGcp 060 05 00 03 02 08 10   -2  03 0.60 00.30
                 Sineki 042 07 01 01 05 07 16   -9  04 0.57 00.36
             Lemmistana 017 04 00 02 02 03 05   -2  02 0.50 00.33
          St Iago Isles 069 06 00 03 03 05 10   -5  03 0.50 00.27
    Las Islas Turquesas 076 04 00 02 02 00 03   -3  02 0.50 00.25
    Maestro L Pavarotti 043 05 00 02 03 04 10   -6  02 0.40 00.25
              Benelsdon 044 05 00 02 03 04 13   -9  02 0.40 00.22
                Pelmany 058 05 00 02 03 05 12   -7  02 0.40 00.22
            Austenersey 062 05 00 02 03 06 13   -7  02 0.40 00.20
            Pheppenasus 062 05 00 02 03 03 10   -7  02 0.40 00.20
 The Channel 4 News Tea 069 06 00 02 04 04 12   -8  02 0.33 00.18
            Besaneastan 022 03 00 01 02 02 07   -5  01 0.33 00.17
              Mundistan 048 03 00 01 02 04 07   -3  01 0.33 00.17
                Warbern 073 03 00 01 02 02 05   -3  01 0.33 00.14
        Amerland Island 079 03 00 01 02 05 07   -2  01 0.33 00.14
                Imporia 097 03 00 01 02 03 05   -2  01 0.33 00.14
                Megadia 054 03 00 01 02 01 04   -3  01 0.33 00.13
          The West Cape 081 03 00 01 02 04 08   -4  01 0.33 00.13
               Ouiseaui 056 03 00 01 02 02 07   -5  01 0.33 00.10
            Kirstiriera 017 04 00 01 03 05 10   -5  01 0.25 00.17
                 Okerne 093 08 00 02 06 05 17  -12  02 0.25 00.17
           Shearer Hell 025 04 00 01 03 01 08   -7  01 0.25 00.13
            St Happenin 028 04 00 01 03 01 07   -6  01 0.25 00.13
        Metallo Pesante 046 04 00 01 03 03 08   -5  01 0.25 00.13
              Leintalun 066 05 00 01 04 06 11   -5  01 0.20 00.11
  Kingdom of Costa Luna 066 05 00 01 04 06 15   -9  01 0.20 00.11
 Greater Toyland and Mo 080 05 00 01 04 06 11   -5  01 0.20 00.11
             Merluantis 089 05 00 01 04 06 14   -8  01 0.20 00.11
                  Niolo 095 05 00 01 04 08 16   -8  01 0.20 00.11
                Comardo 096 05 00 01 04 04 09   -5  01 0.20 00.11
                Theseca 050 05 00 01 04 02 12  -10  01 0.20 00.10
             Kalengorod 056 05 00 01 04 02 07   -5  01 0.20 00.10
                 Danesk 031 06 00 01 05 03 19  -16  01 0.17 00.11
    Kingdom of Atlantia 090 06 00 01 05 08 14   -6  01 0.17 00.11
                Allahai 090 06 00 01 05 07 16   -9  01 0.17 00.11
             Derring-Do 082 06 00 01 05 03 15  -12  01 0.17 00.09
                Finrods 016 03 00 00 03 01 04   -3  00 0.00 00.00
               Arjastan 018 03 00 00 03 01 09   -8  00 0.00 00.00
        United Fontians 022 03 00 00 03 01 12  -11  00 0.00 00.00
    Alan Shearer Heaven 025 02 00 00 02 01 06   -5  00 0.00 00.00
         Circle of Dark 062 05 00 00 05 01 11  -10  00 0.00 00.00
                Valnara 070 03 00 00 03 04 07   -3  00 0.00 00.00
                 Ravsol 081 03 00 00 03 09 16   -7  00 0.00 00.00
              Schweiser 081 03 00 00 03 02 11   -9  00 0.00 00.00
 Magnecia and Galmencia 087 05 00 00 05 01 07   -6  00 0.00 00.00
                 Naufre 088 04 00 00 04 02 10   -8  00 0.00 00.00
      A Place Somewhere 097 03 00 00 03 00 09   -9  00 0.00 00.00

Some of these are undoubtledly teams that appeared in Qualifying under a slightly different name, that have fallen through the filter. Some ceased to exist during or shortly after their BoF. Some barely existed anyway. At the bottom of the list, the likes of Alan Shearer Heaven and A Place Somewhere perhaps shouldn’t have existed in the first place.

At the top, we have a team who had apparently seen enough of international football in the foyer, and got back in their car without even collecting their luggage. Cycle 38’s Jey reached the semi-final of their Baptism of Fire where they would lose. Their opponents? Starblaydia. Two-time World Cup winners at the time, Starblaydia took advantage of a since-closed loophole that said that any team with zero rank, who had never participated in the BoF before, could enter the competition. Former world number 1 Starblaydia had been out of the game long enough for their rank to fall to zero, and so entered.

Jey would eventually finish third, but would play their final game under protest.

In what is admittedly a terrible display of sportsmanship, the Jevian squad could not hold back their smiles tonight: Jey finishes off the Baptism of Fire with a win over Bergelland in the 3rd Place Match, and rival competitor Starblaydia is defeated in the final match against the 25th Baptism of Fire champions The Pazhujeb Islands.

Former GK Sert Bolorg commented "Good riddance! The Starblaydian team obviously had no respect for the rules of this Baptism of Fire, so I can't be all that sad that they didn't win in the end. They got two World Cups, I'm sure they'll manage losing in a beginner's tournament."

As expected, Emperor Drew Domz immediately sent "letters of resignation" to all players who performed in the Starblaydian match in the Semifinals. From the total list of Jevian TSS World Cup Prefects, this excludes backups: Williams Compulson, Adams Treiner, Machias Dulton, Bordil Turlfol, Procolin Ert, Olin Baynes, Larse Jelton, and Nombin Daftol. All starters as well as former de facto Head Coach Florins Eruviel were given the letters. "We expected the letters," said Eruviel, "we were just happy to end on a high note. We're all Universians at heart--we understand the perfection required of us. We didn't fulfill that dream, so we must go.

It should come as no surprise that by far the largest group here is of teams that debuted in the Baptism of Fire, went onto enter qualifying, but took no further part in the cycle. They failed to qualify for the World Cup and were not invited to the Cup of Harmony. We're only allowed 60,000 characters here, so it's only possible to show you the top 40:

.
              Team Name CYC  P  W  D  L  F  A   GD Pts  PPG KPBa Points
              Kinitaria 060 23 18 01 04 61 29   32  55 2.39 10.70
 Revolutionary Nordskan 076 20 13 03 04 50 28   22  42 2.10 10.04
                Elemanu 052 30 19 06 05 48 27   21  63 2.10 09.82
            Monozygotia 066 17 10 05 02 42 27   15  35 2.06 09.67
            Catmeowland 048 20 11 04 05 36 26   10  37 1.85 09.02
            Fort Europe 032 23 12 05 06 44 34   10  41 1.78 08.72
                  Ardsk 096 21 12 02 07 39 30    9  38 1.81 08.67
               Pekoland 090 23 12 04 07 47 41    6  40 1.74 08.46
                  Panem 072 21 11 05 05 44 31   13  38 1.81 08.43
             Santa Rafa 081 23 14 01 08 43 31   12  43 1.87 08.39
                Michine 081 24 13 04 07 25 20    5  43 1.79 08.39
                 Seunem 057 25 13 05 07 28 17   11  44 1.76 08.30
  Fhulghamous Peninsula 072 18 09 06 03 42 27   15  33 1.83 08.29
     Sanian Confederacy 060 24 11 09 04 31 12   19  42 1.75 08.29
               Archalit 093 34 18 05 11 73 64    9  59 1.74 08.27
               Gyaromia 099 25 12 05 08 41 31   10  41 1.64 08.24
               Amuaplye 083 19 11 01 07 34 25    9  34 1.79 08.18
          Boudra-Boudra 028 20 11 04 05 37 23   14  37 1.85 08.17
              Powersith 063 23 12 05 06 42 32   10  41 1.78 08.14
                 Cobrio 081 26 15 02 09 41 32    9  47 1.81 08.11
               Kavagrad 081 22 12 04 06 38 26   12  40 1.82 08.01
                Freechi 087 28 15 04 09 42 31   11  49 1.75 07.96
         West Phoenicia 083 23 13 03 07 38 27   11  42 1.83 07.94
      Euskirribakondara 057 25 13 04 08 38 35    3  43 1.72 07.90
    Why are you in here 095 23 12 02 09 41 41    0  38 1.65 07.89
               Ascensia 015 23 10 06 07 36 36    0  36 1.57 07.84
   Quintessence of Dust 033 28 14 05 09 55 45   10  47 1.68 07.79
                Kelssek 033 25 13 06 06 68 47   21  45 1.80 07.71
              Pyazhnaya 089 27 15 03 09 78 58   20  48 1.78 07.67
     The Realm of Light 052 32 15 07 10 54 45    9  52 1.63 07.65
               Sea Dome 095 20 09 04 07 26 24    2  31 1.55 07.63
                Darclad 048 18 08 06 04 30 31   -1  30 1.67 07.62
                Kryosis 051 26 12 07 07 34 25    9  43 1.65 07.60
               Maraonia 095 23 11 04 08 55 47    8  37 1.61 07.60
        Visayas Islands 099 23 10 07 06 47 43    4  37 1.61 07.59
                Kericia 023 19 09 04 06 23 22    1  31 1.63 07.57
             Walenstein 082 26 13 05 08 43 41    2  44 1.69 07.55
            Old Havansk 056 21 10 06 05 23 16    7  36 1.71 07.50
             New Ecopia 063 23 12 03 08 47 34   13  39 1.70 07.50
                 Evinea 094 28 13 06 09 36 37   -1  45 1.61 07.50

We’re ordering these teams by the amount of KPBa points they gained in their first cycle. KPBa is a ranking system that is the same across history, from World Cups 1 to 100, to aid comparison between eras. It’s basically refers to the final iteration of the KPB rankings before the addition of the ‘plus’ in World Cup 98, but applied to each and every team in history, regardless of what ranking that World Cup actually used. World Cup 99 used the KPB+ system, World Cup 11 the RPR system, World Cup 25 an early KPB system, but we can compare them all using the KPBa system. That’s its entire purpose.

At the top, Kinitaria head up this merry gang with 10.7 KPBa points attained in their debut cycle. Baptism of Fire champions in cycle 60, they made a decent fist of qualifying group 7, putting together a 9-1-4 record that would be good enough for third place, albeit six points adrift of the playoffs. Krytenia, in second, had narrowly defeated Kinitaria in both games. A reversal in fortunes in either game may have seen the newcomers progress in their stead, and even the newcomers might have made less of a pigs ear of the playoffs than Krytenia did that cycle.

A number of debutants managed to reach the playoffs, only to lose out themselves.

.
              Team Name CYC  P  W  D  L  F  A   GD Pts  PPG KPBa Points
             Armakistan 068 27 17 04 06 68 38   30  55 2.04 11.83
        United Eastedge 069 30 19 04 07 54 34   20  61 2.03 07.53
             Hapilopper 083 29 18 04 07 76 37   39  58 2.00 11.46
            Newmanistan 040 31 20 02 09 76 52   24  62 2.00 08.99
               Ficiscia 074 26 16 02 08 60 38   22  50 1.92 13.33
            Graintfjall 086 36 20 08 08 62 41   21  68 1.89 11.79
     Magna Sancta Sedes 042 32 18 06 08 50 39   11  60 1.88 13.73
             Consortina 054 25 12 04 09 45 38    7  40 1.60 10.63
               Erathore 054 29 13 07 09 38 32    6  46 1.59 11.93
                Barunia 064 29 13 06 10 49 46    3  45 1.55 09.07
            Ruventsoria 024 29 12 08 09 44 41    3  44 1.52 09.62
                Hasznia 075 20 08 03 09 27 34   -7  27 1.35 08.52
                  Aleos 040 27 06 05 16 29 59  -30  23 0.85 06.31

Hapilopper were champions of cycle 83’s Baptism of Fire, but after making their way to the playoffs via an absolute destruction of veterans Damukuni - Hapilopper won 5-1 away from home in a game that Damukuni needed to win in order to leapfrog their inexperienced opponents - they fell victim to World Cup 83’s bloody playoff system. Six groups of four, only the winner progresses. One win and two defeats would only be enough for third.

At the top, Armakistan went through another famously tough playoff system. We’ve talked about World Cup 68 before - Red Wednesday and all that - but haven’t mentioned this team before. Baptism of Fire bronze medalists Armakistan managed another third place in their group, a point behind Kinitaria, and were launched into the playoffs to face AO heavyweights Equestria. Victorious in the first leg by a goal to nil, Equestria fought back to win the second 5-3, dropping Armakistan into the Cup of Harmony. There, the side would again finish third in their group.

The BQPC gang all lost their playoffs. The BQPW gang all won them.

.
              Team Name CYC  P  W  D  L  F  A   GD Pts  PPG KPBa Points
              Aquiliana 017 26 14 05 07 45 39    6  47 1.81 21.93
                Bonesea 075 25 16 02 07 52 38   14  50 2.00 20.33
        Northern Bettia 033 32 22 03 07 82 51   31  69 2.16 17.14
 Commonwealth of Baker  080 32 18 03 11 76 60   16  57 1.78 16.08
              Hurfordia 024 27 12 07 08 44 36    8  43 1.59 12.66
                Savalen 075 22 11 03 08 54 56   -2  36 1.64 12.38
              Oickoidia 037 23 07 05 11 19 43  -24  26 1.13 10.57

Baker Park and Bonesea are famous examples of teams who made it all the way to the World Cup at their first attempt. With 21.93 KPBa points in their first cycle though, Aquilliana are arguably the most impressive. Runners up in World Cup 17’s Baptism of Fire tournament behind Eystrck - whose own story is hilarious but not quite appropriate for here - Aquiliana somehow parlayed a 5-5-4 record in qualifying to a playoff place. In that cycle, from a group of eight, the top two in each group progressed, and the next two would make the playoffs. Aquiliana were drawn against Lovisa, won 2-1, and made it to a finals tournament where they would reach the quarter-finals, with wins over former champions Europa Britannia, future champions Audioslavia and never-champions Krytenia. Of all the teams above, they progressed the furthest, and their total of 21.93 KPBa points is the highest. Oickoidia, at the bottom of this list above, also deserve some credit for reaching the World Cup though, attaining only one point, in their final group game against Qazox, and never entering the World Cup again.

The above teams needed the playoffs made the World Cup in their first attempt. Some just took the easy route and qualified automatically.

.
              Team Name CYC  P  W  D  L  F  A   GD Pts  PPG KPBa Points
             Peisandros 044 26 15 03 08 35 23   12  48 1.85 16.90
               Kwrpania 099 29 14 08 07 61 54    7  50 1.72 16.70
             Schiavonia 026 23 10 09 04 31 26    5  39 1.70 16.14
   The Islands of Qutar 026 23 12 07 04 35 21   14  43 1.87 15.80
               Cafundeu 032 28 17 05 06 52 38   14  56 2.00 15.54
              Edsmontik 097 26 16 06 04 54 34   20  54 2.08 15.43
            Adam Island 019 23 14 03 06 49 25   24  45 1.96 15.43
              Drawkland 077 28 15 08 05 55 37   18  53 1.89 15.02
              Crpostran 096 21 11 05 05 41 28   13  38 1.81 14.90
            Bears Armed 044 25 14 03 08 49 39   10  45 1.80 13.48
                 Druida 018 20 09 04 07 30 30    0  31 1.55 12.67
               Chetkosk 056 25 11 06 08 33 26    7  39 1.56 12.16
               Eskrador 018 20 08 03 09 26 32   -6  27 1.35 11.64
             Cataduanes 026 19 08 02 09 22 24   -2  26 1.37 11.26
               Wentland 026 19 08 02 09 30 34   -4  26 1.37 10.85
      The Kazoo Peoples 026 23 08 08 07 35 27    8  32 1.39 10.76
         County Islands 026 19 06 04 09 28 41  -13  22 1.16 09.93
                Vixette 099 25 11 05 09 31 23    8  38 1.52 07.89

Peisandros and Bears Armed are both here. The former is chiefly famous for losing to the latter 14-0 on one occasion, but let us not forget World Cup 44, wherein they had the best performance by a debutant qualifying automatically for a World Cup. You can put “Best Performance by a Debutant Qualifying Automatically for a World Cup” on a trophy and everything.

Runners-up in cycle 31’s BoF (behind, er, Bears Armed), Peisandros went 7-2-5 in qualifying to hit the final automatic qualifying place in Group 5, reached the World Cup, were duly spanked 4-0 by Valanora, and still somehow managed to reach the second round. Victory over Jeruselem was followed by a commendable draw with The Holy Empire, and their head-to-head record against Jeruselem put them through. In the second round, they would lose 1-0 to Starblaydia. That, if you’re counting, is three of our four five-time World Champions in the space of four games. An actual baptism of fire at the end of their debut cycle.

We have a whole glut of teams that only participated in Qualifying, eschewing the Baptism of Fire, and a few more who went to the Cup of Harmony directly from a failed first attempt at qualifying. We don't quite have the space to go through those ones, but instead, let’s have a look at our rare teams. Combinations of letters that don’t appear very often in the list.

.
                 Team Name CYC  P  W  D  L  F  A   GD Pts  PPG KPBa Points
QPW        The Eagles Nest 012 19 07 06 06 24 18    6  27 1.42 14.57
QW         Gordon Bay City 046 13 07 02 04 19 12    7  23 1.77 14.13
BQP  The Andromeda Islands 054 23 15 02 06 39 24   15  47 2.04 10.63
BQP                Eystrck 017 21 14 02 05 45 25   20  44 2.10 10.43
QW              Quakmybush 029 17 06 03 08 14 20   -6  21 1.24 09.43
QPC      The Archregimancy 024 23 09 05 09 30 34   -4  32 1.39 08.78
QP              Loch Dearg 097 17 08 03 06 14 12    2  27 1.59 06.75
BQP               Agroprom 040 25 07 00 18 23 77  -54  21 0.84 06.43
BQP                  Abaio 040 24 04 05 15 32 59  -27  17 0.71 06.14

The Eagles Nest had no need for the very first Baptism of Fire tournament (back then, it offered no ranking points anyway), but still put together a 6-5-3 record in qualifying to reach the playoffs. After overcoming Defari, they put together a 1-1-1 record in the group stage for a commendable third-place finish. Gordon Bay City in cycle 46 didn’t even need the playoffs, but also finished in third place in their group. Two BoF champions come next in the form of Andromeda and Eystrck, both of whom came unstuck in the playoffs, while it should come as no surprise to anyone that Quakmybush are in the ‘rarities’ category. Perhaps surprisingly, only two teams in history have managed to lose in the playoffs in their debut cycle, despite not entering the Baptism of Fire, with The Archregimancy one and, less famously, Loch Dearg the other. At the bottom of this list, Agroprom and Abaio did well in an especially strange World Cup 40, but failed to progress past the playoffs and declined entry into the Cup of Harmony.

All weird and wonderful compaigns, but not the weirdest.

BC               Senzymnia 051 10 03 05 02 14 12    2  14 1.40 02.46

Senzymnia's code is 'BC'. Baptism of Fire, followed by the Cup of Harmony. So... how on earth did Senzymnia play in the Cup of Harmony if they missed qualifying?

I do not know.

And yet it is inarguable. They played in the Baptism of Fire.
They were removed from the World Cup before it began..
They did not participate in qualifying..
They accepted an invite to the Cup of Harmony..
They played in the Cup of Harmony

Either way, Senymnia stand alone, at least in terms of their record, as the strangest debutant in World Cup history.


* This article did not end up comparing every team in history. The way we set things up, a comparison of all teams comes to almost a quarter of a million characters, much higher than the 60,000 we're actually allowed. You can find the full spreadsheet here

[Atymnius]

The Dēmosian team practiced rigorous training sessions in anticipation for another difficult matchup as the team would go on to verse Abanhfleft. The Dēmosians were correct in the tension to indeed follow.

---

---

MATCHDAY 2:
ABANHFLEFT VS DĒMOS

---

M: Good day everyone I am Mike Hattenborough and joined alongside me is Apostoli Apostoleris as we witness Dēmos verse Abanhfleft.

A: Indeed Mike. Looking forward to the game!

The game kicked off as a tense ballade between Abanhfleft midfielders and Dēmosians, Tý and Valentinos, continued.

Most defenders were in their respective halves, anxious with anticipation. Upon this, were few narrow moments too close for comfort.

A: Oh! It’s a penalty for Rafail Paleas for the Dēmosian team!

Taking it as he did, “the rush” known in his penalty shots, led to an unexpectedly disastrous outcome.

A: Oh! A tragic miss from the ill-worn Salamander! Has the no.9 reduced his footprints on the field Mike?

M: It’s not like him to shoot like that, poor in the end.

Frustrations upon frustrations mounted as the midfield continued upon a grid-lock after half time.

PEW!

Whistling, the referee was center stage to most of the anxiety that would follow.

M: It looks like we have a red card for Theodosis.—

A: Pretty horrific challenge. The timing of the slide tackle was just off there.

And so the frustrations would lead to no leadership, no results nor the lackluster pity.

Like a libertine to his grave?

The match would end thereafter with a red card and a yellow card for the later infringement of Tý.

M: Well what would you like to say about Dēmos’ performance today?

A: A voiceless silo..

[Aphrilia]

PART 2 / The Runs And Races For The Crown (1 of 3) (Educational, Informal)
Written by Emma Rhodes
Imagine the evening on a weekend, a racecourse fully sold out of tickets and entry no longer being available due to how many people buying. It's about late in the evening, actually, and as you watch from the stands, twenty horses enter their gates. It's the most awaited moment of the weekend, the one they call "The Test of Courage," one race that many people say define the season for three year old horses. 2400m of racing on a clockwise course to determine which horse attains the highest honor possible throughout their career. Perhaps this will be their first Grade I win among many, perhaps this is their road to achieving something greater, or maybe they will be a one-time wonder who peaked at just the right moment? Whatever it is, which horse and jockey who wins this specific race will be forever immortalized into Aphrilian horse racing lore. Of course, I'm talking about the Indianapolis Derby. Or the Aphrilian Derby for international viewers. Welcome, I'm Emma Rhodes and this is Part 2 of Racing For Rookies where I tell you all about Aphrilian horse racing.

As written in the first part of this series, I've spoken about the organizations that manage the industry itself along with a slight dive into Aphrilian horse racing history, the grade system that the country uses, along with a schedule of the Grade I races throughout the calendar year. That last part is particularly important as I've told you all that I plan to talk about the races themselves for this second part in the series. And what do you know? It's here already. So just to recap slightly if you missed part one; Grade I races are the most prestigious in Aphrilia, and most are under the management of the Aphrilian Horse Racing Association (AHRA). All of these races have requirements to enter them, depending on the horse's gender and age. Not only that, there are a total of twenty six Grade I races in Aphrilia throughout the year, each providing a unique spectacle for themselves. Some of these races go all the way back, while some are rather recently created. I'll be providing the general background of these races, some information about them, and three notable past winners. Note that due to the amount of races covered and restraints in regards to the website itself, will have to split my coverage of the races itself into several parts for "Racing For Rookies." Yet despite that, I hope you enjoy this first part where I cover the two-year old Grade I's, the Triple Crown, and the Triple Tiara.

Restricted to Two-Year Olds
COLTS STARBORNE STAKES
Limited to two-year old colts & fillies
Distance of 1600m/8F, Turf Surface, Newgarden Racecourse, Counterclockwise

The Colts Starborne Stakes is regarded as the de-facto championship for two year old colts. Originally known as the Newgarden Roses Stakes, it was inaugurated in 1903 and to many at the time was treated as an unofficial Grade III race. Perception of the race went from Grade III to Grade II sometime in 1959. It received it's current status as a Grade I in 1990, when the AHRA decided that two year old horses needed an opportunity to race at the highest level other than the Racing Hopefuls Stakes, which was held at middle distance. The race is held on the third week of October. Notable winners include 2015 Triple Tiara winner Mocktail, who won this race in 2014 as her first Grade I victory out of five by coming from dead last to first on the final stretch and being the first filly to win it since it's promotion to Grade I, Mako Emmeria in 2001 for being the first foreign-owned horse to win the race, and Brigadier Ship in 2008 for dropping his jockey and jumping over a fence after having crossed the finish. He would only win one other Grade I race in his entire career.

FILLIES STARLIGHT STAKES
Limited to two-year old fillies
Distance of 1600m/8F, Turf Surface, Newgarden Racecourse, Counterclockwise

On the other hand, the Fillies Starlight Stakes is considered to be the de-facto championship for two year old fillies. Unlike some current Grade I races, this race was formed and built from the ground up to act as the championship race for two year old fillies, without them having to race in the Racing Hopefuls Stakes. The race was created in 1990 alongside the rebranding and promotion of the Colts Starborne Stakes. The race is held on the second week of October, one week before the Colts Starborne Stakes. Notable winners include Medallion Zenna in 1995 who gave champion and currently active jockey Victor Reynolds his first Grade I victory, Coastal Reign in 2021 whom next year would end up becoming the 10th filly to win the 24k Guirnseas, and Love Me More in 2013 who became the first ever white racehorse to not just run but also win a Grade I race.

RACING HOPEFULS STAKES
Limited to two-year old colts & fillies
Distance of 2000m/10F, Turf Surface, Darlingtown Racecourse, Clockwise

The Racing Hopefuls Stakes is regarded as a Grade I race for potential Triple Crown or Triple Tiara winners, as it is one of the few Graded races for two year olds that are held at middle distance. Originally inaugurated in 1973 as the just the Racing Stakes, it received it's Grade I status the year the AHRA introduced the grade system in 1984. The top three finishers of the Colts Starborne Stakes and the Fillies Starlight Stakes are granted priority entry to the race if they so choose to run here, with the Proxy NextGen Stakes (2000m GII) and the Locus Stakes (2000m GII) acting as trial races as well (The winner of each race is granted priority entry). Notable winners include 1994 Triple Crown winner Frozen Wintersea in 1993 as he had also swept the Proxy NextGen and Locus Stakes before it, Espoir Heartland in 2015 after a dead heat between him and Rangers Groove was decided (Marking the first time an Aphrilian Grade I was decided by dead heat), and Houshou Tricker in 2019 to become the first foreign-bred horse to win the race Racing Hopefuls.

The Triple Crown
Winning these three races will grant a horse the honor of the Triple Crown. Only twelve have been able to accomplish this feat.

24K GUIRNSEAS
Limited to three-year old colts & fillies
Distance of 2000m/10F, Turf Surface, Trosspine Racecourse, Clockwise

Known as the first leg of the Triple Crown, the 24K Guirnseas (Officially the Twenty Four Thousand Guirnseas) is also known as The Run For The Honey Pot. History says that before Aphrilia used marks as their currency, guirnseas were the official currency of the kingdom. And 24.000 Guirnseas was the prize money (Equates to 64.000 Marks today, or 96.000 NSD). First ran in 1852, ever since the first Triple Crown victory in 1867, it was considered unofficially as a First Tier race (Before 1901, races were fan-ranked by tiers. First Tier would mean Grade I, Second Tier as Grade II, and so on). The 24K Guirnseas received it's Grade I status the year the grade system was implemented. Notable winners include Cherry Wink in 2018 when halfway through the race he held a monstrous 13 length lead due to an incredible start, Ruiner in 1996 for denying United Heat what would have been a Triple Crown, and My One Darling in 2001 for finishing ahead of four other horses in the span of only three lengths in what is regarded as one of the most highly contested Guirnseas ever.

INDIANAPOLIS DERBY
Limited to three-year old colts & fillies
Distance of 2400m/12F, Turf Surface, Indy Racecourse, Clockwise

The second leg of the Aphrilian Triple Crown, the Indianapolis Derby is nicknamed The Test of Courage. A horse will require aplenty of it in order to win this race. Originally known as the Indy Cup Stakes, the race was inaugurated in 1848 at a distance of 2800m, or 14F. Eventually, in 1859, the distance of the race was changed to 2400m. It was considered a Second Tier race up until 1963, when industry experts elevated it to a First Tier. Near the turn of the century, it was considered as a Grade I race by those who watched and kept up with the sport, and the race would be given that classification when the grade system was introduced in 1984. Notable winners include Pertrand Dice whose Derby win in 2008 is known as The Greatest Gamble due to extraordinary conditions before the race that dropped his odds of winning to dead last, Her Brilliance in 2020 for becoming the 7th filly to ever win the Derby and the 1st ever filly to specifically win the Triple Crown, and Apple Sauce in 2015 for ending the winning streak of three other horses with his victory.

ST ARTHUR STAKES
Limited to three-year old colts & fillies
Distance of 3200m/16F, Turf Surface, Maccarine Racecourse, Counterclockwise

The final leg of the Triple Crown is the St Arthur Stakes, named after the man who owned the first ever winner of this race, Michael James-Arthur. It's the oldest of the six classics, first inaugurated in 1815, just a few years after the first ever true flat horse race in Aphrilia. Before it's renaming in 1877, it was known as The Maccarine Chase, held at a whopping 4000m. It was immediately considered a First Tier race due to the race's sheer length alone. It was shortened to 3500m in 1923, and then again to it's current 3200m in 1839. For any attempt at the Triple Crown if a horse had won the Guirnseas and Derby, the race is known as The Breaker of Champions. For any other horse attempting to win it, it's largely known as The Hallmark of Stayers. Notable winners include Blaze Black in 1988 when he won the race by twelve lengths (An AHRA record), Eva My Wife in 1993 for becoming only the 2nd ever filly to win the St Arthur, and Aphrilian Bank in 2000 for recording the slowest winning time in the St Arthur Stakes ever since the grade system was introduced to Aphrilian horse racing (3:29.82).

The Triple Tiara
Winning these three races will grant a horse the honor of the Triple Tiara. Only nine have been able to accomplish this feat.

12K GUIRNSEAS
Limited to three-year old fillies
Distance of 1600m/8F, Turf Surface, Trosspine Racecourse, Clockwise

The 12K Guirnseas, modelled after the 24k Guirnseas, is known as the first leg of the Triple Tiara. Inaugurated in 1881 by the hosts of the 24K Guirnseas, it was created in collaboration with the hosts of the Indianapolis Derby and the St Arthur Stakes to give the fillies an equal opportunity to achieve the same glory the colts were given. This is also the reason as to why the fillies races are shorter by 400m for each classic, given not every filly is able to stay the longer distance. Due to the reputation of the 24K Guirnseas, the 12K Guirnseas was immediately considered as a First Tier race by racing fans. And just like the 24K Guirnseas, the 12K Guirnseas received Grade I status when the grade system was implemented back in 1984. The race takes place on the first week of March, a week before the 24K Guirnseas. Notable winners include the likes of Espoir Clannad in 2019 after she had accidentally reared up and dropped her jockey before the race (He only sustained minor injuries, and still jockeyed her), Winter Falls in 1999 for shocking the crowd by veering off so wide after the final corner people thought the race was genuinely lost, and Chronicle Gold in 2014 for recording the fastest speed in the final quarter of any Grade I race in Aphrilia.

INDIANAPOLIS OAKS
Limited to three-year old fillies
Distance of 2000m/10F, Turf Surface, Indy Racecourse, Clockwise

The second leg of the Aphrilian Triple Tiara is the Indianapolis Oaks, modelled after the Indianapolis Derby and was inaugurated by the Derby hosts in 1882. The race was considered to be a First Tier race right after it's conception not only due to the reputation of the Indianapolis Derby, but also the general strength of the fillies that participated in the first edition of the race. Being held on the second week of April, a week before the Derby, the Oaks hold the same weight as the Derby as it often is the deciding race for three year old fillies and those who win it are not only etched into the history books, but they are also forever remembered for their victory even if it's their only one. Notable winners of the Indianapolis Oaks include Frozen Heart in 2007 after being curb stomped in the 12K Guirnseas to earn her first of eight GI wins, Coconut Tree in 1995 for the iconic celebration of her jockey Rosaria Asserin drinking a bottle of beer whilst Coconut Tree was also being given a drink, and Fish in 2017 for being the first filly to win the Oaks since Archaic Love in 1990 to win from the absolute back of the field and get to the front on the final stretch.

LADY COVENANT STAKES
Limited to three-year old fillies
Distance of 2800m/14F, Turf Surface, Maccarine Racecourse, Counterclockwise

The Lady Covenant Stakes is recognized to be the final leg of the Triple Tiara. Inaugurated in 1882 along with the Indianapolis Oaks, the Lady Covenant Stakes is 800m longer than the Oaks, but 400m shorter than it's mixed-gender counterpart. In fact, both third legs are 800m longer than the second legs respectively. This is the test for any challenger to the Triple Crown or Tiara, a test of endurance, of stamina, of patience, of fortitude. The race was categorized by sports fans as a First Tier race, then unofficially a Grade I before it's official status in 1984. It's held on the third week of May, a week before the St Arthur Stakes. Notable winners of the Lady Covenant Stakes include the likes of Tasked Victory in 1989 despite the fact that her pedigree would suggest she was a miler and 2000m would be the longest distance she could run (Her progeny ended up primarily being milers, this confused people even further), Daydream in 2016 for being one of three horses in Aphrilian horse racing history to have won a Grade I race at every distance level (Sprint/Short, Mile, Medium/Middle, Long) with her Lady Covenant victory fulfilling the long distance victory, and Rose Hopeful in 2003 for denying Rain Dancer the Triple Tiara in a year where both a Triple Crown winner and a Triple Tiara winner could have been crowned in the same year of racing.

[Banija]

OOC Note to hosts and other readers: The following is a Map of Banija, Abahamba, and the Busoga Islands. Most of the credit goes to Tumbra. All three are ICly firmly independent countries, with historic ties to Banija- OOCly, all three of them are ran by Banija. Abahamba will be a large focus of this tournament for me, but as they are not in this tournament(for IC reasons that'll come out in due time), the RPing will be done mostly via Busoga and Banija, and whatever other collaborators I have on this project.

Part 1: Intro to Abahamba

Muteesa Lutombo, sitting in the Quebecois capitol, at the Banijan Embassy about a month before the start of World Cup Qualifiers

Muteesa Lutombo was 88 years old, and with the presentations of his credentials the other day, was officially the oldest member of the Banijan diplomatic corps. He had been retired, briefly, before being coaxed out of retirement to serve in this high-profile diplomatic role- certainly one of, if not the, most singular coveted role in the entire Banijan diplomatic corps. There wasn't often time you would have somebody at this age serve as an Ambassador, especially in a country where there are so many career diplomats who are trying to advance their careers.

But Lutombo was a unique individual.

He wasn't a career diplomat. But he was a well-connected, skilled, and long-term politician. He had set the record for the longest serving member of the Lukiiko(Parliament). serving for now 51 years in the Lukiiko. Spent pretty much the entire time representing an area north of Herzegovina City, that was pretty rural when he first started representing it, but nowadays was one of the wealthiest parliamentary seats in all of Banija. Developed plenty over the years, with wealthy Herzegovina City businessmen moving into the area. Lutombo was a long-time member of the People's Protection Movement, and had served in basically every role that you could in Parliamentary politics- although he was never the Katikkiro(Prime Minister). He was a former Kiongozi(Leader of the Opposition) 10 years into his career, and never got to the top job- but he didn't simply retire. He took his public servant role seriously, and was probably the top grandee of the center-right PPM, if you will. A much more fun job, he'll tell you, when they are in a position of power, like they are right now- the largest party in the Lukiiko, and the leading party of Banija's current coalition government.

A big enough powerbroker that he was able to leave the party to become an independent, to support a government of the opposite party that was capable of conducting a war in Farfadillis(one that Banija lost). Despite that, he was eventually welcomed back into the party, seen as the party's moral compass. He, of course, was a descendant of the former nobility in Banija, who's official titles were abolished in the Constitution of 1906, but he was still the head of the family and held the family land in a trust. He was related by marriage to the more famous Lance Kabuye, who was known for being NMU's head coach for 12 seasons in the NSCF. That kind of family history meant that he was very friendly with the royals- becoming quite close with the great uncle of Kabaka Sekakama, the boy King.

He was thinking about retiring after the next election. Lutombo, alongside Lance, had just jointly bought a 15% stake in Herzegovina City FC, and were the third biggest members of that club's ownership group. Known to be Banija's biggest soccer club, he wanted to spend some of his golden years attending games in his owner's box. But then, he had gotten a call from the Omukama(Regent)- he was being asked to serve his country in a different capacity. So he felt, why not? He had important members of his own family in Quebec, as well. His oldest son, isaac Lutombo, was the PPM Party leader for the Quebecois Commonwealth Legislature, which obviously met in the Quebecois capitol. His second son, also named Lance, would be heavily favored to succeed him in a by-election.

After presenting his credentials, he was going to be treated to a dinner with his own family. At a four star restaurant, the newly minted High Commissioner to Quebec was sitting down with his two oldest sons, and their children, and their children- always great to have a gathering of two of your children, your grandchildren, and even a few great-grandchildren. He smiled, thinking about his own legacy. There was a moment, however, when he had to step to the bathroom- shortly after Isaac did.

Nothing intentional. But Isaac in the bathroom wasn't speaking Korean, like he usually did in Quebec- he was speaking quickly in Olusanke. He waved to his father and just continued speaking. Muteesa, meanwhile, sat on the toilet, and like anybody, scrolled through his phone for a few minutes. Heard a couple of words, like 'Abahamba' and 'travel', but really, not a ton. They both left the bathroom at the same time.

"Isaac, why are you talking about Abahamba? They aren't in the Commonwealth?"

"I know, sorry Dad." Isaac said, a little bit distracted. "Uhh, somebody asked me a question about Abahamba. They're our new neighbors now, of course."

"Who?" Muteesa asked.

"Robel Ezera." Muteesa nodded, and then didn't think much of it. Banijan WCC Vice President, very well connected in Banija- you don't remain the RBSA Exec Chair for 17 cycles unless you're well-connected on both sides of the political aisle in Banija, and got allies from all sorts of powerbases- so that phone call wasn't surprising at all. Ezera, of course, was no longer the RBSA Executive Chair, as he now had the #2 job at the WCC, but maintaining those relationships was obviously a priority of his. He went back to eating his food- and enjoying this time with two of his sons, and some of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

---

The King of Abahamba sitting in the Royal Palace alongside his only son, immediately following Banija's MD3 World Cup Qualifier against the Shiverian Republics

Zotsara III, the King of Abahamba, sitting in his Palace with his only son, Crown Prince Thuku. He had been watching World Cup Qualifiers intently- obviously, considering their geography, Valanora and Banijan games were the most popular to watch in this impoverished kingdom, alongside Farfadillis and even the Commonwealth of Baker Park. He had just finished watching Banija's 3rd World Cup Qualifying match- a 4-2 away win over the Shiverian Republics for the Kadongo Kamu. Zotsara III was a big soccer fan, and obviously, Abahamba had never participated in any major international sporting competition. They had tried, previously, to enter World Cup 100 Qualifying- but had been denied, without fanfare, by the World Cup Committee- with messaging coming directly from its Banijan Vice President, Robel Ezera.

"Who would've thought we would have needed proof of funds to be able to participate in this tournament?" Crown Prince Thuku said to his father. The Crown Prince was the head of basically everything soccer related in the country. There was no national team, technically- well there was, if you were to be really technical, but they hadn't actually participated in any games against foreign countries. "I could've swore, that rule is not written out publicly." The Vice President of the WCC, Robel Ezera, who was also a member of the EWCC, had written to Zotsara III, denying their entry into World Cup Qualifying. When they had sent in their documents, they had been told that they needed to prove that they could cover their own costs, ahead of time. Ability to transport themselves to away games, chief among them- and they didn't quite have the money. They said that they'd be able to work out financing options in time, but it wasn't in time for Ezera.

"Those fucking bastards." Zotsara III said, shaking his head. "Would've been a tremendous opportunity for our country. Be able to showcase this place on the national stage. But we didn't have the money yet- that's on us."

"It's a freaking conspiracy Dad, I swear!" The Crown Prince, Thuku, told his father. "The Banijans are conspiring to keep us out. There's no written rules about proof of funds being necessary. Do you really think the WCC Committee has an army of accountants & lawyers going through bank statements from 270 different countries? You know how many languages they'd need to know, how many currency conversions they'd have to do, the banking laws of how many different countries they'd have to figure out? A logistical nightmare..."

"There's no conspiracy, Thuku." Zotsara III told his son, firmly. "Get this nonsense out of your head. Now, we're here to talk about the development of the Abahamban education system. Got to get people into school if we want to escape the tag of being, by far, the poorest nation in Arrosia. Now, let me tell you exactly what I'm thinking in this regard..."

[Ranoria]

Below you’ll see what’s either a child’s (if you don’t like it) or a professional artist’s (if you do like it) rendition of some of Ranoria’s favorite animals.

One is our national animal, one is just a dog that hangs out with the national baseball team, and a couple others are just rare and we like them. Please note that even if the mammoth is a little odd, you are still obligated to love her. Thank you!

[Juvencus]

NO UNCERTAINTY FOR THE SHOWRUNNERS - DEMOLITON OF YUEZHOU, HOLDING GROUND AGAINST EX-WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS

AN OLYMPIC VICTORY VERSUS THE YUEREN: Rowdy, magnificent, fiery. The crowd at Stadio Olimpico were from a different planet against Yuezhou. With the heat of the recent Sonnelian Olympics on its side, the crowd served its purpose. That purpose was to be a propelling force for la squadra. Ajello, cognizant of the way the emotions could make or break this game at Pomena fielded the strongest possible lineup he could against Yuezhou. The Yueren, although with many familiar faces chose to appear without names on the back of their shirts nor with the usual robotic expression the team has come to be known for in Juvencus.

La squadra took the game on its own terms as it was focused on this one aspect of the game more than anything else. Pure. Brutal. Possession. During the first half, an overwhelming 80% possession to Yuezhou's mere 20 was enough to paint an image of how one-sided the game was. Bevilacqua seemed to be on fire throught the entire first half, scoring a brace. He proved to be a nuisance for the Yueren and with his presence on the pitch he earnt a standing ovation from the fans at Stadio Olimpico when he got subbed off in the 73rd minute. Joao Peres would score what has become his typical long range rocket special to end the first half at 3-0. For the majority of the second half, gli attaccanti's engines stopped, instead focusing on maintaining the scoreline. However a player that did not listen to Cesare Ajello's pep talk in the locker rooms was his own son. The FC Piluzzi talisman not only manage to earn himself a penalty but also score it to make the scoreline 4-0 in what was the most one-sided of encounters between Juvencus and Yuezhou.

That 4-0 scoreline is exactly the medal-winning mentality that was passed down from the most recent Olympics. A win of grit and determination to prove who truly is the better side. Despite Yuezhou's poor start in the latest qualifiers, Cesare Ajello's comments on the team were of encouragement as well as mutual respect.

AN IMPERIAL ESCAPE FROM THE (MAYBE NOT SO) FREE REPUBLICS: The returning Republican side remains a force to be reckoned with. Like the game never left them, they decided to turn the tables around from the last game against Yuezhou and become the more dominant side on the pitch, especially during the first half. During the majority of said first half, the Republican team recorded 6 shots on target, 5 of which were saved by an overperforming Ungaro and the last of which proved to be the ice breaker in the 40th minute from none other than Mattia Dellucci. The Republican striker would nudge the ball in following a quick steal of the ball, leading Ajello to THAT angry reaction on the bench. And if that was not enough, a red card for Stafilidi meant that la squadra not only was a goal down but also a man down by the end of first half. All in all a disastrous showing.

Said one-sidedness persisted over the second half of the game. However, Ajello's tactical genius played a big part in how several counter attacks would be orchistrated. There were two warnings, the first one in the 63rd minute when a long ball by Marroqui would find Audiol one on one with Savage. However, the Juven striker would send the ball on the crossbar, sending many in awe. The Republicans would not learn from this and in the 77th minute yet another quick counter-attack, with a quick orchistration from Oliveira and Conte would find the former sending a cross in for Vives this time, with the Pomena striker sending the ball just wide. While the Republican team would soon tighten up, stamina would not be in its favor. Heading into injury time and while yet another Republican attack would be stopped by an in-form Ungaro, lungs played their part. A quick throw of the ball inside would find Conte and the latter with a long ball towards Audiol would send him straight to another one on one against Savage, but this time a chip of the ball would be enough to freeze the early celebrations at the CoCoCo Stadium and send la squadra home unharmed and unbeaten. However, this escape did not come without a scare.

WHAT'S NEXT?: The hardest part of the stretch is not over. Hosting Jeruselem at Stadio Gianluca in Pomena is a great test to see the team's level. With Jeruselem off to a strong start and without a bye to worry about, a win is necessary to cut their pace while Juvencus' bye is steady approaching. A visit to Lisander right after does not seem as worrysome, with another six point widow being not just a necessity but a given for la squadra. So far, Ajello's side has given a quiet air of confidence and responsibility to each victory in what is a contrast to the previous coach, Gaetan. Will la squadra manage to extend its lead and remain top of the group?

[Andso Mangis]

It wasn’t supposed be this way Andso was supposed to lose a close game to TGH but no our boys refused in the 53rd minute a long cross which the goalie went for but it was kicked over the goalie and into the back of the net. TGH never stood a chance after our goal they had two shots on goal both which were strait to the goalie after Andso stormed the field maybe Andso best victory ever

[Zenic]

"They're swarming them out there, you two. I got your backs but I need to know: what is going on out there?"

Luke Killian normally wouldn't be having a conversation of this style so early into the World Cup Qualifiers but he felt that the current situation required it. What should have been, at worst, a 3-0-1 start to these qualifiers (preferrable a 4-0-0 or 3-1-0 record) has become a 2-0-2 start after a less than pleasing collapse to Nova Calania, a shocking loss on the road to Innisfree and 2 wins that were too close for comfort.

Geraldo Zys and Mara Tapi both sat in awkward silence in front of the President of FZF. They each had their own theories but nothing concrete that they could give to the one they call "The Icon". The two gave worried looks to each other before Mara eventually volunteered to go first.

Mara was of the idea that the amount of traveling was affecting the squad. Everyone was either in their prime or approaching the end of their prime and traveling a ton so soon after a decent portion of the squad coming off of a grueling domestic season and a top four finish at the 49th Copa Rushmori. Given an extra day or two of rest in-between matchdays and international play periods, Tapi believes that would help them recover back to their expected level of play and finish at the top of Group 22 at the end of these qualifiers.

Geraldo Zys had a different idea that he presented to Killian: pressure. Some people believe once you've dealt with pressure, you're good to go for all future high stakes moments but there's always varying levels to it. There's the pressure to just do well, the pressure to qualify, the pressure to make the knockouts, and the pressure to win it all. For most of Zenic's existence in international sports, the Survivors have consistently fallen somewhere between 'pressure to do well' and 'pressure to make the knockouts', depending on the event and how many editions they've participated in. This may be the first time where they've felt the 'win it all' level of pressure for the World Cup itself.

When they first felt that type of pressure in the Copa, they continued to make the knockouts but fell early every single time for the first few events after their Copa title. It's only been the last two Copas where this squad specifically have adjusted to that pressure and made it to back-to-back top four finishes. But they had some benefits that they do not have now in these qualifiers as the Copas are closer to home and on a much smaller scale comparative to the World Cup. Could they take a cycle or two to adjust to this potential new found pressure, self-manufactured or not? Yes, but Zys believes that adds another layer to the problem: some of these players won't be around for that as they fall out of their primes and the staff, alongside the FZF, have to make the tough decisions to find replacements for some of the best players in the Empire's history. And players are not dumb: some of them know this and it seems to be affecting some of them by forcing them to make risky plays to try and guarantee a win but ultimately costing the win in the long run.

Killian took a brief time to take in all of this information they had provided and formulate a response adequate of a federation president. "Thank you for those statements. As a former player and manager, I understand both points of view. I would prefer that we had never reached this point but that's more of a bureaucratic issue than a sports performance issue." He took a brief pause to look at the upcoming schedule. Luckily for us, the next international play period has only one game so we can potentially work on both theories at the same time: get the player some much needed rest to recover and work on both fundamentals as well as their mental situations to help them cope with a new situation. I'll round up the best sports psychologists I can find to meet up with the squad in Manacus during the bye. Any questions?"

Zys and Tapi looked at each other and then turned back to Killian before they both shook their heads. "Good. I'll keep in touch and coordinate all of this extra stuff. You go out there and do you jobs: win. And make it flashy for the cameras so they can lay off of us for a bit. See you later." The two managers stood up, said their thanks and goodbyes before heading out the door.

There were some days that made Killian hate this job: He just hoped that today was not the first of many in the near future.

[Flavovespia]

World Cup 85: Retrospective

1 David Meehan Age: 30 Position: GK Club: Bavingtor FC Appearances: 18 Goals: 0
2 Ronald Maddox Age: 29 Position: LWB Club: Marthorpe City FC Appearances: 10 Goals: 0
3 Stephen Shepherd Age: 27 Position: RB Club: Waldster FC Appearances: 15 Goals: 0
4 Mark James Age: 31 Position: CB Club: Marthorpe City FC Appearances: 10 Goals: 0
5 Tony Gardner Age: 25 Position: CB Club: Kings Lunsel FC Appearances: 21 Goals: 1
6 Brian Buttery Age: 28 Position: CM Club: Waldster FC Appearances: 8 Goals: 0
7 James King Age: 30 Position: CM Club: Stanmorn FC Appearances: 19 Goals: 3
8 Jonathan Feld Age: 26 Position: LM Club: Marthorpe City FC Appearances: 19 Goals: 3
9 Terence Daley Age: 29 Position: CF Club: Marthorpe City FC Appearances: 12 Goals: 3
10 Scott Coleman Age: 24 Position: CF Club: Stanmorn FC Appearances: 15 Goals: 5
11 Steven Hall Age: 27 Position: RAM Club: Kings Lunsel FC Appearances: 21 Goals: 7
12 Robert Jones Age: 26 Position: GK Club: Kings Lunsel FC Appearances: 1 Goals: 0
13 Scott Vaughan Age: 28 Position: LB Club: Kings Lunsel FC Appearances: 15 Goals: 0
14 Neil Wright Age: 25 Position: CB Club: Stanmorn FC Appearances: 13 Goals: 0
15 Alexander May Age: 27 Position: CB Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Appearances: 19 Goals: 1
16 David Blythe Age: 22 Position: RWB Club: Marthorpe City FC Appearances: 11 Goals: 0
19 David Michael Age: 29 Position: CF Club: Hadford Hill FC Appearances: 12 Goals: 1
21 Marc Sharratt Age: 23 Position: CF Club: St Astons City FC Appearances: 9 Goals: 0
22 Christopher Ace Age: 24 Position: RM Club: St Astons City FC Appearances: 11 Goals: 1
23 Richard Hartwell Age: 26 Position: GK Club: International Club Appearances: 5 Goals: 0
24 Andrew Bullivant Age: 31 Position: GK Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Appearances: 1 Goals: 0
25 Alastair Ross Age: 23 Position: CB Club: Stanmorn FC Appearances: 2 Goals: 0
26 David Lyons Age: 19 Position: LB Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Appearances: 3 Goals: 0
27 Stephen Moore Age: 28 Position: RB Club: Loxthorpe Rovers FC Appearances: 3 Goals: 0
28 Charles Winward Age: 27 Position: CDM Club: Stanmorn FC Appearances: 5 Goals: 0
29 Valentine Richmond Age: 26 Position: CM Club: Westwood Garden City FC Appearances: 18 Goals: 1
30 William Somers Age: 28 Position: LM Club: Loxthorpe Rovers FC Appearances: 4 Goals: 0
31 Murad Ahmed Age: 24 Position: CM Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Appearances: 12 Goals: 1
32 Ramon Martin Age: 31 Position: CF Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Appearances: 15 Goals: 9
33 John Lawler Age: 26 Position: CF Club: Waldster Appearances: 9 Goals: 5

Main Nation Ministry (H) 2-2, Gardner 18', Feld 70',
The Appraisal To The Allmighty MR TAYTO (A) 2-1, Feld 12', James 30' (RC)
Sylestone (H) 2-0, Daley 23', Ace 29'
Taeshan (A) 1-0,
North Quadana (H) 2-1, Ahmed 30', Daley 55'
Maccian (A) 2-1, Richmond 90'
Eastfield Lodge (H) 1-0, May 37'
A Flock of Seagulls (A) 0-1, Daley 66'
West Pocono (H) 1-1, King 32'
South Covello (A) 0-0,
Melbergia (H) 5-5, Martin 16' 83', Own Goal 36', Lawler 42', Hall 85'
Freeport (A) 1-4, Martin 32' 75', Lawler 35' 77',
Main Nation Ministry (A) 6-3, Lawler 12', Martin 45', Hall 51', Wright 53' (RC)
The Appraisal To The Allmighty MR TAYTO (H) 4-0, Hall 22' 84' Michael 56' Coleman 79'
Sylestone (A) 0-1, Feld 94'
Taeshan (H) 0-4,
North Quadana (A) 1-0,
Maccian (H) 2-1, Martin 31', Lawler 82'
Eastfield Lodge (A) 1-2, Coleman 28', King 87'
A Flock of Seagulls (H) 3-4, Martin 4', 94', Own Goal 80'
West Pocono (A) 0-1, King 25'
South Covello (H) 2-1, Martin 28', Coleman 62'
Melbergia (A) 1-2, Hall 23', Coleman 89'
Freeport (H) 3-0, Hall 33', 40' Coleman 56'

   Group 4                                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Taeshan                                      24   16   7   1    46    9  +37    55 Q
 2 Main Nation Ministry                         24   15   6   3    58   29  +29    51 Q
 3 South Covello                                24   12   7   5    25   11  +14    43
 4 Flavovespia                                  24   13   4   7    43   33  +10    43
 5 Melbergia                                    24   10   7   7    39   35   +4    37
 6 Maccian                                      24    9   8   7    21   21    0    35
 7 West Pocono                                  24    7  11   6    21   20   +1    32
 8 Eastfield Lodge                              24    8   5  11    29   33   −4    29
 9 North Quadana                                24    8   4  12    37   42   −5    28
10 Freeport                                     24    7   7  10    30   38   −8    28
11 A Flock of Seagulls                          24    5   8  11    31   44  −13    23
12 The Appraisal To The Allmighty MR TAYTO      24    4   2  18    21   58  −37    14
13 Sylestone                                    24    1   6  17    15   43  −28     9

1 David Meehan Age: 30 Position: GK Club: Bavingtor FC Appearances: 6 Goals: 0
2 Ronald Maddox Age: 29 Position: LWB Club: Marthorpe City FC Appearances: 5 Goals: 0
3 Stephen Shepherd Age: 27 Position: RB Club: Waldster FC Appearances: 5 Goals: 0
4 Mark James Age: 31 Position: CB Club: Marthorpe City FC Appearances: 5 Goals: 0
5 Tony Gardner Age: 25 Position: CB Club: Kings Lunsel FC Appearances: 6 Goals: 0
6 Brian Buttery Age: 28 Position: CM Club: Waldster FC Appearances: 2 Goals: 0
7 James King Age: 30 Position: CM Club: Stanmorn FC Appearances: 6 Goals: 1
8 Jonathan Feld Age: 26 Position: LM Club: Marthorpe City FC Appearances: 6 Goals: 1
9 Terence Daley Age: 29 Position: CF Club: Marthorpe City FC Appearances: 0 Goals: 0
10 Scott Coleman Age: 24 Position: CF Club: Stanmorn FC Appearances: 6 Goals: 5
11 Steven Hall Age: 27 Position: RAM Club: Kings Lunsel FC Appearances: 6 Goals: 2
13 Scott Vaughan Age: 28 Position: LB Club: Kings Lunsel FC Appearances: 2 Goals: 0
14 Neil Wright Age: 25 Position: CB Club: Stanmorn FC Appearances: 2 Goals: 0
15 Alexander May Age: 27 Position: CB Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Appearances: 3 Goals: 0
16 David Blythe Age: 22 Position: RWB Club: Marthorpe City FC Appearances: 2 Goals: 0
19 David Michael Age: 29 Position: CF Club: Hadford Hill FC Appearances: 2 Goals: 0
22 Christopher Ace Age: 24 Position: RM Club: St Astons City FC Appearances: 3 Goals: 0
23 Richard Hartwell Age: 26 Position: GK Club: International Club Appearances: 0 Goals: 0
24 Andrew Bullivant Age: 31 Position: GK Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Appearances: 0 Goals: 0
29 Valentine Richmond Age: 26 Position: CM Club: Westwood Garden City FC Appearances: 6 Goals: 0
31 Murad Ahmed Age: 24 Position: CM Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Appearances: 0 Goals: 0
32 Ramon Martin Age: 31 Position: CF Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Appearances: 6 Goals: 2
33 John Lawler Age: 26 Position: CF Club: Waldster FC Appearances: 2 Goals: 0

Eastfield Lodge (N) 4-1 Martin 26', Coleman 33', 43', Feld 50'
Alba and Cymru (N) 0-2 Martin 9', Hall 61'
New Lusitania and the Algarves (N) 2-1 Coleman 35' 72'
Kohnhead (N) 1-0

  Group 5                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kohnhead                    4   3  1  0    8   3  +5   10 Q
2 Flavovespia                 4   3  0  1    8   3  +5    9 Q
3 Eastfield Lodge             4   1  1  2    5   9  −4    4
4 Alba and Cymru              4   0  3  1    1   3  −2    3
5 New Lusitania               4   0  1  3    1   5  −4    1

Sharktail (N) 2-1 Hall 12', King 40'
Astograth (N) 1-3 Coleman 34'
Out in Round of 16

A mammoth 24 qualifying games made up this cycle. For their 3rd shot at qualifying, Flavovespia ultimately didn’t succeed, but 4th in the group from a Pot 6 position was admirable, and there was a sense Richard Crawford was now the man for the job. Qualifying did get off to a slow start, a draw a Main Nation Ministry was a decent feat, but it was followed by a loss at The Appraisal To The Allmighty MR TAYTO, a game well remembered for the absurdity of the opponent’s name, and Mark James head loss that saw him sent off for a headbutt in the 30th minute. Home form was a strength of Flavovespia, it took until a 0-4 loss to Taeshan in Matchday 17, to lose their unbeaten home form. However travels proved draining for Flavovespia, results that ultimately kept them away from qualification.
24 games meant a mammoth 30 player squad was selected. This meant plenty of new names, some of which would star this cycle, some future cycles, and others who faded away. Of the debutants, Valentine Richmond was probably the one who made a key impact, his strength and focus helped in midfield, and provided depth to the squad. Murad Ahmed was also a dependable rotation option in midfield. After a brief appearance in AOCAF60, Christopher Ace provided his incredible pace to the right wing, especially with Steven Hall out injured for some games. And in defence there were 3 appearances for a young 19 year old called David Lyons, that’s a name that’ll crop up again.
Attack was where there was plenty of competition. Scott Coleman was fairly settled as one of the forwards, but the battle remained to play alongside him. Terence Daley, David Michael and Marc Sharratt all looked so-so, but it was Ramon Martin, making a comeback at 31 who’d get 9 of Flavovespia’s goals, top scoring. John Lawler also had flurries of form with 5 goals.
A reduced squad of 23 went to the Cup of Harmony 77. 3 wins in the first 3 games sent Flavovespia to the knockout stages, although they’d come 2nd in the group after a loss to Kohnhead. Flavovespia defeated Sharktail in the Round of 32, before Astograth ended their journey. This was a cycle of relative success, Flavovespia finally felt they were establishing themselves as potential contenders to qualify in the coming cycles (no easy feat with just 32 teams at the time), and if not, a run in the Cup of Harmony was possible. This was the approximate line up of the era: Meehan, Maddox-James-Gardner-Shepherd, King-Richmond, Feld-Coleman-Hall, Martin. A real combination of players who’d be stars of their era of Flavovespian football, some solid dependable players for several cycles, and players who had their moments in the sun. The World Cup 85 was by no means the ceiling for Flavovespia, but it was certainly a time the team felt they were going onwards and upwards.

[Hamborn]

Hamborn lose against the top 100 of KPB+ !

After a long match ans complicate for Hamborn with 2 loses 0-3 at Lico National Stadium against Siovanja and Teusland which is their lowest win in this world cup. and a lose 3-1 against Darmen which makes Hamborn last of the group 25. The coach said after the MD4 this : "Guys, this is normal to lose against them but be careful on who you defend." Hambornian team is sad but in few matches Hamborn can be return in the qualification matches.

Welcome for this match if Hamborn win this match, they have 4 points if not we have a risk to finish last of our group.

0' Hamborn do the first pass with Marco Nisto

12' Willo Novkas score a goal but he was offline.

42' Santutxo Kramer dribble Divon Lio and surprend Leo Surli 0-1

45+1' Its Half-time to Lico National stadium.

71' After a lose of the ball, Sebastian Rosler takes the ball and score a goal at 7 meters. 0-2

77' Joan Von de Polux is replaced by Arlemus Luvoski.

89' After 10 minutes of Hamborn domination face the goal, Aleksander Kosch-Kovarik tackle Arlemus Luvoski at ankle.

89' Var check on a penalty

90+3' The referee gave a Yellow card to Aleksander Kosch-Kovarik and a penalty

90+4' Arlemus Luvoski fail is Penalty

90+7' The last corner of the match, after a head of Sepp Kranz which is a gk surprise Leo Surli. 0-3

90+8' End of the match.

Welcome to the Green Ensign Arena its here Hamborn will attempt to win against Darmen for a chance to go to the world cup 100 !
Wind scores 4 goals Today !

0' Welcome to the Green ensign arena where today is windy.

34' The ball escape from the foot of Leo Surli and it push it in the Goal. 1-0

43' after a corner te ball pushed by the wind dribble the Darmen defence and score a goal. 1-1

45+1' Half-Time

61' after a long pass the ball goes straight in the Hambornian goal (it was a defence pass of Darmen). 2-1

84' after a long shot in the air the wind pushed the ball and the ball attempt to shoot in Leo's head then the balls go in the goal. 3-1

90+4' End of the match after a weird match with a hattrick of the wind.