World Cup 100 | RP thread

by **Warkus** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 3:03 pm

AI Disclaimer: The image in this RP was generated using Google Gemini.

It was one of many post-training chats between Jack and Eirian. They spoke about the team’s position in their group table, the fight for the second-place playoff spot and the painful home draw against Saperetia. The next game was going to be a crucial one for their playoff hopes: the away match against third-placed The Osnari Federation – a side that had frustrated Warkus enough at the Sand Dome. A loss against The Osnari Federation would mean falling four points behind and give Germanic Cat, who have a game in hand, an opportunity to catch up.

Eirian pointed out that Jack seemed far less inclined to stick to his guns this time. The fear of falling behind, of failing to do better than last time and make up for the team’s unceremonious exit in the CAFA Cup group stage on home turf, had given way to tactical flexibility. It wasn’t so much that Jack had developed a taste for victory, rather he’d developed a strong aversion to draws and losses. An expected win is fine – nothing more. An unexpected win feels great, for a day or two, and then it’s time to prepare for the next game. An unexpected loss or draw, or even an expected one, felt awful. He wanted it to feel awful. Wanted everyone around him to know that it hurt and that we all needed to do everything in our power to make sure it didn’t happen next time.

The bad results never festered though. He’d vent in the dressing room, pull aside a few players that he figured would respond well to negative feedback and chew them out and then… That was it. He’d move on, at least that’s what it looked like to everyone else. It had only just occurred to Eirian that maybe he wasn’t moving on as quickly as it seemed, but before she could ask if he was genuinely doing okay, he excitedly started to yap on and on about the team and his tactical plans. Jack raved about how the team’s first-choice goalkeeper Daniel had been in incredible form since the 3-nil loss to Indusse and how Isetyn had really started to become a more flexible defender and come into his own. The younger players were improving and the older players, even the ones who used to pull pranks like Llewelyn and Max, had become real leaders.

The team was growing into Jack’s fluid attacking setup and weren’t being caught out of position as often as before, even when the results didn’t reflect it. Eirian could tell Jack didn’t really believe that they’d qualify – HUElavia would probably make it, or The Osnari Federation, who were developing a little faster than the Warkus squad. As much as he cared about the here and now, it was clear he was really excited about the future. A team with a mix of good younger and older players, a youth setup with real funding and government backing and a tactical system to carry them through the next few cycles, at least. The future looked bright.

Except… It’s never that simple. As Jack’s passionate lecture drove on, Eirian found herself absent-mindedly looking at a photo of the squad during what many called its second generation – the 61-64 cycles. She couldn’t quite pinpoint the date, although it would’ve had to have been the 61st or 62nd World Cup Qualifiers, certainly not the 64th cycle.

It was a photo of a training game. They didn’t wear training kits back then, or at least they weren’t wearing them here. They were wearing the home and away kits of that era, the ones manufactured by Kirola from Audioslavia. The second generation was one of missed potential. Managed by Victor Vos, the folk hero of Warkusian football, their results steadily improved each time. The final time, however, was when the government stopped supporting the national team. They lost funding, they went back to rubbish kits and they knew this would probably be their last cycle for a while. So, they went all out, achieving the best result in the national team’s history. Ten wins, zero draws and eight losses. A goal difference of plus eight. It wasn’t enough, obviously. They weren’t ready to seriously fight for a qualifying spot and they ended up finishing fifth out of ten in their group. The current setup looks promising now, but there was a lingering fear that it could all be stripped away again.

by **Squornshelan Remnant States** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 3:04 pm

Since dropping their opening match to an utterly unheralded side from Baman and Juket Liberationists, the Black-and-Reds have gone on an absolute tear through Group 12 arriving at the eve of their second open fixture with a 6-1 evisceration in Vassilian of the only team to take points off them thus far. The low point of this eight-match streak, if you can really call it that, was being held to just three goals away to second-seeds Dhemixia in Brigantine. Despite reassuming their expected dominance and putting up just shy of five goals per game on average, leading all teams in qualifying with 44, the Black-and-Reds still find themselves in a tight race for the automatic qualifying spot in the group. Just two points behind them, making shockingly efficient use of a mere 15 goals, is Anewkansas. A draw to United Adaikes and, like everyone else in the group to this point, one loss to the SRS being the only blemishes on their record. The Red Turtles have been a tough opponent for most, keeping four clean sheets and showing that they know how to win the close ones. Trevor Augustus, though certainly not an undisputed pick as manager, has certainly demonstrated that he can elevate his team's play.

In fact, so strong has their play been that when these two teams met for the second time, in Anewkansas, it will very likely be the hosts, not the top-ranked visitors who hold the groups top spot, as while the SRS are idle, Anewkansas will face the same Baman and Juket side that the Black-and-Reds just got done shellacking. A win would see the Red Turtles claim first place by a single point, albeit with the Black-and-Reds holding an all-important game in hand. The match will, in all likelihood, come down to the question of coaching adjustments. The first time these two sides met, it was early in qualifying, the SRS were out to set the record straight after their opening embarrassment, and Anewkansas, while off to a good start, hadn't played anyone of note yet. The Black-and-Reds put four past Jouko Pesonen in front of an emotionally charged Yassaca crowd, and that was that. It won't be the same team that Dudu Madeiros and his side face in Bridgehead, juggernaut though they might have been of late. The Red Turtles dusted themselves off after the loss and proceeded to show that they aren't at all content to be an also-ran, with their 1-0 victory over Dhemixia in matchday 9 a sterling, and recent example of their form and capability. It's going to be much harder to score against this side, and Madeiros will need to be ready with adjustments in the event pregame preparation hasn't been enough to let the Black-and-Reds find their way through the much sturdier Anewkansan defense.

Schedule and Results:

FRND SRS 6–2 SGD @ Olympiastad, (cap. 47,550), Arkintoofle, Megabrantis, SRS
FRND MIR 3–3 SRS @ Xuesen Stadium, (cap. 2,640) Aeolis Base, MIR
FRND SRS 2–1 OAM @ Overburg Arena, (cap. 46,222), Damogran, Algolia, SRS
FRND EDS 2–3 SRS @ Touve Suberarenae, (100,870), Touve, Austrankank, EDS

MD01 BJL 2–1 SRS @ TBA
MD02    BYE
MD03 SRS 4–1 ANK @ Pheldagriff Stadium, (cap. 45,620), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD04 BAT 0–4 SRS @ TBA
MD05 SRS 6–1 ALS @ Vogsphere Arena, (cap. 90,000), Vogsphere, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
MD06 FRN 0–5 SRS @ TBA
MD07 SRS 9–1 UAD @ Slavnareczpospolitastadion, (cap. 61,230), Lublova, Molvania, SRS
MD08 DHE 1–3 SRS @ Brigantine Park, (cap. 54,387), Columbus, DHE
MD09 SRS 6–0 MII @ Sunergy Field, (cap. 37,550), Hunian, Algolia, SRS
MD10 SRS 6–1 BJL @ Emerald Coast Coliseum, (cap. 38,500), Vassilian, Algolia, SRS
MD11    BYE
MD12 ANK  v  SRS @ TBA
MD13 SRS  v  BAT @ Estflanarena, (cap. 31,200), Zarss, East Flania, SRS
MD14 ALS  v  SRS @ TBA
MD15 SRS  v  FRN @ Killough Grove, (cap. 31,400), Han Wavel, Han Dold, SRS
MD16 UAD  v  SRS @ TBA
MD17 SRS  v  DHE @ Raftel Park, (cap. 59,870), Chalesm, Megabrantis, SRS
MD18 MII  v  SRS @ TBA

by **Flavovespia** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 3:06 pm

World Cup 87: Retrospective

MD1 Central Shaneville H 2 1, Hall 56', Martin 88'
MD2 Cassadaigua A 5 3, Coleman 9', 25', Feld 80'
MD3 Acronius H 0 0,
MD4 Muralos H 1 0, Martin 22'
MD5 Havynwilde A 3 2, Coleman 43', Feld 58'
MD6 TJUN-ia H 0 1,
MD7 Busoga Islands A 1 1, Martin 5'
MD8 Hispinas H 8 1, Coleman 3', 45'(P), 47', 67', 85', Martin 11', Own Goal 13', Ace 95'
MD9 Nacaltora A 0 2, Lansdell 15', Hall 67'
MD10 Central Shaneville A 3 3, Hall 26' 35', Own Goal 45'
MD11 Cassadaigua H 1 4, Coleman 65'
MD12 Acronius A 0 1, Coleman 82'
MD13 Muralos A 0 2, Hall 37', Coleman 69'
MD14 Havynwilde H 1 2, Coleman 72'
MD15 TJUN-ia A 4 3, Coleman 47', 49', King 89'
MD16 Busoga Islands H 1 0, Martin 87'
MD17 Hispinas A 0 3, Hall 48', 83', Paul 80'
MD18 Nacaltora H 7 3, Coleman 16', 26', 52', Hall 21', Martin 61', 74, Totten 79'

                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Cassadaigua            18   16   2   0    60   21  +39    50
 2 TJUN-ia                18   13   2   3    45   27  +18    41
 3 Acronius               18   10   2   6    38   27  +11    32
 4 Flavovespia            18    9   3   6    41   28  +13    30
 5 Busoga Islands         18    9   3   6    26   18   +8    30
 6 Muralos                18    6   4   8    36   45   −9    22
 7 Havynwilde             18    6   4   8    33   38   −5    22
 8 Central Shaneville     18    6   2  10    36   46  −10    20
 9 Hispinas               18    3   2  13    16   43  −27    11
10 Nacaltora              18    0   0  18    13   51  −38     0

MD1 Blouman Empire N 2 0,
MD2 Juvencus N 0 0,
MD3 Murphtannia N 1 0, Coleman 23'

Group H                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Juvencus                         3   1  2  0    2   1  +1    5 Q
2 Blouman Empire                   3   1  1  1    5   4  +1    4 Q
3 Flavovespia                      3   1  1  1    1   2  −1    4
4 Murphtannia                      3   0  2  1    4   5  −1    2

*- Blouman Empire over Flavovespia due to H2H result.

Ranked 41st at the start of this cycle, this cycle was one of disappointment on all levels for Flavovespia. Their qualifying campaign, now under the management of Alan Young, saw Flavovespia only 4th in the Group. They were 11 points off 2nd, and struggled against all of the Pot 1 to Pot 6 sides. An 8-1 win over Hispinas and 7-3 win over Nacaltora were thrilling, but little else brought cheer to Flavovespia this cycle.

Looking back much seemed to be pinned on Alan Young’s inexperience at this level. Arnold Stevenson’s management seemed to have been found out, but it seemed rushed to bring in Alan Young after just 3 full seasons with Langmere Green Rovers. Tactical stubbornness and finding his best squad was also a challenge. Steven Hall was played as a central attacking midfielder, but that stifled his effectiveness in terms of pace and dribbling. There were 2 strikers in the 4-1-2-1-2, with a partner for Scott Coleman a challenge to find. Ramon Martin was past his peak, Mark Paul was inconsistent and Matthew Cope didn’t get up to speed internationally. It was a first set of Qualifiers for Daniel Lansdell, Robert Totten and Kieron Player. All would be future stars, especially the latter, but had to find their feet in a campaign of frustration. At the other end of their career, this was the swansong in Qualifiers of James King, the midfielder leaving a hole to fill and a new name to go on the #7 jersey, at least for Flavovespia there were signs that could be Kieron Player.

Cup of Harmony 79 was probably Flavovespia’s lowest point to this point. Pot 1 in a 64 team tournament, the expectations were to at least into the knockout stages and have a few wins. However, an early loss to Blouman Empire, and a draw to Juvencus meant even a win over Murphtannia saw Flavovespia out, with just 1 goal scored. The format meant just a few underperformances sent Flavovespia home early, and that was that for Alan Young. Of note was a debut for a certain Michael Cole, a mere footnote in this tournament, his impact would soon be felt for the National Team.

by **Airannia** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 3:15 pm

Airannia 1 - 0 Grego
Centerby Stadion, Vorácy, Airannia - December 8, 1984
4': -- Usi Sarván-Dendh
58': Quent Pirakel <> Stéphen Helmantha (AER)
64': Lico Luth 1-0
77': Usi Sarván-Dendh <> Tarráce Long (AER)
89': Armande Hotsimya <> Levalle Régarmente (AER)

Jarring
The best way to describe the match of Airannia against Grego in one word is Jarring.

Jarring Selection: It was outright jarring to watch the Drills in this state. At the start of the qualifying series, it was expected the selection made by Enquás would be sufficient to last them the entire way. It's jarring to watch a team take to the pitch that consist of so few of those original 11. Not including Helmantha, who has simply been deemed less skilled on the midfield than his colleague Luth, only Mounate, Pirakel and Tournay remain in their starting position, after the ever reliable goalie Taman Cristigny has outright gone missing in the days leading up to the game against Grego. It's not often a person disappears, and it's even more jjarring when that person happens to be a 1.96m tall man.

Jarring Play: And the fact that this squad isn't exactly the A-Team shows on the field. The Airannians are playing their best, sure - but it's nothing to write home about, for two big reasons. First of all, the game against Grego was a home match; and secondly (and more importantly): there is no chemistry. The Drills are a team that's made or broken with strong team spirit, and these lads on the field are jjust that. Eleven men on a field, passing a ball. By dumb luck, no goals were scored against in the first half, and by an outright miracle, a corner kick landed perfectly on Lico Luth's shoe, bouncing off the back of a Grego player's head. And even though three points were collected, nothing of this game resembles any of the squad's original furor and aggression, leaving nothing but an incredibly jjarring comparison.

Airannia 3 - 2 Salagavanya
Agatha-Uidhobá, Sanna Agatha, Airannia - December 12, 1984
28': John Jacob 0-1
40': Armande Hotsimya 1-1
45+2': Usi Sarván-Dendh 2-1
53': Quent Pirakel 3-1
60': Miyáv Taizpuj <> Charles Jauvall (AER)
60': Pilleç Tournay <> Noitaryng Milantryç (AER)
82': Armande Hotsimya <> Kolav Héls (AER)
89': Iszan Algazh 3-2

Inconsistent
The best way to describe the match of Airannia against Salagavanya in one word is Inconsiistent.

Iinconsistent Goaliie: Sháze Linniitvors is, frankly, not all that Cristigny was for the team. The goalkeeper, who was found in a manic state last Friiday was not deemed mentally fit to stand under the bars for the time being. Sháze managed to keep a clean sheet for nearly half an hour versus Salagavanya, notable, because of the savage opening offense by the oppositiion, but was ultiimately not able to keep iit clean the whoIe way through — in the 28th minute, John Jacob scored a classiic goal from a free kick, curling it over the goaliie's head.
Inconsiiistent Everyone Else: Not only Linniiitvors was inconsistent however; the other players on the DriiIIs also had their fair share of difficulties, which was what allowed the Salagavanyan team to score the openiing goal. Nonetheless, some of the strength we've become so used to shone through the murky and doomy cover that's been over them as of late - some spectacularly clever attacks led Armande to score a goal from a counter attack, and Sarván-Dendh, also from a counter attack, managed to put the ball over Tamatan's head. After the ref called for the start of the half-way break, the mood among the home team stayed excellent; and after the second half commenced, the blue-yellows promptly took the lead once more. Soon thereafter, Quent lobbed the ball over the away team's goalkeeper - and a 3-1 scoreline was reached. After thiis, the Airannians immediiately begun playing much much worse again - as iif they thought they'd already won this game. Quiickly, the Salagavanyans became dominant agaiin, and after pushing for nearly thiirty minutes, Iiszan Algazh was able to kiick the ball past Linnitvors at high speed. By this point, the game seemed to get exciting again, but this was shortlived, as only moments later, the final whistle was blown: 3-2 in favour of a very inconsistent Airannian squad.

by **Oberour Ar Moro** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 3:21 pm

The view starts over the ocean, following the waves as they crash onto a moss-covered beach. The beach fades into forest and then the forest clears to see a modest farm.

We then see shots of the farm from the ground. It's sturdy, though worn. Weathered fences. Faded blue shutters on chipped-paint siding. An old barn with carved wood beams. Inside this barn, Listien Boursel brushes a horse with long, careful strokes. We hear the brush amongst the ambient noise.

Elsewhere, Listien's son Adrien Boursel brushes a concrete floor. He brushes a bit, then stops and sighs, putting his hands on top of the brush handle and rests his chin on it.

LISTIEN BOURSEL, PLAGE DE MOUSSE FARM OWNER
"Plage de Mousse is where I rode horses with my brothers. I always ended up back here."

A thoroughbred runs circles while Listien holds him by a rope. Adrien watches intently from the fence.

LISTIEN BOURSEL, PLAGE DE MOUSSE FARM OWNER
"I've been a lot of other places. Big barns, big names. They never felt like home. This is home."

GEOFFROY LOZEC, RETIRED JOCKEY (V.O.)
"Listien would go to a stable, train a genius thoroughbred, then burn out and leave in a cloud of acrimony. Then it would be about a year and he'd show up with another stable, train another genius, then burn out again."

"But while he was there when the times were good, they were good."

A montage of throughbreds crossing finish lines first is shown.

COMMENTATORS
"Dew Moor!" "Promesse Dorée!" "It's Médaillon d'Amour!" "Ne! Dors! Pas! By ten lengths!" "Raté has run the fastest Prix de Terina in history!" "Angels Sing!" "Where did Trente-Zéro-Six come from?!" "Allumefeu with a brilliant race!"

The last clip is followed by archived footage of Listien hugging and jumping with Étienne Cahufe-l'Eaue, both with huge smiles on their faces.

ÉTIENNE CAHUFE-L’EAUE, KAN ROUE CEO (V.O.)
"I've worked with Listien in the past."

We cut to a tired-looking Étienne Cahufe-l'Eaue being interviewed.

ÉTIENNE CAHUFE-L’EAUE, KAN ROUE CEO (V.O.)
"I wish him nothing but the best."

Listien Boursel works with a slighter looking bay thoroughbred with a white blaze and leg markings. He stands back with his hands in his pockets, narrow eyes, and set mouth as the horse trots in a field.

TRISTANIG LE VERGER, KAN ROUE TRAINER (V.O.)
"Listien is a real horse whisperer."

TREVEUR VAOLIANIER, JOURNALIST (V.O.)
"He worked on instinct, which really pissed off people that wanted solid explanations behind decisions."

GEOFFROY LOZEC, RETIRED JOCKEY (V.O.)
"'Because I say so' was a legitimate enough reason for Listien. And a legitimate enough reason for stables that employed him, at least for a while."

Adrien stands behind a fence, watching Listien. He purposefully avoids looking at the camera.

ADRIEN BOURSEL, PLAGE DE MOUSSE TRAINER
"You can't argue with him."

TRISTANIG LE VERGER, KAN ROUE TRAINER (V.O.)
"It would be way more annoying if he was wrong. Which most of the time he wasn't."

LISTIEN BOURSEL, PLAGE DE MOUSSE FARM OWNER
"This is Tempérant."

Listien gestures to the horse. He nods.

"He's got the drag strip courage I like."

ADRIEN BOURSEL, PLAGE DE MOUSSE TRAINER
"Dad doesn't trust fast horses. Or just-fast horses, I should say. They're great if everything goes right. But nothing ever goes right on the turf."

Tempérant trots, making a slow loop to the left, and then to the right.

CATERINA CINELU, BLOODLINE ANALYST
"Tempérant is a solid enough horse. He's got Cherry Vanilla and Drivers High in his pedigree. But both his dam and sire were not overly successful. And Tempérant didn't finish well in his two-year old races before Listien bought him."

TREVEUR VAOLIANIER, JOURNALIST (V.O.)
"When I heard that Plage de Mousse bought Tempérant, I just got it immediately. Tempérant finished a pretty anonymous sixth at the Airzis Futurity. But he wasn't bullied in the race. You look at the race replay, and he kept his head forward the whole way. Tempérant is the sort of horse that Listien Boursel made his career on."

Tempérant starts to gallop and speeds off out of frame.

The shot switches from a quiet farm to a loud racetrack.

ON SCREEN TEXT:
Trevelen
Genulca

DR. LAOUIC LE VISAGE, RACING HISTORIAN (V.O.)
"Genulca is the capital of horse racing in the Dominion. But Trevelen is the little brother of the two tracks here. And the d'Hosterel Trophy run here is purposefully unique. Trevelen is the longest track in the Dominion at 2600 meters, but the race is a relatively short 2200 meters. The race is run clockwise, with a massive field of up to 18 horses.”

GEOFFROY LOZEC, RETIRED JOCKEY
“Good decision making is essential to succeed here.”

d'Hosterel Trophy Post Draw

Position	Horse (Stable)
1		Coal Black (du Jerzual)
2		Spy Creed (Renardiere)
3		Hard to Impress (de Serent)
4		Metallic Fuel (Armelle)
5		Kid Clove (Reyun)
6		Pixelate (Veritable)
7		Tempérant (Plage de Mousse)
8		Orbital Refuge (Courant Marin)
9		Firmament (Asterus)
10		Mistelle (Talbourdet)
11		Polka du Barman (Oudin)
12		Chimérique (Peyrilhe)
13		Odette (Tabarly)
14		Attends Thomas (Locmariaquer)
15		Plasmagic (Veillon-la Gueinniere)
16		Grand Splendeur (Heure Oisive)
17		Cabernet (Vallon Gautier)
18		MaydayMaydayMayday (Kan Roue)

As the race begins, the camera stays trained on Tempérant, breaking out onto the course within the pack.

LISTIEN BOURSEL, PLAGE DE MOUSSE FARM OWNER (V.O.)
"Horses aren't unpredictable. They just seem like that way with people who don't know what they're doing."

Tempérant stays resolutely in his lane as Pixelate and Orbital Refuge jostle past.

TRISTANIG LE VERGER, KAN ROUE TRAINER (V.O.)
"He knows exactly what a trainer should do. And he knows when he shouldn't do that."

Tempérant is passed by more and more horses as they reach the first turn.

PEVER GAUGAIN, VERITABLE TRAINER
“I think that in his heart of hearts what Listien wants to do more than anything is something that no one else would do, and be proven right in doing it.”

Tempérant is almost by himself on the track. He’s remained in his lane and staring forward the entire race. His jockey has only keep his hands on the reins.

LISTIEN BOURSEL, PLAGE DE MOUSSE FARM OWNER (V.O.)
“Everyone thinks that with a short race you should just dash immediately.”

Tempérant straightens coming out of the second turn and horses start falling behind him, first Hard To Impress and then Attends Thomas.

TREVEUR VAOLIANIER, JOURNALIST (V.O.)
“Boursel horses are like bicycles. They have way more gears than you would expect.”

Tempérant comes up on Metallic Fuel, half in his lane on the left. He remains on a rail, putting his head and neck on the opposing horse’s flank, pushing him out of the way.

Listien and Adrian watch the race from the rail. Listien is relaxed, his hands in his pockets. Adrien has his fists balled and up against the rail.

LISTIEN BOURSEL, PLAGE DE MOUSSE FARM OWNER
“Wait… not yet. Not yet. Not yet.”

Tempérant goes through the third and fourth turn. He passes by a struggling Coal Black.

Adrian bites his lip. He starts bouncing slightly.

ADRIEN BOURSEL, PLAGE DE MOUSSE TRAINER
“It’s now!”

MaydayMaydayMayday and Odette open up in front of Tempérant. The track is now completely clear.

LISTIEN BOURSEL, PLAGE DE MOUSSE FARM OWNER
“Go! Gogogo!”

Ronan Gaschion applies the whip, and Tempérant goes at full gallop. He charges down the stretch, chasing down Cabernet in front of him. He uses his remaining strength and finishes a mere half-length behind in second.

Adrien Boursel pumps his fist in excitement. Listien Boursel shakes his head, runs a hand through his hair. And strolls to meet with his horse.

GEOFFROY LOZEC, RETIRED JOCKEY (V.O.)
"Still the same old Listien, clearly."

ÉTIENNE CAHUFE-L’EAUE, KAN ROUE CEO
“Listien is a natural genius. But his son Adrien is a talented trainer on his own right. His father is very lucky to have him by his side.”

Listien is stopped by members of the press. Adrien looks on as Listien as his father is interviewed. His face is unreadable.

d'Hosterel Trophy Results

Position	Horse			Jockey			Trainer				Stable			Display Time	Margin Behind Previous
1		Cabernet		Zec'haria le Coiffier	Ulysse de Rémusat		Vallon Gautier		2:20.03		Winner
2		Tempérant		Ronan Gaschion		Adrien Boursel			Plage de Mousse		2:20.25		½ Length
3		Firmament		Jean-Joseph Durdos	Thomyne Jaouen			Asterus			2:20.64		¾ Length
4		MaydayMaydayMayday	Brieuc Salion		Maden li Enquin			Kan Roue		2:21.90		7 Lengths
5		Polka du Barman		Malo Chirot		Arsène Verne			Oudin			2:21.96		Head
6		Odette			Rerlas Godard		Cerialtanus de Saint-Ghislain	Tabarly			2:22.07		Neck
7		Spy Creed		Guénael l’Archiere	Nikolaz Vachiere		Renardiere		2:22.38		¾ Length
8		Pixelate		Houarnon Trépanier	Jégu le Batart			Veritable		2:22.53		Neck
9		Metallic Fuel		Vonig de Saint-Armel	Guigner Quincarnon		Armelle			2:22.56		Short Head
10		Kid Clove		David Gariel		Goneri de Montgobert		Reyun			2:22.59		Nose
11		Coal Black		Louis-Mathieu Foucault	Awen Rio			du Jerzual		2:23.39		4 Lengths
12		Orbital Refuge		Zacharie Guedon		Davide Tue-Four			Courant Marin		2:23.50		Neck
13		Attends Thomas		Matthias Choron		Adolphe Cadyo			Locmariaquer		2:24.09		1 Length
14		Grand Splendeur		Louis Philippot		Enor Chaumette			Heure Oisive		2:24.14		Short Head
15		Plasmagic		Tujen Baro		Deniel Dyer			Veillon-la Gueinniere	2:24.17		Short Head
16		Hard To Impress		Rieg du Guignet		Stéfen Tréhin			de Serent		2:24.18		Nose
17		Mistelle		Jaques Marteilhe	Jean-Michel Gaigneur		Talbourdet		2:24.59		1 Length
18		Chimérique		Ciel Joëte		Budog de Lombard		Peyrilhe		2:25.79		7 Lengths

PIUS COIPEL, JOCKEY
"Everyone in the business has a Listien Boursel story. Here's mine."

"Listien was between jobs when de Serent called him. They had a colt, Contre Bande, with an incredible bloodline. He looked the part. But he was just ordinary after two races. They wanted to see if Listien had any ideas."

"He doesn't talk when he arrives. He just stands there in the aisle, hands in his pockets, watching the horse breathe. He stands there, probably for twenty minutes."

"Then he says to take him outside, no tack, no handler. Just let him do what he wants in an open field."

"And then he watches him, probably another twenty minutes."

"He gets de Serent to make him a list of everyone who spends time with Contre Bande. The groom, the farrier, the vet, everybody. And he works down that list, talking with each one."

"But not about the horse, just shooting the breeze."

"At the end of the day, everyone is burnt up with how he's using his time. They walk him out to his car, and he says, 'Move Contre Bande to the quiet barn and work him at night.' Then he gets in his car and drives off."

"They do it, and in the next race Contre Bande wins by five lengths."

by **Ethane** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 3:25 pm

The Group Tightens

It's first place for Ethane, but only just, with the group tightening up as the teams go into the second round of matches.

The Red Kites were able to confidently dispatch of Electrum, the lowest ranked team in the tournament. 4 goals were scored by the team top of the group, with Damian Rushbrooke continuing his run of form by grabbing a brace in the match. Knutton continued to show his creativity with a long-ball to Rushbrooke positioning him for one of those goals, while also scoring his own goal from just outside the box following a piece of trickery to get past an Electrumite defender.

Saterun was the biggest match as the first of the second round of fixtures, and Ethane knew a win here meant going clear at the top of the group while a loss would tighten the group up significantly. Ultimately, the significantly higher-ranked team was too much for the on-form Red Kites, with home advantage proving the decisive factor in both matches between Saterun and Ethane. Saterun were able to nab a goal early on in the first half. This was a lead they never relinquished, looking on top throughout most of the match. The defenders for Ethane remained consistent and focused, but Saterun provided too much pressure and overwhelmed Whewall again in the second half, Kalemanu able to pass him and score past Harris.

That result has a significant implication for the group standings. It's a significant swing for Saterun that ultimately is just enough to keep them in the hunt for qualification; a loss to Ethane would have likely left only the playoffs available to them. To show how close the group is, Saterun are currently in 5th on 17 points. Tristan de Cunha and the Commonwealth of Baker Park are in 4th and 3rd, also on 17 points. Riandera is 2nd in the group on 19 points, with Ethane topping the group with 20 points. There are 5 teams within 3 points of winning the group and qualifying straight to the world cup groups. This is setting up to be a very tight finish.

Group 16 - Tight to the end?

The question is, who is looking good to finish top of the group and make the playoffs?

Ethane are in pole position but confidence that they can retain the momentum they've had is not high. They have had some surprise results against the expected run of play including an early home win against Saterun and a draw against the Commonwealth of Baker Park away, but the Red Kites have their fair share of difficult fixtures in the second half. They are yet to play at Tristan de Cunha, who are looking strong and are only 3 points behind. The team also have yet to play in Riandera, another match that could prove pivotal. They will be hoping that following their away draw against Baker Park, they are able to surpass that with a win when the Commonwealth visit Ethane.

Defensively, Ethane have been a very successful team. Their only loss so far is away to Saterun. They have only conceded 6 goals across the 9 matches, with two of those goals coming in their most recent fixture against Saterun. That's a good record to keep with as the best defensive team in the group by 4 goals. Offensively, the Red Kites have struggled more with Rushbrooke's form producing too many of the goals to say the team is showing creativity. They have only scored 15 goals across the 9 matches, which is the worst of the top 5 in the group. The record in the group goes to the Commonwealth of Baker Park with 27 goals scored.

Riandera are on a remarkable run of form too, and are positioning themselves to take the group lead if Ethane slip up. Only one point behind, it is their goal scoring prowess that has powered them to second, scoring 25 goals in 9 matches. Defensively they have been average, conceding 11 goals - 4th in the group.

The Commonwealth of Baker Park will forever be looming. The highest ranked team in the group, you could never count them out and they are recovering to a place where they will fell more comfortable fighting for the group win. Now only 3 points behind Ethane, it is through goals that they are brute-forcing their way into contention. 13 goals conceded is probably more than they would desire, but with 27 goals scored - an average of 3 a game - Baker Park are looking deadly.

Tristan de Cunha are in the fight, and if key results go their way they could position themselves for the group win or second place. Of the top 5 teams they join Saterun in being the less convincing in the fight for group winner contention. They have won a series of tight games, only scoring 16 goals in relation to only 10 conceded. That leaves them with a goal difference of only +6, a far cry from the top three teams in the group.

The same applies to Saterun - they have exactly the same goal scoring record as Tristan de Cunha but they have the rank to back it up too so don't count them out. What could be crucial for Saterun is that they have won against Ethane already, pulling themselves back into contention, and they have shown with a previous draw against the Commonwealth of Baker Park why you shouldn't count them out. They are dragging themselves back into contention and are not down and out yet.

Prediction for qualifiers
1 - Commonwealth of Baker Park
2 - Saterun

Schedule and Lineup

(377) Ethane 3 - 1 Saterun (43)
@ The Pit, Deloitte
Lineup: Harris - Baker - Thomas-Brown - Roberts - Johnson - Ashford - Brooks - Sullivan - Benjamin-Wilson - Knutton - Rushbrooke
Goals: Rushbrooke x2, Knutton
Assists: Knutton, Baker, Benjamin-Wilson
(297) Valladares 0 - 1 Ethane (377)
@ Valladares
Lineup: Harris - Baker - Thomas-Brown - Roberts - Evans - Ashford - Brooks - Sullivan - Benjamin-Wilson - Knutton - Rushbrooke
Goals: Thomas-Brown
Assists: Baker
(377) Ethane 0-0 Tristan de Cunha (235)
@ King Edward IV Stadium, New Sarum
Lineup: Harris - Baker - Thomas-Brown - Roberts - Johnson - Ashford - Brooks - Sullivan - Benjamin-Wilson - Knutton - Rushbrooke
(89) Elmyia 1-3 Ethane (377)
@ Elmyia
Lineup: Harris - Baker - Thomas-Brown - Beckett - Johnson - Wilson - Brooks - White - Benjamin-Wilson - Knutton - Rushbrooke
Goals: Knutton 42, Baker 61, Rushbrooke 70
Assists: White 42, Rushbrooke 61, Benjamin-Wilson 70
(377) Ethane 1-0 Riandera (148)
@ Newton-Smith Arena, Letson
Lineup: Harris - Baker - Thomas-Brown - Roberts - Johnson - Ashford - Brooks - Sullivan - Benjamin-Wilson - Knutton - Rushbrooke
Goals: Rushbrooke 53
Assists: Ashford 53
(30) Commonwealth of Baker Park 0-0 Ethane (377)
@ Commonwealth of Baker Park
Lineup: Harris - Baker - Thomas-Brown - Roberts - Johnson - Ashford - Brooks - Sullivan - Benjamin-Wilson - Knutton - Rushbrooke
(377) Ethane 3 - 1 Ocruo (336)
@ The Marianne Detreux Stadium, Southern Hampton
Lineup: Harris - Baker - Thomas-Brown - Roberts - Johnson - Ashford - Brooks - Benjamin-Wilson - Nicholas - McLaughlin - Tace
(UR) Electrum 1 - 4 Ethane (377)
@ Electrum
Lineup: Harris - Baker - Thomas-Brown - Roberts - Evans - Ashford - Hayes - Sullivan - Benjamin-Wilson - Knutton - Rushbrooke
Goals: Ashford 22, Rushbrooke 44, 78; Knutton 84
Assists: Thomas-Brown 22; Knutton 44; Sullivan 78; Rushbrooke 84
(43) Saterun 2-0 Ethane (377)
@ Saterun
(377) Ethane vs Valladares (297)
@ King Edward IV Stadium, New Sarum
Lineup: Harris - Baker - Thomas-Brown - Roberts - Evans - Ashford - Hayes - Sullivan - Whewall - Knutton - Rushbrooke
(235) Tristan de Cunha vs Ethane (377)
@ Tristan de Cunha
Lineup: Harris - Baker - Thomas-Brown - Roberts - Johnson - Ashford - Brooks - Sullivan - Benjamin-Wilson - Knutton - Rushbrooke
(377) Ethane vs Elmyia (89)
@ King Edward IV Stadium, New Sarum
(148) Riandera vs Ethane (377)
@ Riandera
(377) Ethane vs Commonwealth of Baker Park (30)
@ The Pit, Deloitte
(336) Orcuo vs Ethane (377)
@ Orcuo
(377) Ethane vs Electrum
@ King Edward IV Stadium, New Sarum

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 3:28 pm

Hello, and welcome back to our coverage of World Cup 100! Last time you were with us, things were not going well for the Jaguars of TJUN-ia by any stretch of the imagination - losing to both main rivals in this group, falling behind so much that many wonder if we are destined to become a major casualty of the Centennial itself. The idea of TJUN-ia, a nation who spoke of this cycle as an opportunity for One Last Ride, could miss out on the Dance itself seemed almost unfathomable on MD1...but right now, the Jaguars are in serious trouble. Things feel like we are bleeding out and we need urgent medical attention at this point. But at the same time, we are only now crossing the halfway point of the campaign - there are still plenty of points left on the table, plenty of time for things to swing back in our favour if they actually going to do that. As long as the maths is on our side, we cannot give this one up. So let's do this.

The first leg of the road trip would be in Lignuntia, the unranked nation of all unranked nations who had won three games thus far in this group, so we knew that we had to take these guys seriously if we wanted to get back on track as quickly as possible. This game wasn't exactly easy, as the hosts did manage to grab a goal in both halves of this game, but TJUN-ia did what they needed to do to start the road to recovery, for everyone's sake, and we did it in some style. Belle Whitewater grabbed a brace while Odysseas Issigonis, Nur Syaliza Sazali and Sylvia Usabyimana all got on the board in a comfortable 5-2 win to put us back on track thus far.

And then it was off to New Arbuckle, a detestable place but one we had to navigate for a very good reason. With ValZ and Choppyhausen playing each other, this game was supposed to be a great opportunity to move closer towards that Top 2 and claim back our standing within this group...instead, our flaws were exposed once again. This should've been easier than it presented to be, but the host's defense was working overtime to shut us the fuck down and that would end up being our downfall. In the 78th, Fatemeh Yektaei couldn't save a remarkable strike...and that would be our undoing. We fucked it up again. And now, we might be wounded fatally.

This isn't over, but it isn't looking good. Nine points behind the Kittens, Four behind the Teal - it will take a lot of work to get back towards the top, but this is still a possiblity...maybe. We host Surne in Tiankong looking for revenge, with rumours of a pre-match announcement in the air, before we head to Colmaijo.
The message is clear. 6/6 is a must.
WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER!
GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group 20)
(Stadium Guide can be found here)
MD1: vs New Arbuckle (381) - Estádio do Pacífico, Rio Pacífico W 3-0
MD2: @Surne (283) L 1-3
-------------------------------------------------------
MD3: vs Colmaijo (249) - Estadio Universidad Carlandas, Carlandas W 4-0
MD4: @Sangti and the Filindo Isles (87) - Nuevo Estadio Nacional, Nuevo San Marco W 2-0
-------------------------------------------------------
MD5: BYE
MD6: vs Behh (336) - Ke Kahua Pāʻani o Pua Aloalo, Kepu Manu W 3-2
-------------------------------------------------------
MD7: @Choppyhausen (142) L 1-2
MD8: vs Valentine Z (49) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City L 2-3
-------------------------------------------------------
MD9: @Lignuntia (UR) W 5-2
MD10: @New Arbuckle (381) L 0-1
-------------------------------------------------------
MD11: vs Surne (283) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
MD12: @Colmaijo (249)
-------------------------------------------------------
MD13: vs Sangti and the Filindo Isles (87) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
MD14: BYE
-------------------------------------------------------
MD15: @Behh (336)
MD16: vs Choppyhausen (142) - Stade de la Victoire, Roi Ville
-------------------------------------------------------
MD17: @Valentine Z (49) - Kyarpan Stadium, Mandalay
MD18: vs Lignuntia (UR) - Zebra Stadium, Toropo/Almadinat

by **Edsmontik** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 3:34 pm

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English | Vdesic

DESTRUCTION OF THE OPPOSITION

Friday, 10/29/2032
Written by Kartz der-Stroben

Edsmontik was ready for another high-level display. They were on a winning streak and hoped to keep that throughout the qualifiers. That is exactly why the Eagles were overjoyed to finish the game away in Tremosia off with a 5-1 victory.

The first half of the Tremosia game began with the ball at Edsmon feet. Bervaign carried the ball forward, making moves alongside the other members of the front three. There were lots of passes between them as the trio moved upfield. Luckily for them, the Tremosians seemed to be making lots of mistakes, as they had holes everywhere that could be exploited to get closer to goal.

Unfortunately, a few slip-ups would get in their way, with Rehcikt failing to hit a pass correctly and Bervaign getting a mediocre touch on the ball, but ultimately, any stolen balls were taken back by the Eagles. The ball was fed forward, and soon enough there would be a good-looking chance. With only the goalkeeper between Bervaign and the net, only a semi-powerful shot from the striker would be required to raise the scoreline.

There would be oher Edsmon advances in the half, such as one from Stuero that was just barely off target, as well as one where Benzor Norseden dribbled past other defenders after claiming the ball from a corner. Despite the multiple chances so far, the shots were all taken down by the Tremosian keeper. 1-0 was a good lead, yes, but it could easily be levelled with just one mistake.

In the 43rd minute, with minutes to spare, the Tremosians came awfully close. The striker of the opposition had barely managed to pass Norseden and slip around Javarqa, but the shot was miserable in a way that allowed der-Stouiben to claim an easy catch. The Edsmons quickly retaliated, and in no time, Reus Aespaa found the net from far out just a minute after. The shot itself was beautiful: it curved in the air, slotting in despite the tight angle. The fact that not a single defender was able to stop it in time was also crazy.

The second half was full of more Edsmon attacks. In the 50th minute, all it took was one harsh tackle on Verto for him to score a penalty and extend the lead to 3-0. At this point, the Tremosians were beginning to get more desperate, and holes opened up in their defense and midfield. The Edsmons did their best to take advantages of those gaps, but now, the Tremosians were also advancing deeper into Edsmon lines.

Luckily for them, the next Tremosian shot would go straight into the stands, and Edsmontik would find a fourth goal through a shot by Maartin Stuero in the 64th minute. With the lead so large now, there was obviously no way to lose it. This remained true, as in the 80th minute, Reiovus, on for Bervaign, would come in and score a header to extend the score to 5-0.

Tremosia would barely slip through in a corner kick in stoppage time, making the score 5-1, but there was no more after that. Edsmontik had brutally beaten their last opponent of the first half of the World Cup Qualifiers.

MILITARY HISTORY SHOWCASE WEEK 5 - THE TEVACH BUNKER ON WHEELS

Sunday, 10/31/2032
Written by Salzen Beirborgd

Edsmon Military Showcase
Week 1 - Week 2 - Week 3 - Week 4

When the V2X1 Tevach I was created, it struck fear into the hearts of every Edsmon enemy. It was practically impenetrable from most sides with the technology at that time. It was easy to hide in bushes and even in snowy mountains. Worst of all for the enemies, it had a huge gun that only got bigger as newer models were developed. Today, the Tevach IV rules over Karma, but we will be reviewing the first Tevach first.

(insert image)
The V2X1 (left) and V2X2 (right) Tevach I tanks.

The Tevach was similar to the Weirbel, with the main difference being the build of the tank in general. It used the same gun pivot, which meant there was no rotating turret. It could have very much been designed as a light tank, but just because of its sheer capabilities, was made as a heavy tank. The V2X1 had 55mm thick frontal armor slanted at 25 degrees, and the side armor was able to stop most ammunition as it had the same thickness but was unfortunately completely flat. The V2X2 on the other hand, had a 3mm increase in thickness for all sides. Both tanks used a 75mm gun. Unlike on other tanks, the Edsmon Tevach did not have an exposed entry hatch, which had been discovered by enemies (and the Edsmons as well) to be a major weak spot.

The V2 was first deployed in 1929 as a sort of shield. The tank, despite being short, could just drive in front of about any other Edsmon tank and deflect powerful shells with its armor. However, as different shells evolved to gain more armor piercing capabilities, the armor of the Tevach was soon not enough. Even the Tevach's gun, sitting at 75mm and firing anti-tank shells was fairly weak.

(insert image)
The V2X3, V2X4, and V2X5 Tevach tanks in order from left to right.

This issue was mostly fixed in the V2X3. The tank now had an 80mm cannon and was officially classified as "Tank Destroyer". New antitank shells with extra explosive filament were created, which were already proving useful in Karmic conflicts. The Edsmons also increased the armor by adding an extra 2mm on top of the V2X2 armor. The V2X4 was basically the same as the V2X3, with the main difference being a more powerful engine as well as side panels which covered the wheel section. Those were extremely useful at absorbing high explosive shells, which could damage the sides of the Tevach.

The V2X5 was almost completely different from the rest of the V2 family. Its changes were so drastic that at first the Edsmon Army believed that it should be its own tank, the V3. However, because of the general resemblance in shape to the V2, it stayed as part of the V2 family. The X5 featured a completely redone hull, mainly to now fit the new 100mm "KraustKannon" that devoured ultra high explosive shells and spit them out at enemies at high speeds.

The X5 was indeed super expensive, however, would be the most used version of the V2, especially as Edsmontik's economy grew and tanks were getting more advanced. The V2 would end up lasing until the 1950s before being replaced with the V6X1 Tevach II.

COMMUNISTS BE GONE

Monday, 11/1/2032
Written by Seu Saz-Keltzar

"Goodbye West Vdara, Goodbye Communism" were chanted by the very few Edsmon fans that were allowed to enter the stadium. However, some of those Edsmons were instantly silenced by some West Vdaran officials and escorted out as well. The game itself was a clean 3-1 victory for the Eagles as they slammed the overconfident "lefties" directly into their own goal. Post-Match reports from the West Vdaran side claimed that they had won against the Edsmons, but Edsmon fan reports, player reports, and recording from the Edsmon team show that this is in fact not true.

The match began in favor of West Vdara, with Alexiadis making the first move. The West Vdaran striker sent the ball tumbling backwards into the midfield, where it was picked up by Markakis. The West Vdarans attempted many attacks, most likely out of desperation in order to bring some kind of honor to whoever held supreme rule over the nation.

Retaliation against these movements were almost instant, as the Edsmons were really looking to redeem their mediocre win from matchday one. So in the 35th minute, once the West Vdarans were getting tired out from their failing moves, Edsmontik struck. Bervaign charged forward to receive a lob pass from Ghreksbvy. He passed the ball right around yet another defender to Rehcikt, who with just a few dribbles, scored a fantastic goal past Petrovic.

The second half was a little easier for the Edsmon Eagles as by this time, the West Vdarans were making more mistakes in order to fuel their desperation. This led to an almost effortless goal by Ghreksbvy, who managed to run from the halfway line all the way to the penalty box and score a chip shot without getting hit by any defenders or hitting any defenders.

West Vdara was unfortunately not giving up, and after a tackle by Verto in the penalty box, West Vdara was able to claim back a goal in the form of a penalty. There was not much else to be said other than how big of a mistake that was. But luckily, the Edsmons would have a response.

In the 87th minute, all it took was one opening for Maartin Stuero to come in with a banger from distance, shutting down the communists once and for all. Shortly after, the final whistle would blow, leaving Edsmontik with a 3-1 victory in front of West Vdaran fans that had their egos blown to shreds.

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by **Farfadillis** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 3:42 pm

EL FAROLERO

Desastroso desastre

Ya transcurridas la mitad de las eliminatorias, Farfadillis se encuentra en una situación poco recordada por fanáticos del equipo a lo largo de la no nación: no estamos entrando ni siquiera al repechaje; directamente estamos quedando afuera del mundial (en su centésima edición, no menos). Los responsables, dice la FFFF, han sido encontrados y neutralizados. No sabemos realmente qué quiere decir esto, pero el descontento con el desempeño del equipo después de la victoria en casa en la ARC hace pensar que se le puede estar "haciendo la cama" al directo técnico, Yuan Zilai.

Derrotas clave contra Solgavden y Kanzlia son las que han marcado la diferencia entre estar primeros y terceros. Por más que las derrotas no se dieron en la isla, la preocupación por el hecho de que en nuestro fixture tenemos marcados dos (más bien nueve) partidos donde no hay margen de error es sustancial. No es que los goles no han llegado (de hecho vamos marcando más de tres goles por partido), pero el equipo entero ha fracasado en los momentos más importantes.

"Todavía estoy pirando con lo de Karinthia," respondió Dénes Robineau al ser consultado por la mala racha del equipo. "¿Realmente no existe Karinthia?" Fue su respuesta a la pregunta "¿Están nerviosos por la posibilidad de quedar eliminados y cortar la tercer racha más larga de clasificación a mundiales en la historia del fútbol?". Esta respuesta, sin embargo, fue más alentadora que la de Donato Trigueros, que se dispuso a disparar balas de goma a nuestros reporteros. Alegó, después del hecho, no estar enterado de que las balas eran de gomas, y que "Hay que alentar a la Selección, oh, oh, hay que alentarla hasta la muerte, y no me importa lo que digan esos putos periodistas la puta que lo parió"; esto último lo dijo en tono de canto junto al resto de la hinchada. Ocurrieron incidentes incendiarios poco después en donde se estaba conduciendo la entrevista.

El panorama es gris, pero no queda duda de que los jugadores están en el lugar correcto mentalmente, dice el capitán del equipo, Lêyêlò Jáánsêlà. "Muy pocos han hablado de la posibilidad de suicidarse si no clasificamos. Menos de un tercio, de hecho," agregó de forma espontánea.

Son tiempos extraños en Farfadillis, con Lithico™ tomando control de más y más cosas a nivel isleño e internacional. Quizás se vengan, también, tiempos extraños a nivel fútbol. Ojalá no.

Esponsoreado por Lithico™

THE LAMPLIGHTER

Disastrous disaster

Halfway through the qualifiers, Farfadillis finds itself in a situation rarely remembered by fans across the non-nation: we’re not even making the playoffs; we’re flat-out missing the World Cup (and this is the hundredth edition, no less). The FFFF says the culprits have been found and neutralized. We’re not entirely sure what that means, but the dissatisfaction with the team’s performance since the home victory in the ARC suggests that the coach, Yuan Zilai, might be getting “set up.”

Key losses against Solgavden and Kanzlia are what have made the difference between being first and third. Even though those defeats didn’t happen on the island, the fact that our schedule includes two (well, nine) matches where there’s no room for error is cause for concern. It’s not that the goals haven’t come (we’re actually scoring more than three per game), but the entire team has failed at the most crucial moments.

“I’m still tripping over the whole Karinthia thing,” said Dénes Robineau when asked about the team’s poor run. “Does Karinthia really not exist?” That was his response to the question “Are you nervous about possibly being eliminated and ending the third-longest World Cup qualification streak in football history?” This, however, was a more encouraging answer than Donato Trigueros’s, who proceeded to fire rubber bullets at our reporters. He later claimed he wasn’t aware the bullets were of the rubber kind, and added, “You gotta cheer for the National Team, oh oh, cheer for it till death, I don’t care what those fucking journalists say, fuck them all*.” He sang this, actually, along with the rest of the fans. Incendiary incidents followed shortly after, right where the interview was taking place.

The outlook is grim, but there’s no doubt the players are in the right headspace, says team captain Lêyêlò Jáánsêlà. “Very few have talked about the possibility of suicide if we don’t qualify. Less than a third, even,” he added spontaneously.

These are strange times in Farfadillis, with Lithico™ taking control of more and more things both on the island and internationally. Perhaps strange times are coming for football too. Let’s hope not.

Sponsored by Lithico™

*: this is a reference to a real life chant.

by **Bonusia** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 3:43 pm

Round 1: Bonusia 0-1 Moladea - L
@La Caravana, Op, Bonport, Bonusia
Round 2: Porotia 2-1 Bonusia - L
@Porotia
Round 3: (Friendly) Bonusia 3-3 Solgavden - D
@Estadi de la Unificació, Somorrosta, Detrívora, Bonusia
Round 4: Bonusia 0-0 United States of Nova Calania - D
@Inda' Regareka Bonusian Stadium, Kekla, Keklagara, Bonusia
Round 5: Bears Armed 0-1 Bonusia - W
@Bears Armed
Round 6: Bonusia 5-0 The Lake Isle of Innisfree - W
@Hepepelioli, Wèep, Pungapu, Bonusia
Round 7: Greater Deutsche 0-3 Bonusia - W
@Greater Deutsche
Round 8: Bonusia 4-0 Meris - W
@Tomàtic, Sant Molina, Ralí, Bonusia
Round 9: Zenic 1-1 Bonusia - D
@Philosophia Colosseum, Manacus, Zenic
Round 10: Moladea 1-3 Bonusia - W
@Moladea
Round 11: Bonusia vs Porotia
@La Cova del Tigre, Unom, Plana d’Unó, Bonusia
Round 12: (Friendly) Dixie Florida vs Bonusia
@TBD, Dixie Florida
Round 13: United States of Nova Calania vs Bonusia
@Stadion Azteca, Ostrow Krolewski, Odlegla Ziemia, United States of Nova Calania
Round 14: Bonusia vs Bears Armed
@Estadi Casa Tarradellas, Kynetbo, AMK, Bonusia
Round 15: The Lake Isle of Innisfree vs Bonusia
@The Lake Isle of Innisfree
Round 16: Bonusia vs Greater Deutsche
@Estadi d'Avellanes&Turró, Minga, Tionera, Bonusia
Round 17: Meris vs Bonusia
@Meris
Round 18: Bonusia vs Zenic
@La Blanquinada, Tarraconova, Tarraconensis, Bonusia

THE MATCH REPORTS

MATCHDAY 9	MATCHDAY 10
ZENIC 1-1 BONUSIA	MOLADEA 1-3 BONUSIA
MASSIVE POINT FROM MANACUS KEEPS BONUSIA ON THE RACE	MOLADEA FALLS AS PEDRA RETURNS TO SCORING WAYS
Events (ZEN): G. A. Gentile 33' / \|\| B. Trac 71' Events (BON): S. Casas 63' / \|\| T. Gonfaus 84'	Events (MOL): G. Hardman 31' Events (BON): T. Gonfaus 15', I. Pedra 38', A. Cea 89'
SUMMARY: The Bonusian visit to Manacus, the home of Zenic's national feud, ended up with the Space Labubus going home with an unexpected point, given the fact that it was a visit to the best team of the group, the favourites Zenic. The match started as expected, with the Survivors dominating the field and exploitng the daggers they had in the wings. During the first half, Rojo proved to be too unreliable defending a superb Dettmann, that generated almost all the danger for Zenic during a first half in which Bonusia barely held on to their lives. In fact, in the 31st minute the Zenician persistance found it's reward in the form of the first goal of the game. In yet another incursion, Dettmann put a cross into the area that was caught by Gentile, who put it perfectly into the net, impossible for Cloquell. The Zenicians would get yet another pretty solid chance from the hand of Seamons, who would get a spectacular long-ranged shot that was met with an also spectacular save by Cloquell, who had a spectacular first half. On the second, though, the Black Star showed a completely different face. The entering of Pol Miró and Yonatan Morad proved to revitalise the Bonusians, which had their fair share of chances. Firstly, a shot from Formiga that hit the left post. Then, an incursion from Obiols, who found an explosive Morad who sent it barely to the side of the net. The Bonusian goal would come in the 63rd minute. Yet again Obiols would intern into the Survivor's half of the field, and yet again he would associate with Morad. Morad's shot was blocked by Mosley, but Sibil·la Casas appeared like a train to catch the rebound and send it into the back of the net. The Bonusians would have yet one chance to get the 1-2 to complete the "Manacusazo", with a crossed shot by Dou that met a great hand by Mosley. In the end, a 1-1 draw that could be considered historic, but which solves little, according to our manager Xavier Boquete: "It's a great draw, playing here, you know it's going to be hard, and I'm very proud of our players, they did an excellent job. But sadly we're still two points behind Zenic, and if they beat the Nova Calanians, we'll most likely need to upset both of the top seeds. We depend on ourselves but I need the players at 100% capacity, this is far from over". MVP: Undeio Dettmann (ZEN)	SUMMARY:The Black Star got three points today at Moladea, in a match that proved that the 1st game at Op was a mirage more than a reality of the squad. Vital three points to keep us in the fight for those two first spots, after Zenic beat the United States of Nova Calania at home by a close 1-0. The first goal came from a very-well put corner by Boleda that found Gonfaus', who put the ball in the back of the net with an excellent header. Gonfaus celebrated by displaying an under shirt that said: "We miss you Calla", in honour of journalist and usual guest at El Ressopó Calla Callat, who has been missing for quite some time already. Moladea wouldn't put their hands down, though, and they partook in a swift counter that was finalized by Greg Hardman. That setback was fortunately momentary, as Isaac Pedra, after not managing to score against Zenic in his return from injury, finally found back the path to the goal. Obiols got out of the Moladean pressure, and lifted pass to Pedra, who smashed it with a spectacular knuckleball. The third goal would wait to come, but it would before the end of the match by means of a aimed shot by Cea, who entered in the second half, that was impossible to stop by Lydia West. Isaac Pedra, the author of the 1-2 and today's MVP, stated: "It was a solid game by the team, yeah, we held our ground and proved ourselves capable to unfalter against the pressure. I'm extremely happy about my goal, it feels nice to score again after having been out for so long. Next game against Porotia it's going to be... interesting, to say the least. I certainly can't wait to play them again..." MVP: Isaac Pedra (BON)

Even before first hour in the morning, Mireia Torrellana yet again arrived at the barrier in Les Roquetes del Gerdar, where he went to talk to Berta again. This time, though, she didn't come alone. Calla Callat, the former guest at El Ressopó that was now looking to achieve his dream of being an investigative reporter. They had been working together for some of months at that point, and during that time they had made a lot of progress. Now, they found a place in that forest where they could perhaps find more clues about the beast they had been searching. Maybe, if their findings were correct, they could even find the Tabalot itself.

(Berta):- Hiii Mireia, glad to see you again! Oh, who's that handsome man? You finally got a boyfriend eh?
(Calla):- Thanks, my husband thinks I'm handsome too.
(Berta):- Ooh, uh... sorry I thought eh...
(Mireia):- It's okay Berta, now if you could let us pass, we need to see Bertran, it's important.
(Berta):- Sure, of course! Best luck!
(Mireia):- Thanks a lot Berta, see you later!

And so, the couple of detectives went with the SUV, up to Bertram's cabin, the last place until where tree-free terrain was suitable for driving. As they entered the cabin, Mireia saw Bertran sitting in the exact same way she saw him last time she left: legs crossed on top of his desk, his mouth prominently dominating the room, and a seemingly ever-growing rubdisk between his fingers. Certainly, at times she wondered how he didn't get sick of following that same routine again and again, every day of his life. Then she remembered, in a way she kind of did that same exact thing. So, she just started with the presentations.

(Mireia):- Hey, Bertram, glad to see you!
(Bertran):- Mireia, hey! Long time no see... who's that you bring with ya?
(Mireia):- Oh that's my new colleague, Calla Callat.
(Calla):- Nice to meet you.
(Bertran):- Calla eh? Well, nice to meet you too... you are not from here are ya?
(Calla):- Kynetboan.
(Bertran):- You're a Kynetboan? Hahahahahah... sorry, sorry... hahahahahahah. Hey Mireia, did you seriously bring A KYNETBOAN to our woods? A KYNETBOAN? Hahahah, do you want him to get lost the minute he stops getting signal to his phone?
(Calla):- I know the forests.
(Bertran):- Oh really, have you been going to that big park you got there, city boy? Did you feed the ducks in the lakes? Wow you must be a survival expert then!
(Mireia):- Cut it Bertran, I taught him what he needs to know to penetrate into the forest. In fact, that's exactly what we need to do today.
(Bertran):- Woah woah woooah! First things first Mireia, did you bring me some of that wine?
(Mireia):- Yes Bertran, how could I possibly forget?

Mireia got today one of the best wines straight from Cal Salomó, a spectacular 35 year-old black Extra Reserve Tioneran O.D. She had to sell her TV and would be two weeks without eating, but it was important to get him in a good mood. What she was going to ask him, it was something that would be very hard to get his approval for. He opened that bottle, inspected it and then he stretched his arms over the top of his head in order to pour that liquid gold down his exothroat. It was so good that he ended up drinking the whole bottle in one sit.

(Bertran):- Goddammit, that's the best one you brought me yet! This taste, oh my god! So intense, it's spectacular.
(Mireia):- I brought the best one there was.
(Bertran):- It shows, really!
(Mireia):- Anything for you, Bertran. I know how a good and supportive friend you are.
(Bertran):- Alright, you earned it. What do you want?
(Mireia):- Me and Calla have been getting new clues, in that I must say that his collaboration has been inesteemable, and we've pressumably discovered in which part of the Gerdar Forest Tabalot resides.
(Bertran):- Oh, and where's that?
(Mireia):- Here, this area, northeast of the Gerber Cascade.
(Bertran): What? I told you that that area is not safe at all... The terrain is unstable, and you could end up provoking a landslide.
(Mireia):- I know, you told me that! And that's why we've informed ourselves! I promise we'll do everything we can to avoid any kind of land movement. It's important Bertram, we're almost certain that our answers are here!

Bertran sat properly on his chair and started rumiating. Mireia certainly hadn't seen him that reflexive ever. His big pupil stared wide open, looking nowhere, and he held his disk without rubbing it, completely still. After some moments of thought, he smiled and took a map, in which he drew a dotted line.

(Bertran):- Alright, that's what we're going to do. I think the safest areas in the northwest are these ones, so you both try and search for clues there. And for the next time, if you don't find anything conclusive today, I'll get you proper anti-landslide equipment.
(Calla):- Anti-landslide equipment?
(Bertran):- Yes, anti-landslide equipment. I have some back at home. You don't believe me do ya?
(Calla):- That's bullshit.
(Mireia):- Come on Calla, don't be like that!... Sorry Bertran, ya know how these city people are eh?
(Bertran):- Hmph. Go already, come on.

And so Mireia and Calla made their way to the area they were to investigate. It was cold up there in that forest at that time of the morning, and a dense, although dissipating as the morning advanced, mist covered those woods, giving them a very eerie look. It was not a time to go out in a walk, that was certain, but they weren't there to admire the beauty of the forest. Surely, the lack of visibility mermated their observation capabilities. Nevertheless, they searched and searched. Despite their exhaustive search, they approached Bertran's security limit with nothing to account for the investigation: No hairs, no bones, no footprints, nothing seemed to come, until Mireia stumbled with a rock.

(Mireia):- Ouch
(Calla):- You OK?
(Mireia):- Yeah, no big deal...
(Calla):- Wait! Look.
(Mireia):- Wha- Oh my god.

In front of them, big claws were printed into a muddy section of the dark soil of the forest. The most interesting part, though, is that they were actually bipedal. A beast as big as a bear, but only walking in it's two claws? Mireia found in herself a weird mix of fear and excitedness.

(Calla):- I'll grab hairs and take a photo of the claws. I think this is it.

In a way, this could this really be it, the proof she had looked for which demonstrates the Tabalot was actually real. The ultimate goal of her life, just a mere lab analysis away from her fingertips. But, on the other hand, if it really was the Tabalot... Would this mean he was lurking around there? That question could resolve itself in no time, as the two investigators heard movement coming from behind the thicket of the forest.

(Mireia):- Did you hear that?
(Calla):- Yes. Bewa-

Then, Calla got shot with a calming dart,. That movement was most probably not the Tabalot, but a sentient. She didn't see it really coming, since a second one hit her neck on spot. Then, a Llimanian holding a gun approached them. While she fought to keep herself awake, she managed to recognize the man who did this.

(Mireia):- Be- Bertran?
(Bertran):- You really did come close, did you?

She tried to resist, but to no avail. Her body wasn't responding and her consciousness was rapidly leaving her, until eventually she fell completely asleep.

La de poble i el de ciutat
de prop traieren l'envelat.
I cert sector tenia por
doncs el guardaven amb fervor.
És important no fer fallida
O s'acaba la bona vida.
Els Minganers ben ignorants
són millors que els interrogants.

by **Langenia** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 3:52 pm

Noticias: Deportes

Los Azules Secure Two Much-Needed Victories

Los Azules would pick up six much-needed points with two home victories over Skyberius and Sajnur. The two wins have revitalized a struggling Langenian national team by having them win their first matches in front of the home faithful and pick up points that were gravely needed after a run of early losses. Manager Adrian Costa's changes to team tactics have been justified as the Langenian attack seems to have finally been reawakened to the levels of effectiveness it enjoyed last season. Los Azules would score ten goals across Match Days 9 and 10, overturning their negative goal difference to a positive one.

The first match, a 7-1 win over 307th-ranked Skyberius, would see the Langenians boosted by the return from injury of their starting midfield double pivot in Alexis Jimenez and Rafael Semprun. Costa played an attacking-minded 4-2-3-1 formation, this time employing a high press and high line that demanded the players fight to maintain control of the ball track back when out of possession. This system would be successful in breaking apart the opponents from Skyberius in an electric first half, with Raul Guzman, Ricardo Antonio, and Samuel Esteban scoring from close range off two through ball assists from Rafael and a back heel pass from Oscar Galindo. Defender Carlos Eduardo would increase the Langenian advantage to four goals in the 41st minute off a brilliant long-range strike whipped past the opposing goalkeeper. Skyberius would pull one back just before the stroke of halftime, a penalty conceded in stoppage time from a Miguel Alejandro handball inside the Langenian box. The teams would exit to rest in the locker rooms with Langenia 4-1 up.

Given the advantage in the second half, Adrian Costa would opt to sub off most of his starting attackers and midfielders to give more minutes to their understudies. Guzman, Antonio, Esteban, Galindo, and Jimenez would come off for Victor Hugo, Francisco Villa, Marvin Eliseo, Javier Delgado, and Nelson Isai. Bolstered by the fresh legs, Los Azules would keep up their aggressive pressing to maintain momentum throughout the game, adding even more goals to their tally to turn the match into a blowout win. Hugo, assisted by fellow winger Eliseo, would finish a pass to put Langenia up 5-1 in the 62nd minute. Francisco Villa, roaming in the opponent's penalty area, would capitalize off a cross from Rafael to score a header and change the scoreline to 6-1 in the 70th minute. To cap off the first home win of Langenia's cycle, Javier Delgado would feint past a defender after receiving a pass from Nelson Isai to chip the ball over the Skyberius keeper and end the game with a final scoreline of 7-1.

The impressive display would earn a standing ovation from a local Langenian fanbase starved of home victories, and for one to happen in such a dramatic fashion was completely unexpected by both fans and pundits in the national sports media scene. Langenia would continue the momentum against Sajnur, a team that had previously defeated Los Azules on the road earlier in the qualifiers. Against the 115th-ranked opponents, Adrian Costa would set the Langenians up in a 4-4-2 formation with the distinction that instead of being focused on defending they were focused on pressing, possession, and creating space. Much to the surprise of Langenian pundits analyzing the game afterwards, Los Azules would control possession and the tempo of the game throughout the match over a higher-ranked opponent, with much praise directed towards their midfield duo of Alexis Jimenez and Rafael Semprun who distributed, intercepted, and pressed. Langenian central midfielder Rafael would open the scoring in the 25th minute through a long-range strike outside the box, finished in one touch off an assist from Los Azules's young winger Samuel Esteban.

Costa's substitutions in the second half would allow the Langenians to maintain the running required to keep up the high rate of pressing. Oscar Galindo would score a brace in the 63rd and 77th minutes of the game, the first goal gently toed past Sajnur goalkeeper Siana Avordyn on a breakaway assisted by striker Ricardo Antonio and the second a thunderous strike just inside the box assisted by Raul Guzman's dribble and back pass to Oscar. The final scoreline, 3-0 over a strong opponent that had previously defeated Los Azules was praised by Costa, who heralded "How little by little we are learning how to play both sides of football. Not only we have brought back our attacking ability, but we also maintained the defensive lessons I previously emphasized to keep a clean sheet and neutralize the opponent in transition. I'd like to single out Rafael and Jimenez, they were outstanding in helping maintain the possession required for this type of game.

"A special thanks as well to the home crowd. Despite the early struggles, they kept showing up and the atmosphere they created in the stadium, noise, lights, singing, was very helpful for our team and players. I'm pleased we could reward their faith with two consecutive home victories."

Langenia, bolstered by six points after achieving its first back-to-back victories in this World Cup qualifying cycle, now sits in fifth place in its group. Analysts do not expect the national team to come close to achieving World Cup qualification given the difficult opponents (Kelssek, Martian Independent Republic, and Stewartika) they will face towards the end of the qualifiers, but the victories suggest Costa's rebuild may finally be taking off in a positive direction. It remains to be seen how well they will perform in their next cycle of fixtures.

Upcoming Matches
Ranoria vs Langenia (away)
Langenia vs Vetrahjart (home)

by **Free Republics** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 4:12 pm

Nail Frolov Colosseum
Santangiago, Perotutia, Free Republics

Amidst their qualifying skid, the Republican National Soccer Team arrived at the Nail Frolov Colosseum to play a friendly against the ponies from Equestria, formerly known as the Equestrian States. This was a match that none of them had expected to see on their schedule in a venue that had a reputation for being a run-down dump even back in World Cup 68. But the Grand Immortal Imperator had other ideas. Given the difficulty in getting other nations to trust the Free Republics enough to bring tourism and major live event money flowing into the country again, the leader of the Free Republics had decided to invite the talking ponies. This match would also be an opportunity to show off the renovations to the infamous Frolov Colosseum which had hosted 2 World Cup group stage matches: Nephara vs San Jose Guayabal at World Cup 68 and Brenecia vs Baker Park at World Cup 81. Despite the prestige of the nations that had competed there, they had been assigned to play at that dump by Rule Theriault to intentionally disrespect them.

Perotutia itself has long been a relatively impoverished backwater republic but at one point Senator Nail Frolov held powerful positions on several Senate committees and had steered enormous amounts of "pork barrel spending" into his republic funding infrastructure projects that were all named after the Senator. Then Senator Frolov died and the projects in his republic largely fell into disrepair as the Federation government stopped appropriating money to maintain them and the government of Perotutia was severely lacking in resources due to the decline of the coal industry. Perotutia faced significantly more damage during the chaos as several warlords fought over control of its decaying ruins. The Grand Immortal Imperator had elected to invest a substantial sum of money into rebuilding impoverished parts of the Free Republics in the interest of obtaining their personal loyalty and strengthening his hold on power. So ultimately, the Free Republics would be playing a friendly against a team that had once been one of their most heated rivals to serve their government's political purposes. Before the match, Koby Theodore had to explain to his skeptical team how to approach this friendly.

Koby Theodore - Boys, today we play the ponies.

Dion Rivera - You mean talking horses, right?

Koby Theodore - Dion, we're not allowed to call them "talking horses" anymore or otherwise use any offensive nicknames for them. By the Grand Immortal Imperator's orders. We are also under orders to play the match fairly and squarely. No bending of the rules for a competitive advantage. We want goodwill from them so foreigners stop seeing us as the old Free Republics.

Sebastian Andersen - Understood, coach.

Dion Rivera - Sebastian, surely you don't want to be friends with the talking animals?

Sebastian Andersen - If that's what the Grand Immortal Imperator wants, then citizens of our class have a duty to carry out his wishes.

Koby Theodore - Dion, this is your last warning. No more disrespectful language about our opponents or I'll have to bench you for the rest of qualifying.

Dion Rivera - Yes sir. I'll be nice to the ponies if I have to.

Koby Theodore - Now, don't do anything stupid today. Also, as a gesture of goodwill, we're going to be putting a horse abuser up for "election" at halftime. We're hoping that everypony in Equestria is pleased to see that we don't tolerate animal abuse. This was the Imperator's idea.

They went into the match unaware of how the ponies felt about the death penalty...

OOC: I've held off on RPing the friendly further for the moment because EQS's roster isn't up as I'm writing this.

Grand Immortal Imperator's Palace
Republica

The Grand Immortal Imperator was pleased to read the reports that the World Cup Committee was sanctioning Jeruselem for their recent inappropriate conduct although he wished the sanctions had come down before their visit to The Big House on matchday 9 that ended in a 2-2 draw. He was also concerned that the sanctions did not include removal of World Cup qualifying matches to a neutral site. So he called in the head of Citrus Computer, a man named Oliver Fleming. Since he was meeting with somebody other than Lady Nova or Lady Scarlett, he appeared in full costume including his trademark mask.

Grand Immortal Imperator - Good to see you, Mr. Fleming.

Oliver Fleming - Likewise, Mr. Imperator.

Grand Immortal Imperator - Your Citrus Vision Pro headsets have proven especially useful for the student-athletes on our soccer team.

Oliver Fleming - I'm always pleased to hear that our products are meeting our customers' high expectations.

Grand Immortal Imperator - However, I have something else to ask of you.

Oliver Fleming - What might that be, sir?

Grand Immortal Imperator - We need some kind of technology to protect our underage soccer players from the filth in Jeruselem. It simply isn't a safe place for them.

Oliver Fleming - In that case, we actually have the perfect solution and I even brought it with me. It's called the Citrus Safety Lenses. They are special contact lenses or eyeglasses that remove obscene and indecent imagery from your vision on demand through the power of artificial intelligence.

Grand Immortal Imperator - I assume this isn't based on the inherently defective large language model technology?

Oliver Fleming - You're right, sir. We have technology that can detect a naked body and either blur it or replace it with clothing.

Grand Immortal Imperator - This seems like a most useful technology. Can I try it?

Oliver Fleming - Absolute, sir. Do you want to try the glasses or the contact lenses first?

Grand Immortal Imperator - I'll try the glasses first.

Oliver Fleming - Here you go.

The Grand Immortal Imperator put the glasses on and had one of his assistants bring up an obscene web site from Falatulu that he had personally ordered all ISPs in the Free Republics to block.

Grand Immortal Imperator - This is unreal. These people actually have clothes on.

He then took the glasses off.

Grand Immortal Imperator - This stuff is disgusting. I'm glad Lady Nova, Lady Scarlett and my wife aren't around right now.

Oliver Fleming - It is, sir.

Grand Immortal Imperator - We'll allow the boys on the National Soccer Team to test this technology first. Assuming all goes well, I want you to release it as a commercial product especially if you can work it into Find My Device with a way for parents and other authority figures to verify that minors are using it. It would likely be in high demand throughout the multiverse.

Oliver Fleming - That's what our engineers believe as well.

Grand Immortal Imperator - It is very important that we prevent a return of the perverse sexual culture that existed in our Federation 30-40 years ago during my youth. That was degrading to both men and women and corrosive to society. It didn't even produce that many babies either.

Oliver Fleming - I remember it.

Grand Immortal Imperator - But I also don't want the True Church's prudery either. Adults should be encouraged to enjoy themselves with their spouses in private.

Oliver Fleming - Of course not. That just produces rebellion and disorder while also often failing to produce babies.

Grand Immortal Imperator - Most importantly, I don't want these kids in whom we've placed our hopes for a better future to have their innocence ruined by foreign degenerates. These Barjavel kids are going to be the reason why my regime will truly be immortal. They are to be our future ruling class, trained unsentimentally in the best and truest philosophy.

Oliver Fleming - I had not realized how important they were.

Grand Immortal Imperator - Most outside of my inner circle don't. We must secure not just the present but the future for the new Free Republics. A peaceful Free Republics blessed with domestic tranquility that raises human civilization to heights never seen or even imagined before. Citrus Computer is a vital partner in my vision.

Oliver Fleming - I'm pleased to hear that, sir. Always happy to serve my Federation.

Grand Immortal Imperator - Please keep inventing useful new technologies. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

All that remained for the Grand Immortal Imperator was to inform Koby Theodore of the new tech that would protect his players in Jeruselem. But that was not an urgent task as that match was not scheduled until the final matchday of qualifying. A visit to New Rotterdam City and a home match against Macbon at the Googolplex loomed next. This was the perfect opportunity for the National Soccer Team to get 6 points and get right back into the Group 13 race before the critical matches against the other contenders in the group.

by **Sangti and the Filindo Isles** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 4:21 pm

sportssfi.com

NEWS | FEATURES | SFI SUPERLIGA | LSIFB | SCORES | CONTACT US

WORLD CUP 100 QUALIFIERS
Finally, Agilang Dilaw wins a home match!
Despite first home win, Sangti and Filindo Isles' World Cup qualification hopes on life support after New Arbuckle loss

NUEVO SAN MARCO - The first half of Sangti and the Filindo Isles' World Cup qualifying campaign is a nightmare for Vicenzo Frain so far, with expected losses against TJUN-ia and Valentine Z, the Agilang Dilaw squandered opportunities to take away all three points in three occasions where they were expected to win.

The Sangtians failed to make the Nuevo Estadio Nacional a fortress in their past qualification campaigns, winning only 4 of 8 in World Cup 97, 3 of 7 in World Cup 98, and a paltry 3 of 9 in World Cup 99. This campaign, the team clad in golden yellow failed to win their first three home matches, drawing 3-3 at Surne, needing a late Tomio Sulangi equalizer when Surne took the lead in the 57th minute. Hosting TJUN-ia resulted to a 0-2 loss, and a visit from Choppyhausen resulted to a 2-2 draw when they failed to hold a 2-1 lead, conceding a 78th minute equalizer against the runners-up of the most recent Baptism of Fire tournament. That slump in form ended when SFI managed to win 2-0 against an unranked Lignuntia, and will hope to maintain it when they host Colmaijo in their only match in this window of qualifying matches.

What's a more concerning stat is their results against lower ranked opposition. Aside from the aforementioned home draws, the Agilang Dilaw recorded an away defeat against New Arbuckle, a painful 1-0 loss that added a further gap between the Sangtians and 2nd placed Valentine Z, who dispatched Behh with a scoreline of 8-1, to 8 points in Group 20. These results have stirred the pot in Vicenzo Frain's future with the team, with the bigwigs at FFSFI starting to lose patience with the incumbent manager, who have managed the team since World Cup 97 qualifying. It remains to be seen whether the federation will pull the plug in Frain's tenure with the team, or will send him a vote of confidence in the remaining matches of their qualifying campaign.

Meanwhile, Libertad Sportswear, official outfitters of the Sangti and the Filindo Isles national team, were incensed at some online leakers when the presumed official Esportiva-themed kits to be worn by the Agilang Dilaw appeared in several social media posts with images of the presumed kit were seen in several sporting goods outlets around the nation. The persons responsible for leaking the images has since been relieved of their day jobs, with the management of the stores taking swift action against the leakers. It is rumored that the national team will wear these kits when they travel to TJUN-ia to face the top seeds, who like SFI, are struggling in their qualifying campaign and are almost level on points with the Agilang Dilaw.

by **The Osnari Federation** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 4:23 pm

Part 1 - The Man From Latbach
Part 2 - The Ranger
Part 3 - The Baron

What Happened In The Woods
Having heard a crack from deep in the woods, and knowing that their baron was not expecting to use a firearm, the Baron Teiningen’s security team immediately dove into the forest. Within thirty minutes, they found him, dead of a bullet to the chest. The report quickly spread around the country, as it had not been the only strange happening in the woods of northern Teiningen that day. It seemed a Teiningen Ranger had gone missing a few hours north at about the same time after checking.

Speculation quickly arose about the two events and a potential connection, and went wild when the news broke that the Ranger, one Nils Griessen, had reported a military presence shortly before his disappearance, despite claims from the Osnari military that there was no military force in Teiningen on that day.

Theories abounded in the hours after the news broke. The more conspiratorial suggested an inside job, a top-secret operation. The more hawkish folk figured it for a destabilization attempt by a foreign government or domestic terrorists. People who had some idea of the crime that occasionally went on in that part of Teiningen suggested a drug operation, albeit a more organized and larger one than had ever been seen before in the Federation.

Worse yet, it was not immediately clear who was in charge in the state. The Baron Teiningen had planned to have an heir eventually, assured his friends and advisors that it would not be a problem, he would marry one day. His killing, of course, caused that not to pass. The Osnari legislature quickly put the state under martial law in one of the very few scenarios where such action was permitted by the Osnari constitution.

Lionel Baumann was a Teiningen state detective at the time, based in the far northern Teiningen town of Salde. In the hours after the incidents, he was given the assignment to head south to the last known location of Nils Griessen and see what he could find. He left, along with a sizable security detail due to concerns about the nature of the incidents, early the next morning.

Lionel was used to this kind of issue. He was the person brought in to deal with the problems above the pay grade of people like Nils. Most of the time, that far north, that meant organized crime and armed groups. Lionel had been around this block before, but the brazenness of the previous day was new and concerning.

Lionel’s boss in Rastorf, Teiningen Chief Detective Sophia Schwarz, hadn’t had much to say over the phone. “The last known location we have for him is what I sent you already, on Highway 46 a few hours north of Latbach and a few south of where you are. That’s it, from data we have from his call into the central Rangers office. I’d recommend starting where the call started - see if you can figure out what exactly those ‘soldiers’ were protecting. We haven’t been able to get anyone in there yet, so you’ll be the first one to see whatever is there.”

It was still midmorning by the time Lionel reached the metal gate where Nils had talked to the soldiers. There was nobody there now, but ruts in the dirt road it blocked off showed clearly that several large vehicles had been through. Lionel stepped out of his car and walked down the road with his security people, all well-trained officers from the state office, followed. The road leaned gradually to the right, continuing on for well over a mile.

Eventually, as Lionel walked down the path, he caught a glimpse of sunlight shining off a piece of metal down the road. Some piece of heavy machinery. As he got closer, he saw more pieces of machinery. It became clear pretty quickly that these were logging vehicles. A further look around revealed chainsaws and axes strewn about as if they had been left behind in a hurry. A few trees showed cuts, one leaning unhealthily against another as the cut in its base made it unstable. It seemed the operation had just been getting started.

Lionel kept looking around, searching for clues as to the origin of the operation. The brand names on the equipment had been scratched off; he’d need some help identifying them. But as Lionel continued walking through the left-behind tools of the logging operation, he spotted out of the corner of his eye the sun glinting off a piece of metal - the headlight of a car, hidden in some brush. In their haste, the loggers had not seen fit to take it away. As Lionel reached the car, he saw blood in the drivers seat. Sign of a struggle. He stepped back to see the side of the car.

It read: Teiningen Rangers Department.

by **Pyazhnaya** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 4:50 pm

FFP Headquarters, Media Division, Krasnograd

The offices of the Football Federation of Pyazhnaya in Krasnograd resemble a war zone disguised as a workspace. There are empty coffee cups, takeout boxes, open tabs with trending hashtags. Widescreen TVs on the walls flicker with clips of the now-legendary “Pyazhnaya vs. Pyazhnaya” AuraCast stream with the two Danilas yelling, laughing, scoring on themselves, and generally acting like national heroes of chaos, which, to be honest, they are.

At the center of the storm stands Olga Stepanova, the FFP’s Director of Communications. She's in her late thirties, her once-sharp suit showing some severe signs of having been slept in, which matches the look on her face, which also is a sign that she likely has slept four hours less than she should have. She bursts into the media room clutching her tablet, surrounded by a team of stressed-out PR officers.

Stepanova:
All right, listen up. We’re not calling this a scandal. We’re calling it an organic brand moment.

(She points at the screen showing Danila Mukhametshin yelling, “Pyazhnaya on Pyazhnaya violence!”)

We take this, we own it, and we make it patriotic before anyone calls it “unprofessional.”

Junior PR Officer:
Ma’am, it’s already all over the net. Hashtags: PyazhnayaDerby, DanilaSquared, and, uh, ZubovaMode.

Stepanova (pinching the bridge of her nose):
Of course. And what exactly is ZubovaMode?

Intern (without looking up):
It’s when your game crashes mid-match because “the oversight committee has suspended your enthusiasm.” It’s... well, it’s gone kind of viral.

Stepanova (grim smile):
Brilliant. We’ll trademark it before someone else does.
(paces)
Now, the narrative. This isn’t player misconduct. It’s… team unity. Innovation. No, no, that's not it... Oooh! The Pyazhnayan spirit of adaptability under pressure.

Social Media Manager:
So… “They played against themselves to strengthen themselves?”

Stepanova:
Exactly! You’re learning.

(snaps fingers)
Draft a statement: “The Pyazhnayan National Team is committed to creative approaches to bonding and performance, both on and off the field.”

Add something about “embracing digital transformation in modern sport,” yadda yadda. That’ll keep the bureaucrats happy.

Junior PR Officer:
What about Zubova? She’s going to have an aneurysm when she sees this.

Stepanova:
Then we say it was a federation-sanctioned outreach event.
If she asks for the paperwork, tell her it’s “in process”; which, technically, it is, since we’ll start writing it when she calls.

Intern (scrolling furiously):
Ma’am, we’ve also got copycats popping up. On Cypher, on The Forge… even on some foreign streams. People are creating entire Pyazhnaya vs Pyazhnaya tournaments.

Stepanova:
Good. That’s engagement. We’re going to ride this wave till it breaks.

Launch a new campaign. Hashtag OnePyazhnaya. Tagline: “One Nation. Two Teams. Infinite Passion.”

I want video reels, fan compilations, memes; hell, I want Danila Mukhametshin’s face on a billboard by noon. He’s chaos, but he’s our chaos.

Social Media Manager:
Should we ask the players to post something coordinated? Maybe an apology-slash-joke post?

Stepanova (grinning):
Yes. Tell them to use that corny inspirational tone fans love; “Win or lose, Pyazhnaya plays for Pyazhnaya.” Something so bad it circles back to genius.

Intern:
And what if Coach Agratova objects?

Stepanova (without hesitation):
Then we’ll say it was a “grassroots initiative inspired by her leadership.”
(beat)
Now get moving. I want this turned from a potential disciplinary review into a national celebration before lunch.

The PR team rushes to their workstations, typing, editing, adding to the pile of coffee cups. A wall screen displays a mock-up poster: the two Danilas mid-game, grinning, with a patriotic caption: “We Play Ourselves — and Win Together.”

Stepanova (to herself, watching it upload):
If I survive this week, I’m giving myself the Order of Marketing Valour.

---

Across the Net: The Fan Takeover

Evening. The sun sets over Pyazhnaya, but the internet does not sleep. The “Pyazhnaya Derby” has become a nationwide digital holiday. Streams pop up across three main platforms, AuraCast, Cypher, and The Forge, each with its own flavour of chaos.

AuraCast is the epicenter, showing Buraskva-based top streamer NikitaVortex sitting in front of a glowing setup, headset on, mic live, Pyazhnaya jersey on.

NikitaVortex:
All right, chat — welcome to Pyazhnaya vs Pyazhnaya: The People’s Cup!
Two squads. Same nation. No mercy. No logic. No oversight committee.

Chat:

> “DO IT FOR AGRATOVA!”
> “TeamZubova all the way.”
> “Danila better be DLC.”
> “This is canon now.”

NikitaVortex:
We’ve modded the kits, turned off stamina, and set commentary to “historical tragedy mode.” Let’s go.

The stream explodes into laughter as an AI commentator says, “And once again, Pyazhnaya conquers… itself.” Within minutes, thousands join, sending tips and comments. Someone splices together clips of the real Danilas yelling over the in-game chaos.

---

Cypher: The Grassroots Rebellion

A shaky camera feed inside a small pub. Locals crowd around a holo-screen, cheering for digital avatars in a friendly “Mirror League” tournament.

Bartender (off-camera):
Loser buys the round; winner gets to sing the anthem backward.

Fans bang tables, chanting “Pyazhnaya! Pyazhnaya!” over and over until it sounds like a football riot turned love song.

Drunk fan:
I swear, I’ve never been more Pyazhnayan than right now! I-it's like we're... hating and loving ourselves at the same time.

Someone projects Zubova’s face on the wall with laser eyes. A sticker reads “OversightThis.”

---

The Forge: The Innovators

Cut to a dim workshop, monitors filled with code and 3D models. A small team of modders laugh as they push their latest update.

Lead Modder:
All right, new feature: “Zubova Mode.” Halfway through your match, she walks onto the pitch, freezes play, and says “This is unacceptable.” Then the game soft-crashes. Immersion level: perfect.

Assistant:
I added “Agratova Boost.” If you press L3 twice, your team ignores orders and starts scoring for fun.

Chat (exploding):

> “Patch it into ranked mode!!”
> “When’s the Oversight Committee DLC??”
> “Make Danila a commentator!”

Soon, The Forge’s front page is filled with Pyazhnaya mods, complete with new kits, new stadiums, even a cinematic intro titled “The Pyazhnaya Paradox.”

---

Back at FFP Headquarters

Later the same night. The media office glows from the wall of screens showing live streams. The campaign is live; and it’s working. OnePyazhnaya sits at the top of the national trending list.

Junior PR Officer:
We’ve hit twenty million combined impressions. There’s even a charity tournament forming in Balaralsk, proceeds go to youth sports.

Intern (grinning):
And someone remixed the anthem into a synthwave track. It slaps.

Stepanova (watching the feed):
Good. For once, chaos is patriotic.

Social Media Manager (hesitant):
But… Zubova’s been quiet. Too quiet.

The room falls silent. As if summoned, a notification pings on Stepanova’s tablet. A message marked URGENT: Oversight Committee Meeting – Tomorrow Morning. She exhales slowly, muttering under her breath.

Stepanova:
Right. And tomorrow, we find out whether “innovative public engagement” translates to “summary dismissal.”

She looks back at the looping highlight reel: Pyazhnaya scoring on itself, fireworks in the background, chat spamming hearts and flags.

Stepanova (half-smiling):
At least they finally made people believe in something.

by **Tanirinthia** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 4:53 pm

OF FATES AND FORTUNES
Chapter Forty - Circles within Circles

To quote a glorious bard, I am what I am, and what I am is Disorder. I must be defined in what I am opposite to, as must my opposite be defined by me.

Jasper sat there trying to process what was in front of him and what was said, it had been right that some small part of him had only ever referred to it as the entity in the vain hope that he would wake up one day and it was all just some nightmare. But he knew Disorder was real, and was standing in front of him clearly, well clearly in spirit as there was still a fuzziness to the figure of Disorder that he assumed was intrinsic to its nature.

"Always good to put a name to a face" Jasper said with false bullishness "What brings you to my office today? I presume more than a simple thank-you and a rumination upon the nature of names?"

This brought another chilling smile to the face of Disorder.

"A simple thank-you? There are not many beings who would consider the giving of thanks from a primordial being simple, but then again Jasper Poole you are not most beings, most beings cannot hear the thrum of my kin nor feel its weight. But to your question, I have come to you on this day to strike a bargain with you. You have neared the end of your arduous task of reuniting the shattered elements of Order. There will soon remain only one piece left, in the man you know as Algernon Graves. He has charged you with bringing him those remnants and becoming the new Order. True to his name this would be a grave error on your part, which you suspect, he only craves it for power, to control Tanirinth and more. He will do as the Uniter did before, bind me and take away people’s choices, but unlike the Uniter before him he will never willingly give up that power. It is often said that power corrupts, this is a falsehood. Power only ever reveals the truth of a person. So my bargain I wish to strike with you, instead of releasing the power to him, I ask that you finish your task completely and take the power from Graves, and place it all inside yourself, become the new Order yourself. Then together we can carry on the dance that started at the beginning of time; order and chaos, choice and destiny, this is as the universe is meant to be.”

”Graves has many magical protections, but this will be enough to negate them” An object appears out of nowhere on the table in front of Jasper ”Do we have an accord?”

Disorder's hand was outstretched in front of Jasper, ironically given his present company, he felt no choice about what to do and clasped it in return, and upon a quick shake the air where Disorder had stood became vacant. In his mind though a strange symbol had formed, circles within circles.

Chapter One | Chapter Two | ~~Chapter Three~~ | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen | Chapter Seventeen | Chapter Eighteen | Chapter Nineteen | Chapter Twenty | Chapter Twenty-One | Chapter Twenty-Two | Chapter Twenty-Three | Chapter Twenty-Four | Chapter Twenty-Five | Chapter Twenty-Six | Chapter Twenty-Seven | Chapter Twenty-Eight | Chapter Twenty-Nine | Chapter Thirty | Chapter Thirty-One | Chapter Thirty-Two | Chapter Thirty-Three | Chapter Thirty-Four | Chapter Thirty-Five | Chapter Thirty-Six | Chapter Thirty-Seven | Chapter Thirty-Eight | Chapter Thirty-Nine

Matchday Nine

Matchday Ten

by **Kimi-Suomi** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 4:56 pm

Seitsemän ja Nolla. The Huuhkajat of Kimi-Suomi were one of a few nations in the Satavuotisjuhlatanssi who had yet to drop any points thus far. It even say that sentence, though obviously factual, felt so surreal to the fans, holding the Lineal UWC Belt with distinction in what could end up being the greatest campaign on our history. The keyword being could. There was still a long way to go in this race to the dance; there are still many pitfalls that this team will have to navigate, but for now, Esko Laaksonen was enjoying every moment of this...and so he should.

But, like the night sky in rural Kimi-Suomi or the ice on our many lakes, all good things must come to an end. We kinda shocked the system by taking down Sarzoninen at home, but everyone knew that we were delaying the inevitable. If there was ever an opportunity to lose this belt, this game would be it - playing top-seeded Aleirave at Reko'uho Fekelu Stadium in New Alikonor. The Seagulls may be the team of a small nation but at #28, these guys are certainly punching above their weight - managed by the remarkable Haulafo Paka'ula and a team hungry for this moment. We knew this day would come, the time that we finally toted an L for the first time in this campaign, but the manner in which the loss was dealt was only possible because of this Seagulls side. Neraveke Ho'uminalu got 2, Fyodor Veshchik grabbed the 3rd, and that was all she wrote on Te'ufole. Esko could finally take the belt off his waist and pass it to Paka'ula, the new worthy holder of this legendary piece of football history. Hopefully, he can help this belt get to the dance itself...but we shall wait and see.

Meanwhile, with the record now 7-0-1 and the belt in another's hands, we now had to move on to the real mission of this whole journey - making the Iso Tanssi for the very first time, especially at a time when JYK-inen is choking away their big moment for their Co-Managers. Over in Veleste, we looked to put the past behind us pretty quickly and move on to the next phase of this adventure...and we did just that. This was the game to make a statement about ourselves, not letting the moment get to us, not letting anything from the outside or the loss of the belt send us spiralling back into the darkness from whence we came...and we played a pretty good game in response to what happened in New Alikonor. We played with confidence from kick-off, and that never left us. All the while, we did what we felt was best: play methodically and strike when we knew the ball was going in the net. Jason Jenner-Pokka, Ebba Persson and Enni Pajari all ended up striking at the right time to get the goals we needed...and look at that! We responded to a 3-0 defeat with a 3-0 win. Isn't that fun? Isn't that swell?

Three points. That is the lead we have on Aleirave with seven games still to play. It is still up for grabs, that great dream that we all aspire towards, but we want to make that promised land, then there is still work to do. Anonyymimuna is coming to Lumikukkulat, where the expectation is obvious, before our final Bye Week to rest and prepare for what is ahead. We cannot slip up...not after all we have done thus far.
Esityksen on jatkuttava.
NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

SCHEDULE/AJOITTAA (Group 17)
MD1: vs Veleste (300) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki W 3-1
MD2: @Anonyymimuna [Anonymegg] (UR) W 2-1
----------------------------------------------------------------
MD3: BYE
MD4: vs Bhumi Matawisin Imperiumi [Bhumi Matawis Empire] (208) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki W 5-2
----------------------------------------------------------------
MD5: @Suur-Portugaliza [Greater Portugaliza] (381) W 6-2
MD6: vs Sel Appa (147) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat W 11-2
----------------------------------------------------------------
MD7: @Etelä-Kerala [South Kerala] (307) W 2-0
MD8: vs Sarzoninen [Sarzonia] (36) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat W 3-2
----------------------------------------------------------------
MD9: @Aleirave (28) - Reko'uho Fekelu Stadium, New Alikonor L 0-3
MD10: @Veleste (300) W 3-0
----------------------------------------------------------------
MD11: vs Anonyymimuna [Anonymegg] (UR) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat
MD12: BYE
----------------------------------------------------------------
MD13: @Bhumi Matawisin Imperiumi [Bhumi Matawis Empire] (208) - Tanjung Kalapa Stadium, Labuanjaya
MD14: vs Suur-Portugaliza [Greater Portugaliza] (381) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat
----------------------------------------------------------------
MD15: @Sel Appa (147)
MD16: vs Etelä-Kerala [South Kerala] (307) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki
----------------------------------------------------------------
MD17: @Sarzoninen [Sarzonia] (36)
MD18: vs Aleirave (28) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki

by **Kamijiro** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 4:59 pm

World Cup 100: Baptism of Fire 81 Revisited

At some point or another during the bye week, the team gathered around and realized that Sinyal, the team that they were about to beat 5-1 on an away trip, was the same country that the original Lightning team had beaten in the Baptism of Fire way back when. This, of course, piqued the interest of team historian/backup center-half, Fiti Multiauaopele. What were the fates of the other countries that Kamijiro had faced off against in that first-ever triumph for the country.

So, some quick facts about the 81st Baptism of Fire:
It was held in The Commonwealth of Baker Park and featured 30 teams. Kamijiro were placed in Group A alongside teams such as Dantopia, The Cherven Cities, The Spartan Dominion and Lionsguard.

The Spartan Dominion were a rather unknown quantity in the first matchday and have since not really been heard from. Kamijiro won that match 3-1 off the back of Ankei Hilario, Ryuji Kaminari and Rizky Tuasalamony's trifecta of goals. The second matchday saw the Lightning face off against Lionsguard, a match which ended 1-1, with goals from Juninho Silva and Ector Erickson cancelling each other out. Lionsguard is another team that has since not really been heard from.

Kamijiro played Dantopia in matchday three - they're still quite active in the scene and are currently sitting third in WC100's group nine behind Chromatika and The Ko-orenite Constellation, though they are tied for points with the latter. Adebayo Adeyemi did the Lightning in there, assisted by Michael Danchevy - they're still active internationals for Dantopia. It is still a question about whether VAR made the right choice in allowing that goal to stand.

The fourth (and final) match of the group stage featured a 3-2 win over The Cherven Cities with a late Neemy Siwante goal being the decider in stoppage time. This win set up a situation where the Lightning advanced on head-to-head over the same opponent, as both teams ended up with exactly 7 points. Had it gone down to goal differential instead, Kamijiro was knocked to third place and put into the third place comparison bracket, which they would've been the top of anyway.

The Round of 16 brought the Kingdom of Castille as an opponent. Former wonderkid Leão made his first-ever start for the national team in this match following the U21's loss to Qasden in the Di Bradini Cup. Ankei Hilario, a towering striker who at one point was Kamijiro's all-time leader in goals scored, put three past the keeper to help Kamijiro advance in a 5-2 win. The Kingdom of Castille have since pivoted to the entertainment sector, most recently participating in NationVision 23.

The Quarterfinal was a match-up against South Americanastan - they're a known commodity in the gridiron football scene, but the Lightning kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 victory to advance to the Semifinals. The Semis were where things got a little bit interesting. They took on Evinea, and that match delivered. It was a tense one that went all the way to penalties - and that went all the way down to a Jarius Dabineku panenka goal that sent the Kamijiroans to the Final to face off against our matchday ten opponents - Sinyal.

That match was just as tense as the Semis before, if not more so. A penalty in the 17th minute was converted by then-captain Ryuji Kaminari, but that goal was cancelled out by a 23rd minute equalizer by Elex Angell. Rizky Tuasalamony put the Kamijiroans back in the lead in the 54th. It looked for a while like the Kamijiroans had it in the bag. They held that 2-1 margin all the way into the final five minutes when an 88th minute equalizer flew past Rizky's brother, Jiro, and into the back of the net. Aether Deyon, the scorer, picked the ball up and ran it back to midfield to re-start the game. The rest of regular time found no winner and it ended up once again in extra time. The first period of extra time went by without a goal. The second looked like it would, too. But Jarius Dabienku guided a through ball into net in the 118th minute to seal the deal. Kamijiro won their first (and so far, only) piece of silverware on that day.

And so, to recap: it took the Kamijiroans back then extra time to beat Sinyal. And this time it was over before half-time.

A lot of the bench players started for the Lightning in this match following the bye week. Vivienne Silva got her first-ever start, same with Tatsuya Nakamura, Kai Itakura and Hiro Kumikiri.

The first goal came from a towering Kyōji Kirishima header following a set-piece taken by Katsu Fujiwara, which flew into the back of the net past the keeper's outstretched arms in the 7th minute. Then the second was another set-piece play delivered by Fujiwara, this one finding the head of Tatsuya Nakamura, who managed to hit it down enough to stay under the bar. The third and fourth came before half, both from Haruka Kagawa, one assisted by Kumikiri and the other assisted by Kirishima on a flicked-on header. Sinyal clawed one back in the second half but it was never going to be enough, especially with Sōji Kokubun coming on to replace Nakamura late on. Sōji blasted a curler past the keeper following another Fujiwara assist, giving Katsu a hat-trick of assists for the match. 5-1, final. Much, much more decisive than that 3-2 win after extra time all those years ago.

Schedule:
Matchday   Opponent
MD1        Sinyal            (H) W, 3-2
MD2        Al-Tamazgha       (A) W, 1-0
MD3        Equestria         (H) W, 5-0
MD4        Equinox Auraterra (A) W, 6-2
MD5        Bull Sheet        (H) W, 2-0
MD6        Dixie Florida     (A) W, 4-1
MD7        The Holy Empire   (H) W, 3-2
MD8        Sibersky          (A) W, 4-0
MD9        BYE
MD10       Sinyal            (A) W, 5-1
MD11       Al-Tamazgha       (H)
MD12       Equestria         (A)
MD13       Equinox Auraterra (H)
MD14       Bull Sheet        (A)
MD15       Dixie Florida     (H)
MD16       The Holy Empire   (A)
MD17       Sibersky          (H)
MD18       BYE

by **Saint Eleanor** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 5:04 pm

Group of Six meeting (LXXXVIII) --- SAINT ELEANOR 2-0 Saint Lazarus
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Lydia Vickers [C], Cathy Winchester [VC], Lily Emmerson [ballot]
Location: That one Farf-run ice cream parlour; Parkside district, Saint Eleanor city, EXT

Match summary
Goals: Addison (25), Aldra (57). This was honestly not a bad resistance from an effectively-bankrupt opposition, although I doubt they weren't an unofficial representative side given the national broadcaster's insistence that the true national team wouldn't be playing any more games. Lily is convinced that they're the real deal, but she is definitely the kind of person who would still be playing high-level football even for no reward whatsoever.

Tactical discussion:
* While this is a de-facto 3-4-3, we can expect a decent amount of positional fluidity and some potential openings in the centre - 4-2-3-1 is still worthwhile for us
* Aurora Reynolds is literally the second coming of Exandra Davies, which is always a good sign - we need full power on the left
* We can take more liberties on the right flank, as their left midfielder is uncallable and their leftback may well not survive the full ninety minutes
* Dillon Daley is untested but, if he is substituted on or even starts, should be treated as though you were playing against Bridget Coombe
* Other than that, if we pressure them enough on the wings (which is perfectly possible), Xanneria could come under strain in the centre...
* ...enabling our tried-and-tested players to sort them out, take them to the cleaners, and consolidate our position, with otherwise limited tactical deviation

TAKEAWAY: RISKS CAN BE ACCEPTED AGAINST XANNERIA AT THIS STAGE - UTILISE YOUR STRENGTHS AND WE CAN PATCH ANY ERRORS BEFORE THE SECOND ROUND

AGREED LINEUP (4-2-3-1): Sundgren - Winchester, Vickers, Gray, Barnett - Morgan, Matsuda - Lawson, Aldra, Ohan - Marks

- Cathy

Ian Marks: "I have no idea why we've been getting so old lately"
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers gets into the mind of one of the most outspoken Eleanorian caps in a while
Originally published on Wednesday 25th January 2017

Ian Marks may well seem like yet another generic fox in the box to the uneducated eye. "I'd agree with that assessment, honestly. I'm good at getting in, getting the job done, going out, and not pissing off anyone. We need more strikers like that, less like Kavezalea Felaraneta; it's good that he's staying in his lane."

It was only three years after Marks' birth that his mother, Corporal Sarah Walker, was gunned down while on duty in Bramblewood. Although John Bailey and Adam Denby had their fathers die during the War of Independence, Marks is the first player in the national team's history to have a parent die on peacetime service. "Am I the first? I think I am. By my count, we're averaging one dead soldier a week in the post-war period, but then some of that is negligence, some of that like mum is dying heroically in the line of fire, maybe a handful of that was natural causes. I don't remember her all that much; it was mostly dad looking after the house and, when I was growing older, convincing me not to go home too early. Too early, mind you; he trusted me more than most parents would."

He's unusual in a completely different regard, too, as he grew up as a Golden Unicorn supporter. "I still think they're going to win another league title eventually. When you're going to Broadlands Community School and you started out in the days before Celestia, you're obviously going to be cheering for the Unicorn. I want to say Unicorn fans outnumbered Celestia fans massively in my year group; it's mostly the kids coming up these days and the old-timers who wanted a club to root for, the people my age were largely set in their ways and not willing to jump on the bandwagon. I want to say I was good at PE, biology, and philosophy, which is the subject nobody cares about. I hated music and almost deafened half of my class on the regular. I did at least pass Terranean and maths, and by some margin too, although a lot of people can say that, so I wasn't anything special other than in those other subjects." His club's Charles Trump Shield side in 2003 did surprisingly well for themselves: "We made the semifinals, I want to say" - they did - "and held the other new kids, Premier, to more than a good fight. We also deposed of Brightway, which felt pretty good, especially as they eliminated the Academy, who hadn't covered themselves in a ton of glory. Got a goal in the Premier game, a good number of the goals in the other games, liked hanging around, trying to beat the offside trap - I'm doing that a lot more nowadays - and pretty much made my name as a striker then."

League titles have been in short supply since Marks arrived to Independence 1975 twelve years ago, with their rivals Athletic Saint Eleanor frequently in possession of a better side overall. "We did have Dortmün Çídh in my place for a few years; I was his understudy, but I don't think he was the most reliable teacher and I always found it a bit confusing that he'd retire at the height of his powers. Maybe he just wanted to avoid confirming or denying any suspicion that he was part of a famous family, mind you. Anyway, what anyone will tell you is that Eleanorian football is a matter of constant improvement. You get to your early twenties and you're either starting or, for a lucky few, paying tax on a massive salary abroad. Your mid-twenties and you're established, around thirty and you actually get called up to the national team. I have no idea why we've been getting so old lately, but hopefully we'll get some twenty-somethings up the pipeline sooner or later like we did last decade."

Some noise has been made elsewhere that Marks, alone among the new arrivals, professes his taste in pure black coffee. I have to remind him that five other players in the squad of twenty-six agree with him. "I'm an absolutist on that issue; pretty much all of that lot are. Keith Barnett and Denise Livingston will think we have a point and act like it sometimes; Lydia Vickers couldn't go without her sugar. I've not comprehensively surveyed everyone else's larders. We should get together some time, although maybe not over coffee." What, then, of his long-standing dislike for Vickers - an unusual thing in a team that has largely agreed with itself since the 82nd Cup of Harmony and its associated collapse in team unity? "I'm one of Indy's strikers. She's one of Athletic's defenders. Do we talk from time to time? Yes, but when we're not on strictly national-team business, I'll prod at her about her upbringing and the fact that we're the club of the people while they're being propped up by the businesses, more like; long-standing rivalry made flesh. She's a good person, but on the completely wrong side of the divide. I did once ask her what a respirator was doing in her bedroom as I've never seen anyone wear one of those - she's certainly never used hers - but her mum deals with a lot of dodgy chemicals on the regular and thought it would be a good idea if her daughter had one for just in case."

Regular followers of SESB will know that Kirsti Sundgren praised his cooking skills when I interviewed her last week. "I play about with her, too. I've asked her for her tax returns a couple of times! I'm a lot less vicious with her and with most of the rest of Athletic, but they mostly seem to take it in good grace. I don't boast of being good at cooking anything in particular, but if she likes my slapped-up roasts, she should wait until I buy something for which I can easily follow the cooking instructions on the back of the pack. I'm not as good at this as Wunderbar [Kichirō Matsuda] is." Does Marks have any actual friends, then? "Well, everyone at Indy, for obvious reasons. Diana Gray is nice, although she's a bit sarcastic. Keith [Barnett] speaks the same language as me - straightforward, proper working-class - although really everyone on the team is straightforward in their own way. I've not talked to everyone else, but I'll either like them or be made to like them!"

[OOC: I need to sleep so I'll write the summary of this article after cutoff but you can probably guess what kind of player and person Ian Marks is like, haha!]

Group of Six meeting (LXXXIX) --- Xanneria 3-2 SAINT ELEANOR
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Lydia Vickers [C], Cathy Winchester [VC], Diana Gray [ballot]
Location: My house; Oaktree district, Saint Eleanor city, EXT

Dad made us lot a pretty big roast chicken that he got from the shop. Wisely, he decided to stay away from the dinner table and go out to get something to eat for himself! It wasn't as good and it wasn't as political, mind you.

I did say I would love to play alongside Lydia and that worked out brilliantly, although maybe not so much for Keith given how horrendously he got skinned by Owen Kyffin. Lessons learned for Norway-Sweden-Finland are that we should obviously be cooking and eating dinner more often, as this will enable us to come to better decisions than if we just gathered at Premium Coffee. You're doing the next one, Lydia! I saw you drop some money on a beef joint in the queue at the supermarket once! (She says that was a few months ago but she can buy another one no problem) N-S-F have no known lineup, but we assume that they will be playing the generic 4-4-2 and we therefore assume that our generic 4-2-3-1 with the same swaps - plus maybe Lawson and Winchester on hols since they might not be so dangerous on their right wing - will suffice to turn their 0-1-5 record into a 0-1-6 record.

Stephen is also reminded that his dad is better at eating gravy-garnished food than he is. This is something like 2% of the reason I always wear all-black. I think I actually dropped an entire leg of chicken on myself a few years ago; imagine how bad that would have looked on Bridget Coombe.

by **Cardenao** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 5:24 pm

“Because no longer is the ground enough for Cardenao. No longer will our national team travel in a fashion that fails to fully represent the pride we feel and progress we have made as a sporting nation. Built with Cardenaoan steel and Cardenaoan ingenuity, I am proud to unveil the AereoAzule!”

With that, the hanger doors slowly opened dramatically behind Mihaly, who stood with arms outstretched as a massive plane was pulled into view. Painted in the iconic Cardenaoan Blue and Gold, the AereoAzule was certainly unique to observe. So large, almost comical in size, the plane looked like a fusion of cargo jet, swollen whale, and luxury cruise liner, with a swollen midsection that alone was the size of a passenger jet. From a distance, she was majestic, a nod to the apparent abundance in Cardenao, yet the cheers, the impassioned screams turned mute as she rolled closer and beauty became the beast. For the national team players, who were given zero insight as to what would be happening at this event, some struggled to keep their composure as they tried to make sense of what the hell was even this.

“While the world trains on the ground and wastes the substantial travel time the World Cup requires, the Blue and Golds alone will be training in the sky!” Mihaly thundered to an increasingly confused crowd. Of course they were confused, they didn’t have his vision; how could they understand something they could never think to dream of? But as the plane stretched past them, it became clear and minds were blown.

Much like a traditional jetliner has windows for passengers, so too does the AereoAzul, at least up until that cartoonishly bulbed midsection, when they go from being individual windows to larger, longer horizontal panes. As the crowd and players craned their necks to get a better view, they were shocked to see that inside was…a half-sized football pitch. Taking inspiration from modern cameras used for high-budget movies, a complex gimbal-stabilizing platform forms the base of the central deck, constantly adjusting to the plane’s pitch, yaw, and roll–

“Even when banking hard to land in Banija, the field will stay totally level, enabling our players to stay fresh and arrive prepared to fight for our shared national honor!”

As the unveiling ceremony proceeded, members of the general public were invited to walk around the AereoAzule and take it all in, an opportunity that was impossible to resist. As they walked around the massive plane, they were surprised and eager to run into the national team players who were doing the same; walking around it with mouths agape trying to process what they were seeing. Two wings with three engines each, painted gold of course, were reinforced with extra fins and counterbalances to manage the considerably awkward center of gravity, while the tail split into a dual-finned V.

As the players were ushered into the plane, they discovered the pitch was hardly the only unique element to the AereoAzule. There were showers, hydro-therapy pods, a compact gym with weights and cardio equipment, small but comfortable beds for every player and member of the coaching staff, a press gallery for members of the media, and, interestingly, a luxurious command suite accessible only by…Mihaly himself.

Whether or not having the ability to train in the air would have any sort of impact on the national team’s game, only time would tell…or not. But with a vital run of games on the horizon against Paradystopia and Aphrilla, the Blue and Golds needed as much momentum as they could get, and this would certainly put some wind in their sails.

ISideWith UK · by **Eastfield Lodge** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 5:48 pm

WC100Q MD9: Eastfield Lodge 8–1 Efnakia
Line-up (4-2-3-1): O’Sullivan - Webber, Kirkup, Phelan, St Cleer - Forde, Farrow (<> Dinwoodie 57’) - Caceres, Jafari-Law (<> Hackett 74’), Scripps (<> Lysander 74’) - Holdsworth (<> Noble 57’)
Goals (Assists): Scripps (10’ - Caceres), Holdsworth (15’, 57’ - Scripps), Own goal (31’ - Farrow), Dinwoodie (67’), Kirkup (75’ - Noble), Noble (78’, 90+1’ - O’Sullivan)
Headline: Unranked Efnakia put to the sword by Meogegiv’s attacking philosophy

WC100Q MD10: Eastfield Lodge 4–0 Salagalu
Line-up (4-2-3-1): O’Sullivan - Webber (<> Vohra 45’), Kirkup, Fevison, Delaware-Mahmud - Mordecai (<> Forde 60’), Farrow - Aguiar, Jafari-Law, Scripps (<> Lysander 60’) - Noble (<> Ingersleben 78’)
Goals (Assists): Noble (26’ - Mordecai), Scripps (39’), Vohra (62’ - Farrow), Aguiar (80’)
Headline: Imperial Commonwealth avenge opening game loss by thrashing Salagalu

The latest international break was a chance to move on from the tumultuous first half of qualifying for the Imperial Commonwealth, facing the lowest seeded side in the group in the form of unranked Efnaka, followed by the chance of revenge against Salagalu - the 7th seed side that managed to triumph over the Lodgers in the opening game of the qualifying campaign after both centre backs managed to get themselves sent off either side of half time with straight red cards. But three losses in eight games had all but likely torpedoed Eastfield Lodge’s chances of reaching the World Cup for a fourth time in a row, especially in the last match where the third red card of the campaign allowed Biyambi to come back from 3-1 down to win in the last ten minutes of the game. Neutrals would say that the 100th World Cup should be a celebration of the history of the event, and as part of that, the Imperial Commonwealth should stay true to historic form, and logically lose just enough games to narrowly miss out.

The final match of the first half of qualifying, against unranked Efnakia, was a far cry from anything seen thus far under Aleksandr Meogegiv’s reign. The hosts came out of the blocks firing, and completely dominated from the first minute. Chappell Holdsworth managed to rattle the woodwork twice in the same attack in the first five minutes, before Boet Caceres played Rafeeda Scripps through the disorganised offside trap to net the opener ten minutes into the match. Holdsworth got his fourth consecutive goal shortly after, easily dispossessing one of the centre backs and slotting beneath the keeper. Efnakia did have a couple of brief flashes of life after going 2-0 down, one shot actually requiring Yuvin O’Sullivan to stretch and save to keep the clean sheet, but the Efnakian defence was one again the architects of its own downfall, this time with the full back converting Harun Farrow’s cross into an own goal at the far post, pretty much unchallenged. The visiting keeper did manage to pull off a couple of great saves to keep the deficit at three until stoppage time, when they managed to convert a rare set piece with applaudable precision.

3-1 at half time, and possibly shades once more of a potential collapse. However, despite a slow start to the second half, any hopes of a comeback were quashed shortly before the hour mark when Holdsworth found himself on the end of a Scripps pullback to cleanly restore the three goal lead, despite his number already being entered on the fourth official’s board as he would be taken off for a rest immediately after. The fifth came from Elvio Dinwoodie, the substitute winning the ball in midfield and advancing on the Efnakian defence unchallenged, opting to hit it from the edge of the box into the top corner, whilst centre-back Diana Kirkup got a rare goal of her own for the Lodgers’ sixth of the evening, converting Fidelina Noble’s flick-on header from a corner. Noble herself, despite being rather frozen out of the national team picture lately, managed to get back on the scoresheet, following up her assist with a pinball tap-in a few minutes later after the visiting keeper collided with one of their defenders defending a free kick. 7-1, but Noble wasn’t done yet, bagging the brace in stoppage time as O’Sullivan hit a goal kick long, missed by everyone except the Olympia striker who had no issue converting the 1-on-1. 8-1 it finished, one of the Imperial Commonwealth’s largest wins of all time in international football.

There were a couple of changes for the match a few days later against Salagalu, on the surface more about rotating players and resting others, but with half an eye on making sure the most level headed players were on the pitch this time, just in case. As it turned out, there wasn’t much to worry about, as a very different Salagalu side turned up to play this match, more subdued after being soundly beaten by Biyambi. Inevitably, the mixture of both sides’ caution causes the opening of the match to be quite cagey, neither side really willing to risk much in the opening exchanges, the best effort on goal courtesy of Noble attempting the acrobatic and shaving the top of the crossbar. She would grab the opener however, rather inadvertently, as she deflected Florian Mordecai’s shot from distance to the opposite corner of the goal leaving the Salagalu keeper stranded. The Eastfielder floodgates opened after that, the hosts camped in the Salagalu half until Scripps made the pressure pay, charging down a defender who dallied on the ball a little too long and getting lucky by reaching the ball before the keeper could. Oliviah Vohra would make a rare appearance, coming on at half-time for Zakaria Webber due to what transpired to be a slight ankle sprain, and she managed to mark the occasion with an even rarer goal as the Olympia defender found herself entirely unmarked at a corner, all the time in the world to line up the header and pick the top corner from Farrow’s cross. Melanee Aguiar also managed to grab herself a rare goal, the winger starting in Caceres’ place gathering a loose ball from the corner of the box and running outside the defender, dragging her shot in off the far post.

4-0, job done, 6 points from 6 in an international window. Except it proved to be of little benefit beyond moving the Imperial Commonwealth into third place, as both Auprussia and Biyambi, the two sides way out in front in the group, also won both their fixtures, keeping the gap between the Lodgers and 2nd place Auprussia at 6 points, Biyambi a further two points ahead.

Likely line-up to play Santira/Natanians and Nosts (4-2-3-1):
O’Sullivan - Vohra, Kirkup, Phelan, St Cleer - Forde, Farrow - Caceres, Jafari-Law, Scripps - Holdsworth
Suspended: Webber (accumulated yellows - will miss Santira match)
Injured: N/A

by **Dhemixia** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 5:49 pm

Cantilever

Cantilever's a borough that, when you look at the name, you could probably figure out why it's named that. It gets a lot goofier than just "we have a super old cantilever bridge that's still standing", though.

Unlike every other borough up to this point, Cantilever's story begins with the university. Around 20 or so years after Brigantine and Prairie got their act together, the people of Dhemixia decided that they needed to have a bridge for ease of access. It's a wonder, really, that the nation survived that long without one spanning the river, and it's less crazy than you'd think that nobody took the initiative to build one sooner. The government decided, "You know what'd be funny? What if we just put literally everyone who has ever expressed any amount of desire to become an engineer into the school of engineering and individually throw them at the wall until one of their bridges sticks?". This is as insane a plan as you are recognizing it to be right now, but welcome to the Dhemixian government.

Thus, it was. The Dhemixian Institute of Technology was founded just outside of the borough of Dhemix, so that it could still be easily controlled without having the government constantly looking over its shoulder like it was doing to Dhemix State. People applied in droves in the hopes of being the one who would finally span the river, and absolutely none of them did. The government's plan didn't necessarily have to be implemented, but the alternative had just about the same effect.

With an administration simply that exists in Dhemixia (ignore it getting overloaded with the influx of applications), DIT's administration in the early days was absolute garbage. They had no idea what they were doing, and only let three people take their final (building a functional bridge) every day. As you can probably imagine by now, come the end of the year, everyone wanted to take their final and nobody could, so students resorted to what's colloquially known as "guerilla engineering". That is absolutely as stupid as it sounds, and it somehow worked. If "worked" means passed their final due to it being handwaved by the fed-up professors. Gotta love tenure.

Just as an example of how truly bad the nation as a whole was at engineering, they didn't get a bridge to stand for 20 years. That one collapsed when its creator stepped foot on it and took him with it to the depths. It actually got so bad that at one point, the government had to remove the debris that had been piling up in the section of the river nearest to where Cantilever was solely because of how many failed bridge attempts had collapsed and sunk to the riverbed. It took 25 years for one to support humans walking on it, but that one, too, claimed its creator who was so proud of it that he decided to just build a house on it and live there. He did not account for extreme weather events.

To this point, the engineers and the school only really tried one of three bridge types: suspension, truss, and arch. Beam bridges were quickly naturally selected out of the creative pool, cable bridges were seen as "weak" for using cables and widely shunned, and everyone just collectively hated cantilever bridges. Be it because they were ugly, extremely complicated, or just "not aura", nobody tried them. It got so far into the discrimination aspect that professors who actually did their jobs instantly failed anyone who made a cantilever bridge for their final for no reason other than pure hatred.

It took a painstakingly long time for someone's cantilever bridge to actually pass a final, and that one somehow didn't collapse when tested over the real river. People of the time absolutely hated it, but Dhemixia's first bridge to successfully span the river and survive was a cantilever bridge. The general populace hated it so much that they would actually go out of their way to try to destroy it and become a martyr for the "greater good".

A long time passed before the public finally accepted that was their fate, and in what was essentially the industrial revolution version of generative AI, literally everyone at DIT copied that design. That then resulted in at least five Cantilever bridges standing the test of time in the borough, and the government just gave up.

As much as they wanted to name it anything but Cantilever, they eventually had to cave because there was literally nothing else relevant or that stood out about the borough. All it was known for, is known for, and will be known for are the Cantilever bridges. The locals understand that, and maybe they'll even start to accept that fact one day. One can only hope.

by **The Martian Independent Republic** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 6:20 pm

the Martian Independent Republic 2 - 0 Ranoria
Garamond 26', Caballi 32' |

the Martian Independent Republic 5 - 3 Vetrahjart
Carver 4', Jowling 18', 22', 37', Katzenburg 82' | ??? 29', 31' (p), ??? 45+3'

Group 8's Title Race Remains Tight; Will Goal Difference Matter?

Despite two wins for the Spiders, Stewartika has been keeping pace, and the gap remains at two points with seven left to play. Fortunately for Martian football fans, however, Kelssek suffered a shock defeat at home against Sajnur, and the gap between the Spiders and the pot 1 side is now three. This an unstable three, though, as the Voyagers host the Spiders after the MIR has its second bye of qualifying, and a win for the home side there could let Stewartika jump into first.

MD9: Topping The Group Halfway Through
Two goals in six minutes from Garamond and Caballi gave the Spiders a lead the visitors couldn't challenge for the rest of the game, and the crowd at Xuesen Stadium had mostly filtered out by the end of the game, neither team making many chances. The play style over the second half of the game has earned de Montfort some criticism, with more aggressively minded would-be managers saying the Spiders ought to have ran up the score (or at least tried to, anyway), but those remarks have remained pretty quiet, as who can argue with wins? More exciting to those internationally minded was Kelssek's loss to Sajnur, which widened the Spiders' lead from 'the narrowest of one-goal home wins as a head-to-head tiebreaker' to three points, dropping the pot 1 team out of the playoff spots entirely. A word of caution to fans at home getting their hopes up, however - eight games into qualifying last time around, the Spiders were leading their group on 20 points, ahead of eventual world cup champions Audioslavia. That campaign finished with four losses, the Spiders qualifying by the skin of their teeth before being unceremoniously dumped out of the Proper without a single point to their name.

MD10: Vetrahjart Doing Vetrahjart Things
So far, the only teams that have scored multiple goals against the Spiders this cycle are Vetrahjart and... Vetrahjart again. The sixth-placed team knows the Spiders' defensive weaknesses better than the Spiders themselves, and you'd think de Montfort's side would have learned from their previous showing, but they only did so in the goalscoring department. Twice have the Martian national team played at Qureshi now, and both times they have scored 5 or more goals, the other match being a 7-5 slugfest against unranked Riandera, of all teams, but that's a story for another time. Going back to the game, the excitement was over at halftime, but there sure was a lot of it. Carver started things off for the Spiders with a screamer from 20 yards, before Jowling doubled, then tripled, the Martians' lead with two tap-ins in five-minutes, confusing the keeper both times. All of that progress was immediately set back, however, as the same Vetrahjart player who had scored a first-half hat trick in the away fixture got himself a brace in two minutes, the first goal deflecting in off the crossbar and the second an unsaveable penalty after Ursula Barre tackled him rather nastily. That still wasn't it. The Spiders were emboldened by the home crowd, and Jowling got himself a hat trick from a set piece in the 37th, before the away team halved the deficit once again with the final attack before the halftime whistle. Try as they might, though, there was no equalizer to be found, and it was Katzenburg who got the final goal of the match, outmaneuvering the tired defenders and showing there's still some energy in those old legs of his.

The MIR has a bye before traveling to Kelssek, hosting Langenia, and traveling to Stewartika in what will undoubtedly be the hardest stretch of qualifying.

Mangala Base local elections, 25 Mar 2342:
United Martian Party: 17 seats (+2)
Socialist Party of Mars: 15 seats (-2)
Movement for Freedom: 6 seats (-1)
Independents: 5 seats (+1)

The results were still trickling in, but it was clear that the Socialists wouldn't come to power.

"Ha! Take that, Maeve! Oh wait, I fired you. Good decisions on my end, then. Well, maybe it was the doubling in shuttle frequency and the shuttle manufacturing plant I announced. That was sort of your idea. Well, no, you had the vague 'do something policy-related' idea, that doesn't really count, I came up with it all. Who cares the M4F lost a seat, they can go bother Lexi fucking Jones. Wait, is this thing on? Am I on air?" Thankfully for him, Najib wasn't in fact on air, and his remarks would only be heard by himself.

"In any case, better get yourself ready, Najib. You have another speech to give. What's it with all these speeches? Why does 'speech' sound like that? It's a funny word." Over the course of that monologue, he realized how silly he was sounding, and he did have to snap out of it. Time zones weren't his friend today, but he was fine with that, considering the election results. No time for a monologue, be it internal or external, however - there was a speech to give, and then another campaign to start.

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Wed Nov 05, 2025 6:37 pm

CUTOFF
Qualifying stage MD11/12

by **Krytenia** » Thu Nov 06, 2025 3:11 am

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

PART SEVEN: FAIRY CAKE NOT INCLUDED

The glistening steel and glass facade of the Isserson Stadium stood in front of Rami and Jeremy. Rami once again looked at the rubber chicken in his hand, which seemed to be pointing to the subway station down the road.

“Huh,” Rami said, pointing towards the station, “looks like it's pointing towards the trains.” He scowled at the chicken. “Couldn't have told us that before you made us walk five miles out of town, you vulcanised piece of crap?!?”

Jeremy laughed heartily. “Having an argument with an inanimate object. Yeah, that's a good sign that you're sane.”

“Shut up.” Rami glared once again. “Unless you've got anything useful to add?”

“Hey, don't look at me,” Jeremy replied with a grin, “you're the man with the chicken. And I wouldn't want to get in the way of your 'relationship'. Question is, is that a step up or a step down from goats?”
Rami ignored the comment and began to head towards the train station, Jeremy following behind making what could be best described as 'happy chicken noises'.

As the pair approached the subway station, the rubber chicken begain squeaking wildly. “We must be close,” Rami mused, “either that, or this chicken really likes trains.”

Jeremy followed behind Rami as they entered the station. Posters advertising the sights and culture of Emberton dotted the walls of the ticket hall. “Oh look, Rami,” Jeremy said with a smirk, “looks like you can polish a turd. Or at least advertise it.”

Rami gave Jeremy the side-eye. “Isn't Cathair a crumbling abandoned mess right now?”

“Yup.” The smugness in Jeremy's voice was almost tangible. “Still beats this dump, though, as it's not in Krytenia.”

“You're a complete knobjockey, Jezza, you know that?” If there was a tirade to follow from Rami, it was interrupted by the chicken glowing and warming in his hand, before arrowing out of his grip and floating at high speed into a nearby photo booth, much to the Krytenian's confusion. “What the...”

“Oh look,” Jeremy said, laughing derisively, “she really does like you! She wants a selfie!”

“Okay, first of all...” Rami retorted angrily, “it had a wattle, so it's a he. And secondly,” he paused for a moment, “what's going on is so completely fucked up that you could even be right.” Rami sighed. “And if you are, I'll never hear the last of it, will I?”

Jeremy smiled and shook his head. “Nope!” he said cheerfully, gesturing towards the photo booth. “Now go! Embrace your new love! Find your destiny together!”

Rami shrugged and entered the photo booth. The screen in front of him appeared to pulsate and grow, and before he knew it, he was embraced by a black void. Images and scenes played before him, from the present, the future, and the past, overwhelming his senses. The world around him moved faster and faster, with more and more information pouring through his eyes and brain. Eventually, the scene faded to black, and Rami slumped onto the stool of the photo booth, his face ashen. He slowly got up, and emerged, his harrowed expression unhideable. Jeremy looked him in the eye. “Holy shit, you look like you've seen a ghost. What the hell happened in there?”

Rami's voice was barely above a croak. “Go...go see for yourself.” He handed Jeremy the chicken, and gestured towards the booth.

“This better not be a prank, donkeycock.” Jeremy said, as he entered the photo booth. He emerged a minute or two later, the colour completely drained from his face. Rami nodded sagely.

“Overwhelming, isn't it? But I think...I think I understand now.” Rami looked at Jeremy, who if anything was even paler. “Too much for your pickled brain, Jezza?”

“I...oh gods, I...” Jeremy stumbled for the words. “I saw myself die.”

“Oh.” Rami said, a look of shock on his face. “Holy shit.”

World Cup 100 | RP thread

WC100 Halfway Update

100 - 5 (Dagger?)

Luopunut

Ian Marks on Ian Marks

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