Copa Rushmori L - Sign-Up/OOC Thread (ONLY Rushmore)

[Rushmore]

[OOC: This thread is intended to be used exclusively by nations in Rushmore, so if you are not a nation in Rushmore or a moderator performing their duties, please refrain from posting here.]

Another World Cup cycle is ending, and this means it's time for a new Copa Rushmori edition, the fiftieth one! With Oberour Ar Moro claiming victory in the forty-seventh and most recent Copa Rushmori, held in Pasarga, now we move on to a new edition in which a new winner could potentially claim a piece of silverware and inscribe its name in the Roll of Honour, and that winner could be YOU!

Sign up in this thread, and if you wish to submit a host bid, you can do so here as well.

IMPORTANT:

• Only one puppet will be allowed per user (who must declare it as such when entering it) and their final inclusion into the tournament will be entirely up to host discretion.

* Consider this post as a sign-up from Valladares

Nations signed up (23/?):

1. Valladares
2. Tikariot
3. Saintland
4. Zenic
5. Bonusia
6. Hispinas
7. Qusmo
8. Kwrpania
9. The Kytler Peninsulae
10. Darmen
11. Nyowani Kitara
12. Pasarga
13. Kordavia
14. Montagne Noire
15. Pridnestrovia
16. Airannia
17. Eastfield Lodge
18. Karst Socialist Republic
19. Captina Island
20. Oberour Ar Moro
21. Savojarna
22. Concordia
23. A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni

Puppet nations signed up (Conditional sign-up, master nation in brackets) (6/?):

1. Norrhem [Tikariot]
2. Olastor [Eastfield Lodge]
3. Igratia [Oberour Ar Moro]
4. Frjálshöfn [The Kytler Peninsulae]
5. Greater Sanford [Qusmo]
6. Three Golden Kingdoms [Pasarga]

Host bids (1):

Qusmo/Tikariot

[Valladares]

Confirming the above for legality's sake.

[Tikariot]

Hello there!

Preconfirming those other people.

[Norrhem]

Hello there!

Preconfirming those other people.

Yeah, we are "those people".

[Saintland]

Finally, Rushmore's most famous Christian kingdom has come back to the CR!

[Zenic]

Zenic are back for this ceremonial 50th edition.

[Bonusia]

In, hope Bonusia takes the L!

[Hispinas]

Which L will we take?

[Qusmo]

Hello hello

[Kwrpania]

Here we go

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

AND MISSION IMPOSSIBLE... IS... ACCOMPLISHED!

[A Kytlerian CR signup that won't be followed by a bid]

[Darmen]

Happy fiftieth!

[Nyowani Kitara]

In

[Pasarga]

In. Potential bid to come

[Kordavia]

I would like to play, please

[Montagne Noire]

Doggies are back!

[Trans-Dniesters]

Entering again.

[Airannia]

We will partake!

[Qusmo]

FUZPON QUSMA and
the TIKARIOT FOOTBALL FEDERATION present

in association with DADAB RAMPOR KWRPANRWZ
SAVOJARSK FUTBOLFÖRBUNDET
the NYOWANI KITARA FOOTBALL FEDERATION
and the SANFORD SOCCER FEDERATION

with the SOCCER ORGANIZATION OF THE KYTLER PENINSULAE
and FRJÁLSHÖFN KNATTSPYRNUSAMBAND

a CONFEDERACIÓN RUSHMORI DE FÚTBOL production



Passion. Pride. Possibility.
It runs through us all.

Together, let’s celebrate Rushmore’s history. Let’s glimpse Rushmore’s stars of tomorrow. Let’s crown Rushmore’s newest heroes. Welcome to Copa 50.

The main features of this bid are:

• The Campeonato Rushmori Juvenil Sub-17 and Sub-20 will be staged, ICly and OOCly, alongside the main tournament
• The Copa Rushmori and Campeonato Rushmori Juvenil Sub-20 will be scorinated with the LISA formula, while the Campeonato Rushmori Juvenil Sub-17 will use the NSFS formula
• There will be a 100% roster bonus for the Copa Rushmori, and the youth tournaments will be RP bonus-only
• The co-tournaments will be OOCly hosted by Qusmo and Tikariot and ICly hosted by eight nations across Pavola
• IC venue hubs will concentrate the action and allow visiting fans to support both their senior and youth national teams more easily
• No matter the exact number of entries or groups in the tournaments, the knockout bracket will be Qusma-seeded

We’ve been inspired by Copa Rushmori XX (which visited thirteen nations across the region), Copa Rushmori XXXII (which debuted Qusma seeding), Copa Rushmori XLIX (which debuted LISA), and the Campeonatos Rushmori Juvenils (which are the region’s official youth championships). We hope this bid honors the history of the tournament while also creating something very new and exciting for the momentous fiftieth edition of the Copa Rushmori.

Say “coterminous tournaments” five times fast

The Copa Rushmori — the longest active, continuously-running regional championship of any kind in NSS — is celebrating its semicentennial edition this cycle. This tournament is special, and we think it deserves to stand out as one of a kind, not just one Copa among many. To that end, Copa Rushmori 50, Campeonato Rushmori Juvenil XVIII Sub-20, and Campeonato Rushmori Juvenil XVIII Sub-17 will all be staged at the same time, in the same host nations, and even in many of the same host cities.

Every participating nation in Copa Rushmori 50 will also automatically be entered to participate in Campeonato Rushmori XVIII Sub-17 and Campeonato Rushmori XVIII Sub-20. The group draw for the Copa Rushmori will be exactly the same as the group draw for the Juvenils: if Examplestan plays Testlandia on matchday one in group A, that will be Examplestan’s matchday one opponent in the Sub-20 and Sub-17 tournaments, as well. Pairings will diverge after the group stage, as each tournament’s knockout bracket will be seeded based on each team’s performance in that tournament, specifically.

IC details

The Campeonato Rushmori Juvenil XVIII Sub-20 will kick off one day before the Campeonato Rushmori Juvenil XVIII Sub-17 does, and Copa Rushmori 50 will follow one day thereafter. Every participating nation will have sub-20, sub-17, and senior national team fixtures scheduled on consecutive days, for however many matchdays the group stage lasts.

By the semifinals, we will have two celebration weeks for Rushmori football. Sub-20, then Sub-17, then Copa semifinals will be staged in Tikariot on consecutive days. Then, in Qusmo, six more days of football will follow: a third-place playoff and a final for the Sub-20, then the Sub-17, and then the Copa. This will provide a pair of showcases for fans, players, executives, and scouts to gather, connect, and celebrate the teams, and the talent, and the tournament of the region.

OOC details

We believe the Juvenils are a pair of fantastic tournaments, and they’re a great part of Rushmore’s history. They provide an interesting RP opportunity — if your nation has a down Copa, perhaps they’ll still make a great run through one or another Juvenil, and perhaps that can be an origin for some fantastic players and other characters as they age into the senior team in the future. Most of all, though, it’s an ideal tournament for new hosts. Even if you’re inexperienced, or this is your first time ever hosting any kind of tournament on NSS, that’s okay — this is a low-stakes environment to get started.

Our hope is that this won’t be a one-off, but that we’ll see Campeonatos return in the future. We hope novice hosts will be able to experiment with hosting. We hope more experienced hosts will be able to experiment with new formats, scorinators, or other concepts. We hope users of all kinds can benefit from worldbuilding to host the tournament, and from RPing and interacting in and with others’ nations.

At a time when participation in our region and across NSS is declining, and the long-term impact of the hundredth-cycle bonus is unclear, we hope we can help avoid new users being discouraged by the infamously brutal nature of the Copa by giving them alternative routes to regional success, and we hope those successes can inspire captivating new characters and storylines to RP. In the long run, our hope is that this will not only be an ode to a unique part of Rushmore’s past, but that it could also help inspire hosts and RPers who could be key parts of Rushmore’s future.

LISA can’t keep getting away with this

RP bonuses and scorination inputs

We will have one set of RP bonus for all three tournaments. You will not need to RP for the Copa, the Sub-20, and the Sub-17 individually. Anything you post for any given cutoff will benefit all of your teams for that cutoff. Your RP bonus will be noncumulative. 40% of your bonus will be your average RP grade, 20% will be your highest single-cutoff RP grade, 20% will be your RP grade from the most recent cutoff, and 20% will be your roster grade.

There will be a 100% rank penalty in the Copa for teams which do not post a roster. Posting sub-20 and sub-17 rosters are certainly encouraged, but they are not necessary. A roster which includes only senior team information for the Copa Rushmori, but no youth team or Juvenil information, will be graded and will be enough to lift the roster penalty. The 100% penalty will be applied immediately, beginning with matchday one, but it will be lifted immediately and in full upon the posting of a roster.

In the event there are byes in the tournament, we recognize RP participation may decline for windows when teams are not playing. Nevertheless, we do plan to maintain one matchday per cutoff, no matter the format. If there are byes in the group stage, due to five-team groups, we would exclude team’s bye cutoff from calculating their average RP grade for the purposes of RP bonus — unless they did RP during their bye and it would raise their RP bonus, in which case we will include that grade. If there are byes in the knockout rounds, due to a twenty-team tournament featuring a twelve-team knockout stage which includes byes, the nations receiving those byes will have earned an advantage as a group winner. They will be awarded the highest RP bonus they earned during the group stage — unless they did RP during their bye and it would raise their RP bonus, in which case we will include that grade. In no scenario would RPing during a bye ever lower a team’s RP bonus, compared to not RPing.

The Copa will be scorinated using the CRF rankings, in addition to RP and roster bonuses. Teams which have a KPB+ ranking but do not have a CRF ranking will be unranked in the draw. If the number of unranked teams in the tournament is more than a single pot, IC host nations will get first preference for selection into a better pot, followed by teams in order of their KPB+ rankings, and finally a random draw if all other criteria are equal. Teams which are unranked in the draw will still have a portion of their KPB+ rankings applied as a rank for scorination, equal to what their CRF ranking would be if they had participated in a previous edition of the Copa and had earned zero points.

Meanwhile, no rankings will be used for any teams in either of the Juvenil tournaments. Both the Sub-20 and Sub-17 tournaments will be RP bonus-only in the scorinator — and, to reiterate, your teams’ RP bonus in all three tournaments will be identical.

For the Sub-17, we would use xkoranate’s NSFS formula. For the Copa and the Sub-20, we would use the recently-released v1.093 version of LISA. This is an updated formula from the RC2 version which was used for Copa Rushmori XLIX and World Cup 100. The main change from RC2 to v1.093 is that LISA v1.093 is much less likely to produce unrealistic scorelines where one team concedes several goals despite utterly playing their opponents off the pitch. Blowouts are still possible, but the infamous 15–4 result would be very likely to pop up as 11–0 in this formula instead, or perhaps 12–1 on a rare occasion.

No home advantage or host bonus will be awarded to any host nation. We feel there are too many host nations, spread around too many pots, groups, and probably corners of the knockout brackets, to allow such an arrangement to be fair.

Finally, we will accept AI-generated images or other non-text content without penalty, so long as it is clearly attributed. We will also accept AI-provided translations into English without penalty, so long as it is clearly attributed and the original text is provided. All AI-generated content must be clearly attributed, and we encourage explanations of how and why AI was used, if applicable. If we detect AI-generated content without attribution, we will assess factors including severity, intent to deceive, and number of infractions. We will notify the user privately to inform them that we suspect AI usage and clarify standards around AI use in NSS. We may impose a penalty up to and including zeroing out all rank, roster, and RP bonus for all remaining teams representing that nation.

LISA/NSFS split for the Juvenils

[quote=Mert on Discord]... would it be a nice apples-to-apples comparison if we did two identical tournaments where one used SQIS and the other LISA? I was thinking the youth footballs (two adjacent of U15/U18/U21) might be a good testbed for this. One thread, identical user entrants / RP bonus for both (until the knockouts cause divergence ofc)[/quote]
We think this is a really interesting idea. We thought the Juvenils would be a great testing ground for this sort of experiment, with a long history in our region already, and attaching these tournaments to the Copa would also guarantee we’d have good RP output. We ended up deciding to compare LISA and NSFS, since a community consensus seemed to emerge in recent cycles where SQIS was good for events like World Cup Qualifiers, where home advantage was desirable, but NSFS was good for neutral-site final tournaments like the World Cup or Copa Rushmori, where the focus was more on minimizing randomness.

This does mean our plan for the Juvenils diverges from how it was originally conceived: a low-stakes, low-RP tournament using 20% of CRF rank inputs in the Sub-20, no rank inputs in the Sub-17, no RP bonus, and a single “cutoff” to scorinate and publish all fixtures. We hope these tournaments will still be accepted as genuine Campeonato Rushmori Juvenils, but if not, we can assign them an alternative name while keeping the same spirit. In any case, we do hope that this can reignite interest in Rushmore’s youth tournaments not just for this cycle, but for the future, as well.

LISA for the Copa

Every scorination formula has its advantages and disadvantages. On the evidence we’ve seen thus far, we prefer LISA.

SQIS takes the ratio of the two teams’ scorinator inputs and uses it to calculate the probability each team will win, lose, or draw. NSFS takes the difference of the two teams’ scorinator inputs and calculates the ratio between that and a maximum rank, and it uses that to calculate the probability each team will win, lose, or draw. LISA takes the two teams’ scorinator inputs, converts them into Elo ratings, and takes the difference of those two teams’ ratings to calculate the probability each team will win, lose, or draw.

Because SQIS uses the ratios of two teams compared to one another, an unranked, no-roster, no-RP nation has exactly the same odds of winning every single one of its matches: against a fellow unranked nation which posted a list of eleven names and vanished, never to be heard from again, or a dominant top-ranked team publishing astonishing RPs. We don’t feel that’s fair. Randomness should matter, and every team should have some chance to win or lose points in any fixture, but the idea that, for example, Andorra would have the same odds against Latvia as they would against England would be absurd.

NSFS does not have a working home advantage. Additionally, odds for the same match can change dramatically depending on the maxrank. Imagine one team with a scorinator input of 1 and another of 5. If maxrank is 10, the favorite has a sizeable advantage. If the maxrank is 50, there’s hardly any difference between them. Maxrank can shift considerably over the course of a tournament, depending on how the hosts treat it. If it’s a matter of pegging maxrank to the highest scorinator input any team has, the 5-input team has much better odds against the 1-input team if the top teams in the tournament don’t RP, and therefore don’t raise the maxrank. If the top-ranked team in the tournament does RP very well, that alters the ratio of difference in ranking to maxrank in such a way that it effectively increases the randomness of every other fixture in the tournament. South Africa’s odds against Zimbabwe are no different just because Morocco has a golden generation and is also in AFCON.

We like LISA because it addresses these problems. If both a 100 EAR team and a 500 EAR team play an unranked, 0 EAR team, both teams will be favorites, but the 500 EAR team will be much more considerable favorites to win and to win by a greater margin. Moreover, if a 50 EAR team were to play a 100 EAR team, that match would have exactly the same odds of a win, draw, or loss, and by which margin and score line, no matter whether the highest-ranked team in the tournament has an EAR of 100, 200, or 500. (LISA also does have a working home advantage, which is even adjustable on a team-by-team basis, but we won’t utilize this feature, as we won’t award any home advantage to any team during this tournament.)

Additionally, we are more confident that changing a team’s style modifier will not influence its probabilities of a win, draw, or defeat, or the margin of its victory or its defeat. LISA calculates the winner of a match and its margin before it ever takes style modifiers into account, so there is no inherent advantage or disadvantage to playing with any particular style mod. There are questions as to whether the same could be said for some conventional scorinators. The fact that a 5-0 Farfadillis win seems unremarkable, but a 5-0 Ko-oren seems shocking, does give us pause. Under a LISA paradigm, a dominant team is simply a dominant team — and if a dominant +5 team can win by a wide margin, so too should a dominant -5 team be able to.

We recognize that LISA has certainly not convinced everyone. The criticisms we have seen thus far mostly center around the fact that the scorinator produces unusual and unrealistic scores. We acknowledge this concern, but we still think it is the best scorination method available. First, we believe the new version of LISA is much better-equipped to handle unrealistic scores than the previous edition was. Second, we think unrealistic scores are less likely to occur in a Copa Rushmori, with a much smaller number of teams and fixtures, and much fewer unranked/unrosted teams, than a World Cup. Third, it’s not as if other scorinators are not immune to unusual scores, as the recent NSFS-scorinated Cup of Harmony demonstrated. Fourth, even if there is a higher risk of unusual score lines or margins of victory, we think it’s a tradeoff worth making to avoid the problems of NSFS or SQIS. And finally, even in some of the biggest matches in the Multiverse, involving some of its best teams, sometimes a match simply ends 7-1, as one of our cohosts is delighted to confirm.

Scorinator settings

The highest-ranked team in the CRF rankings for this edition is projected to have approximately 40.39 ranking points. Accordingly, we will set maximum RP bonus to be 20. We project that an unranked team with maximum RP bonus every cutoff would have approximately the same scorination input for the Copa Rushmori as a nation ranked eighth which posts a list of eleven names and nothing else all tournament. No rankings will be used for either of the youth tournaments.

For the Sub-17, we will use NSFS with a maxrank of 20, additive style mods, and no home advantage. Draws will be permitted during the group stage but not during the knockout rounds.

For the Sub-20, we will use LISA v1.093 with a power scalar of 2, a reference rank of 20, a reference EAR of 300, a margin divisor of 750, and no home advantage. Draws will be permitted during the group stage but not during the knockout rounds.

For the Copa, we will use LISA v1.093 with a power scalar of 2, a reference rank of 20, a reference EAR of 300, a margin divisor of 750, and no home advantage. Draws will be permitted during the group stage but not during the knockout rounds.

Testing

Under the Copa settings, a 20-rank team — roughly a seventh- or eighth-ranked team with nearly zero RP bonus, or an unranked team with maximum RP bonus — would have a 300-EAR gap against a 0-rank team. That would give the 20-rank team a 78.5% chance of a win and 12.8% chance of a draw, for about 2.48 expected points per match on average. That is very similar to the odds of a 60-rank team — the top-ranked team with maximum RP bonus — against that same 20-rank team, which come out to 79.0% chance of a win and 12.6% chance of a draw, for about 2.50 expected points per match on average, given the 305-EAR gap between the two. The greatest mismatch possible — a 60-rank against a 0-rank — would have a 605-EAR gap between the two teams, with a 95.6% chance of a win for the favorites and a 2.9% chance of a draw yielding 2.90 expected points per match on average. We feel confident that RP can give teams a significant advantage in battles of similarly-ranked teams, but that teams’ rankings are appropriately rewarded.

The Sub-20 tournament uses the same range, but the possible range of scorination inputs is much more compressed, since it is an RP bonus-only tournament. Instead of the maximum input being approximately a 60-rank, it’s a 20-rank instead. Again, that’s just a 300-EAR gap, rather than a 605-EAR gap, so the best a dominant team could hope for against an unrostered team is a 78.5% chance of a win and 12.8% chance of a draw. Meanwhile, there’s a 170-EAR gap between a 10-rank and 0-rank team (for a 62.8% win probability and 20.0% draw probability) and a 130-EAR gap between a 20-rank and 10-rank team (for a 57.0% win probability and 21.8% draw probability for the favorites). To us, this feels as though it provides a reward for RP quality but does give more weight to randomness, which does seem fairly accurate for a youth tournament.

We simulated a full Copa group stage by taking the 24 teams which entered Copa Rushmori XLIX, conducting a draw of those teams as per this bid’s format, and placing them into six groups of four. We zeroed out the ranking of any team which did not post a roster; we randomly assigned an RP bonus up to 20% of the maximum bonus for teams which posted a roster and nothing else; and randomly assigned an RP bonus anywhere from 20% to 80% of the maximum bonus for teams which posted a roster and at least one RP. We also included style mods for teams which had one listed. Obviously, this is not exact, and it’s not intended to be, but our hope is it can give some rough approximation of what might happen. We ran ten simulations, each with the same draw but with different randomly-assigned RP bonuses for each rostered or RPed team. This equates to a sample size of 360 matches in total.

A total of 14 matches (3.9%) had both teams score at least four goals. 70 matches (19.4%) had at least one team score at least four goals. 32 matches (8.9%) had a margin of at least four goals, 10 matches (2.8%) had a margin of at least five goals, 3 matches (0.8%) had a margin of six goals, and no match (0.0%) had a margin of more than six goals. The most goals scored in a single match by both teams combined came in a 6-6 draw. The most goals scored in a single match by a single team came in a 7-2 win and a 7-1 win, both achieved in the same simulation. No team (0.0%) which won by at least three goals conceded more than two. 9 matches (2.5%) had a team score multiple goals yet lose by multiple goals, with only a 5-3 fixture (0.03%) featuring a team scoring more than two goals yet losing by multiple goals.

We simulated full Sub-20 group stages ten times over using the exact same methodology, but excluding teams’ CRF rankings from our input. Again, we had a sample size of 360 fixtures in total. A total of 12 matches (3.3%) had both teams score at least four goals. 43 matches (11.9%) had at least one team score four goals. 9 matches (2.5%) had a margin of at least four goals, 2 matches (0.1%) had a margin of at least five goals, 1 match (0.03%) had a margin of six goals, and no match (0.0%) had a margin of more than six goals. The most goals combined in a single match by both teams combined came in a 7-5 fixture. The most goals scored in a single match by a single team came in that same 7-5 fixture. No team (0.0%) which won by more than three goals conceded more than two. 12 matches (3.3%) had a team score multiple goals yet lose by multiple goals, with only a 5-3 fixture and a 7-5 fixture (0.1%) featuring a team scoring more than two goals yet losing by multiple goals.

You can see our full results here.

All of this yapping and we still haven’t even seen the format

Our aim is to have somewhere between six to eight groups, each with four to six teams, before qualifying all top-two teams (and potentially some third-placed teams) to a standard sixteen-team knockout stage. Here are our preferences from sixteen to forty-eight entrants, which more than covers the range we would expect for the tournament.

 Ttl  GxT  KO  3rd  
  16  4x4   8  0/4  
  20  4x5  12  4/4  
  24  6x4  16  4/6  
  28  7x4  16  2/7  
  30  6x5  16  4/6  
  32  8x4  16  0/8  
  35  7x5  16  2/7  
  36  6x6  16  4/6  
  40  8x5  16  0/8  
  42  7x6  16  2/7  
  48  8x6  16  0/8

16 teams: four groups of four; top two into quarterfinals
20 teams: four groups of five; top three into twelve-team knockouts
24 teams: six groups of four; top two, plus four third-placed teams, into octofinals
28 teams: seven groups of four; top two, plus two third-placed teams, into octofinals
30 teams: six groups of five; top two, plus four third-placed teams, into octofinals
32 teams: eight groups of four; top two into octofinals
35 teams: seven groups of five; top two, plus two third-placed teams, into octofinals
36 teams: six groups of six; top two, plus four third-placed teams, into octofinals
40 teams: eight groups of five; top two into octofinals
42 teams: seven groups of six; top two, plus two third-placed teams, into octofinals
48 teams: eight groups of six; top two into octofinals

Tiebreakers
In the event that two teams within the same group are tied, we will break the tie based on:

1. Points scored
2. Goal difference
3. Head-to-head points
4. Head-to-head goal difference
5. Wins
6. Rock-paper-scissors

In the event that two teams from different groups are tied, we will break the tie based on:

1. Group position
2. Points scored
3. Goal difference
4. Wins
5. Rock-paper-scissors

ICly, rock-paper-scissors will be a standard competition-rules game of rock-paper-scissors, contested by one player from each team. The team’s designated rock-paper-scissors player must be selected from among the players who were on the pitch as of the end of their team’s final group stage fixture. Results will be broadcast live shortly after the relevant fixtures end.

OOCly, rock-paper-scissors will be a match, or series of matches, between all tied teams, using only RP bonus. In the event of a two-team tie, it will be a single match with draws not allowed. In the event of a three-team or larger tie, draws will be allowed, and teams’ positions within this tiebreaker group (with the same set of tiebreakers applying to this tiebreaker group) will determine the results of the rock-paper-scissors game.

Stop trying to make Qusma seeding happen, it’s not going to happen

We plan to use Qusma seeding to generate the knockout round bracket, no matter how many teams or groups the tournament has. Qusma seeding was originally designed for twenty-four-team tournaments, such as Copas Rushmori XXXII and XXXV, and was later adapted for use in forty-eight-team tournaments, such as World Cups 98 and 100. Its general principles can apply in most tournament formats, however.

First, take every group winner and rank them amongst each other. Seed these teams in the bracket normally. Then, rank the runners-up in two separate tables: if their group’s winner was seeded in the left half of the bracket, the runner-up will be locked into the right half of the bracket. If their group’s winner was seeded in the right half, the runner-up will be locked into the left half. Either way, you rank the left-sided runners-up against each other and rank the right-sided runners-up against each other, and you seed each side of the bracket normally from there. This guarantees that the top two teams from a group cannot meet in a rematch until the final or third-placed playoff, if they both get that far.

Finally, if any third-placed teams make it to the knockout rounds, place them in quarters of the bracket where they can’t have any group rematches until the semifinals, ideally, or whatever the latest possible guaranteeable rematch round can be. Often, there will be several equally-valid ways to do this, in which case the highest-seeded group winners are given priority to face the lowest-seeded advancing third-placed teams, insofar as it’s possible.

Example

As an example, let’s say Copa Rushmori 50 is contested by twenty-four teams, divided into six groups of four teams each. Each team’s top two teams, plus the top four third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout rounds.

Lengths Group       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Kilometer             3    2   1   0     4    1   +3     7
2 Meter                 3    1   2   0     3    2   +1     5
3 Centimeter            3    1   0   2     5    5    0     3
4 Millimeter            3    0   1   2     4    8   −4     1

  Vowels Group        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Aaa                   3    2   0   1     7    2   +5     6
2 Eee                   3    2   0   1     7    3   +4     6
3 Iii                   3    2   0   1     4    5   −1     6
4 Ooo                   3    0   0   3     1    9   −8     0

  Colors Group        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Red                   3    2   1   0     5    2   +3     7
2 Orange                3    1   2   0     5    3   +2     5
3 Yellow                3    1   1   1     3    3    0     4
4 Green                 3    0   0   3     3    8   −5     0

  Animals Group       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Mammal                3    1   2   0     7    4   +3     5
2 Bird                  3    1   2   0     6    4   +2     5
3 Amphibian             3    1   2   0     5    4   +1     5
4 Reptile               3    0   0   3     6   12   −6     0

  Directions Group    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 North                 3    3   0   0     8    2   +6     9
2 South                 3    1   1   1     4    4    0     4
3 East                  3    1   0   2     3    7   −4     3
4 West                  3    0   1   2     2    4   −2     1

  Waters Group        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Ocean                 3    1   2   0     7    4   +3     5
2 Sea                   3    1   2   0     6    4   +2     5
3 Gulf                  3    1   1   1     4    5   −1     4
4 Bay                   3    0   1   2     5    9   −4     1

Seeding group winners

First, let’s imagine a conventional seeded bracket, where 1 plays 16, the winner of that octofinal plays the winner of an 8 v. 9 fixture, and so on.

(1) v. (16)                                           (2) v. (15)
(8) v. (9)                                            (7) v. (10)

(4) v. (13)                                           (3) v. (14)
(5) v. (12)                                           (6) v. (11)

We’ll seed the group winners exactly how you’d expect.

Group Winners       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 North                 3    3   0   0     8    2   +6     9
2 Red                   3    2   1   0     5    2   +3     7
3 Kilometer             3    2   1   0     4    1   +3     7
4 Aaa                   3    2   0   1     7    2   +5     6
5 Ocean                 3    1   2   0     7    4   +3     5
6 Mammal                3    1   2   0     7    4   +3     5

The bracket so far looks something like this:

(1-1) North v. (16)                             (1-2) Red v. (15)
(8) v. (9)                                            (7) v. (10)

(1-4) Aaa v. (13)                         (1-3) Kilometer v. (14)
(1-5) Ocean v. (12)                          (1-6) Mammal v. (11)

Seeding group runners-up

Now let’s seed the group runners-up in positions 7-12. It’s impossible to guarantee we won’t have any group stage rematches at all in the knockout stage — after all, if both the group’s winner and runner-up win every match, they’ll eventually meet each other at some point. To make it as unlikely as possible we do get a group rematch in the knockout rounds, however, we’ll place the teams on completely opposite sides of the bracket, so they’d both have to get all the way to the final (or third-place playoff) to see each other again.

North, Aaa, and Ocean have already been seeded on the left side of the bracket, so we’ll lock South, Eee, and Sea into the right side of the bracket. Likewise, Red, Kilometer, and Mammal are already on the right side of the bracket, so we’ll lock Orange, Meter, and Bird into the left side of the bracket. How do those runner-up tables look?

Left Side           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Bird                  3    1   2   0     6    4   +2     5
2 Orange                3    1   2   0     5    3   +2     5
3 Meter                 3    1   2   0     3    2   +1     5

  Right Side          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Eee                   3    2   0   1     7    3   +4     6
2 Sea                   3    1   2   0     6    4   +2     5
3 South                 3    1   1   1     4    4    0     4

So how does our bracket look now that we’re adding in group runners-up?

(1-1) North v. (16)                             (1-2) Red v. (15)
(2L1) Bird v. Orange (2L2)                 (2R1) Eee v. Sea (2R2)

(1-4) Aaa v. (13)                         (1-3) Kilometer v. (14)
(1-5) Ocean v. Meter (2L3)            (1-6) Mammal v. South (2R3)

Seeding third-placed teams

Now comes the tricky part. There will be four third-placed teams in our bracket. Obviously, they have to be in either the left half or the right half of the bracket. Still, we can usually find a way to guarantee we won’t have any group stage rematches until at least the semifinals, as long as it’s possible for us to prohibit teams from being seeded in their own groupmates’ quarters of the bracket. First, let’s see which four third-placed teams we’ll be seeding in the first place.

Third-Placed Teams  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Iii                   3    2   0   1     4    5   −1     6
2 Amphibian             3    1   2   0     5    4   +1     5
3 Yellow                3    1   1   1     3    3    0     4
4 Gulf                  3    1   1   1     4    5   −1     4
5 Centimeter            3    1   0   2     5    5    0     3
6 East                  3    1   0   2     3    7   −4     3

Aaa is in the bottom left quarter and Eee is in the top right quarter, so Iii has to go to the top left or bottom right quarter. Bird is in the top left quarter and Mammal is in the bottom right quarter, so Amphibian has to go to the bottom left quarter or the top right quarter. Orange is in the top left quarter and Red is in the top right quarter, so Yellow has to go to the bottom left quarter or the bottom right quarter. Ocean is in the bottom left quarter and Sea is in the top right quarter, so Gulf has to go to the top left quarter or the bottom right quarter. Let’s look at the possibilities.

Top left: Iii or Gulf
Bottom left: Amphibian or Yellow
Top right: Amphibian
Bottom right: Iii, Yellow, or Gulf

Immediately, we see we have to seed Amphibian in the top right quarter of the bracket. That means Yellow is the only team left that can fit in the bottom left quarter of the bracket. Either Iii or Gulf could fit in the other two quarters, so we give preferential treatment to our top seeds. The third-placed team in the top left corner of the bracket would play the number one seed, while the third-placed team in the bottom right corner of the bracket would play the number three seed. According to the third-placed ranking table, Gulf is a weaker opponent than Iii, so number one overall seed North will get to play Gulf. That puts Gulf in the top left quarter of the bracket, and with the last remaining spot, Iii slots into the bottom right quarter of the bracket.

As a matter of fact, we’ve finished our bracket! Let’s see how it looks:

(1-1) North v. Gulf (3TL)              (1-2) Red v. Amphibian (3TR)
(2L1) Bird v. Orange (2L2)                   (2R1) Eee v. Sea (2R2)

(1-4) Aaa v. Yellow (3BL)              (1-3) Kilometer v. Iii (3BR)
(1-5) Ocean v. Meter (2L3)              (1-6) Mammal v. South (2R3)

Rationale

Now that we know how to make a Qusma-seeded bracket, why would we bother going to all the trouble to do it in the first place? What’s the point of using Qusma seeding instead of conventional methods like group-fixed (A1vB2) or global (1v16) seeding? Qusma seeding preserves the main strengths of both group-fixed seeding and global seeding while avoiding most of their main OOC weaknesses.

Balance

Like both group-fixed seeding and global seeding, Qusma seeding is balanced: every half of the bracket includes three group winners, three runners-up, and two third-placed teams. Every quarter of the bracket includes one or two group winners, one or two runners-up, and one third-placed team.

Group diversity

Unlike global seeding, Qusma seeding has group diversity: group winners and runners-up can’t meet again in a knockout round rematch until the final or third-place playoff, and neither can face their group’s third-placed team until the semifinals. This minimizes the possibility we’ll have any group stage rematches at any point in the knockout stage.

In a conventional 1v16 bracket, (2) Red v. (15) Yellow and (4) Aaa v. (13) Iii would have been immediate group stage rematches in the octofinals. Whether or not any teams were flipped to prevent an octofinal rematch, we could have multiple rematches as soon as the quarterfinals between a certain group’s winner and its runner-up, if they both win just one knockout round match each: (2) Red v. (10) Orange and (3) Kilometer v. (11) Meter. (If seeds aren’t rearranged to avoid group stage rematches, either Red or Yellow could be forced to play two consecutive group rematches and not even play a new team until the semifinals: first playing against each other in the octofinals, then against Orange in the quarterfinals.)

Avoiding group stage rematches is good ICly because they tend to be less exciting fixtures for broadcasters. Avoiding them is good OOCly because facing more different opponents means you have more chances of finding more interesting RP lines by interacting with that other nation, rather than running into the same blank wall twice or using up a good line in the group stage and potentially having to scramble to find something different for the knockout round rematch.

Group advantage

Unlike group-fixed seeding, Qusma seeding is group-neutral: you don’t automatically get assigned different prizes for landing in a certain position in one group as opposed to another. To take the real-life 2024 European Championships as an example, the winners of Group C and F were guaranteed to play third-placed teams in the octofinals and were guaranteed to avoid any group winner until at least the semifinals. Meanwhile, the winners of Groups A and D had to play a runner-up in the hexadecifinals and were en route to play another group winner as soon as the quarterfinals.

This is especially important when host nations get assigned to certain groups automatically: without a group-neutral format, they would be assigning themselves a better or worse path through the knockout stages even before the group draw starts. With so many host nations in this particular tournament, that effect can be magnified, because it’s impossible to simply put every host nation in a bad group. If your team’s own performance affects how weak or strong its path through the knockouts will be, that’s fairer ICly and OOCly than simply getting lucky or unlucky at the draw.

Win incentive

Unlike group-fixed seeding, Qusma seeding also has a global win incentive: it’s better to finish higher in your group table than lower, and it’s better to finish higher in the general table of group winners, or runners-up, or third-placed teams, than lower. If you’ve already guaranteed that you’ve won your group, you still have something to play for on the final matchday. The top four group winners get to play a third-placed team in the octofinals, and the top two group winners don’t have to play another group winner until at least the semifinals. The top two group runners-up in each half of the bracket get to avoid a group winner in the octofinals. The best third-placed teams make it into the bracket in the first place, and better third-placed teams have a better shot at avoiding the top one or two group winners.

With group-fixed seeding, a very weak group winner (in a four-way tie with three or four points in a group consisting of the lowest-ranked teams from each pot) could luck into a dream path against a third-placed team in the octofinals and a guaranteed runner-up in the quarterfinals, while a very strong group winner (with nine points from a group featuring the highest-ranked teams from each pot) could be forced to play a runner-up in the octofinals and potentially another group winner in the quarterfinals, simply because of the group draw. That simply doesn’t strike us as fair.

Disadvantages

One main disadvantage of this system are that it is admittedly more complicated than group-fixed or global seeding, so it is more difficult to understand, and it can take longer to implement or be easier to make mistakes, especially with more inexperienced hosts.

This tournament will be cohosted by Tikariot, who was a cohost for both World Cups which used Qusma seeding, and Qusmo, who hosted or cohosted the first Copa Rushmori and the first World Cup which used Qusma seeding, and for whom the system’s IC name refers to. Furthermore, Qusmo has recently developed a semi-automated tool which sped up the Qusma seeding process for World Cup 100, which could be adapted for Copa Rushmori 50 and its associated youth tournaments, depending on the tournaments’ exact entry numbers and format.

Another disadvantage is that it’s impossible to know which teams you will play against until the group stage has concluded. This is mainly an IC inconvenience, and we plan to ameliorate it by providing ample time ICly between the release of the knockout brackets and their venue assignments and when the first knockout matches actually kick off.

We acknowledge this is also an OOC inconvenience, however, since it does get more difficult to preview possible knockout round paths before or during the group stages. We apologize for this. We do hope that the unique features of this system, including its uncertainty, could present interesting opportunities for RPing, and that any inconvenience is made up for by the fact that the system does its utmost to preserve sporting balance.

Wait who’s even hosting this

Qusmo and Tikariot will be the sole OOC hosts. ICly, however, eight nations from across Pavola will host these tournaments: Qusmo, Tikariot, Kwrpania, Nyowani Kitara, Savojarna, Sanford, the Kytler Peninsulae, and Frjálshöfn. All IC hosts will automatically be assigned to the groups they host, but they will not be automatically assigned to pot one unless their CRF ranking would entitle them to that pot on sporting merit. No host, whether IC or OOC, will receive any host bonus or home advantage in any match.

OOC host information

Qusmo was the host of Copa Rushmori XXXII, where Qusma seeding made its NSS debut; a cohost for World Cup 98, where Qusma seeding made its World Cup debut; and a technical advisor for World Cup 100, where LISA made its World Cup debut. As Sanford, this user hosted Campeonato Rushmori Juvenil XV Sub-20, where a geographic zonal draw and zonal subchampionships made their NSS debuts. As Space Laser Dinosaur Robot Pirate Land, this user hosted CAFA Cup 9, where a geographic zonal draw and subchampionships made their major tournament debuts. As the Federation of the Single Sun, this user also scorinates the Copa del Ganso and did the same for its predecessor tournament, the Copa del Este.

Tikariot was a cohost of Copa Rushmori XXXVI, which was the original West Pavola tournament; World Cup 89, where lots of cool stuff happened; World Cup 98, where Qusma seeding made its World Cup debut; Cup of Harmony 91, where a league stage format made its WCC debut; and World Cup 100, where LISA made its World Cup debut.

Third-party graders and scorinators

Qusmo, Tikariot, Sanford (Qusmo’s puppet), and Norrhem (Tikariot’s puppet) may all be entered in the competitions. None of these teams will be permitted to be drawn in the same group as any other of the hosts’ nations or puppets. Qusmo will be the sole scorinator and grader for groups which include Tikariot or Norrhem, and Tikariot will be the sole scorinator and grader for groups which include Qusmo or Sanford.

During the knockout rounds, neither Qusmo nor Tikariot will grade the RPs of an upcoming opponent of any team representing one of their own nations, nor will they scorinate a fixture of one of their own nations or the fixture that would determine their opponent in the next round, if they win their current fixture.

For example, let’s say that Norrhem is paired against Newbtopia in the octofinals, while Examplestan and Testlandia are the other two teams in that quarter of the bracket. Tikariot would not grade Norrhem’s or Newbtopia’s RPs, and Tikariot would not scorinate the Norrhem–Newbtopia or Examplestan–Testlandia octofinals.

This does pose some potential complications, given three tournaments and three brackets will be handled at once. For example, if Tikariot (or Norrhem) were to play Qusmo (or Sanford) at any point in the knockouts, neither host would grade the other’s RP or scorinate that match. If Tikariot played Examplestan in the Copa Rushmori octofinals, but Qusmo played Examplestan in the Sub-20 octofinals, neither host would grade Examplestan’s RP, although Qusmo could scorinate the Tikariot–Examplestan fixture and Tikariot could scorinate the Qusmo–Examplestan match.

If both Tikariot and Qusmo are ineligible to grade any nation’s RPs in the knockouts under these rules, or if both are ineligible to scorinate any knockout fixture under these rules, the hosts will seek out a neutral third party to assist. If a user has any teams remaining in any of the three tournaments, we would not ask them to third-party grade, and if a user has any teams remaining in a specific tournament, we would not ask them to third-party scorinate for that particular competition.

We plan to assemble a pool of potential third-party scorinators who are trusted by the community to host major tournaments and capable of handling the complexity of this tournament, consisting of users who either never entered the tournament or have already been eliminated. Depending on circumstances and availability, this pool may include users such as Farf, Mert, Snew, or our already-eliminated IC cohosts.

IC host information

Qusmo would host all the third-place playoffs and finals. Tikariot would host all six semifinals. Kwrpania, Nyowani Kitara, Sanford, and Savojarna will host one group each per tournament, with Frjálshöfn also providing a single Sub-20 venue for the Kwrpania Group and the Kytler Peninsulae providing a single Copa Rushmori venue for the Nyowani Kitara Group. Each of these nations will also host a pair of octofinals and a quarterfinal for each tournament. As long as we have at least six groups, Qusmo and Tikariot will also host one group each. Qusmo and Tikariot would host the additional groups should we need seven or eight groups in total.

However many groups are involved, every host’s national team will be automatically assigned to the group its nation hosts, which includes Frjálshöfn and the Kytler Peninsulae being assigned to the Kwrpania and Nyowani Kitara groups, respectively. However, hosts will not be assigned to pot one automatically unless they earn that distinction in the most recent CRF rankings.

All seven of the Copa Rushmori host nations have previously hosted a Copa Rushmori or Campeonato Rushmori Juvenil, and these hosts include the four nations which hosted the most recent World Cup. Accordingly, they will all have the infrastructure in place to host these tournaments again. The tournaments’ use of already-existing stadia will minimize waste and the potential for white elephants, allowing communities to celebrate the beautiful game in a sustainable way.

Venue information

Although the tournament itself will span across the subregion of Pavola, your teams will only have to play in one (or two) nations during the group stage, and your fans will be able to follow the action for all three of their competing senior and youth national teams by travelling from hub to hub. Octofinals and quarterfinals will be hosted in the same nation, then all three tournaments will shift to Tikariot for the semifinals, Qusmo for the third-place playoffs, and the Qusma city of Qanz, specifically, for the finals.

Kwrpania Group

Kwrpania has previously hosted Copa Rushmori XLIX and World Cup 100. One venue in this group — Dragon Park — is located in the nation of Frjálshöfn. After the group stages conclude, Kwrpania and Frjálshöfn would also host two octofinals and one quarterfinal per tournament.

Comp.  Sunset Coast Hub           City              Capacity
Copa   Sunset Coast Arena         Bezbenpam           40 000
S-20   Dragon Park                Frjálshöfn (FRJ)    18 800
S-17   WPF Development Academy    Bezbenpam            2 500

Comp.  Capital Region Hub         City              Capacity
Copa   National Stadium           Tydebwg             52 000
S-20   Capital Park               Kwrpanmap           35 000
S-17   Sazdobsed City Stadium     Sazdobsed            9 200

Comp.  Mother River Hub           City              Capacity
Copa   Thundering Falls Stadium   Tygnad              19 400
S-20   River Society Arena        Zońkwsed            12 500
S-17   Lake Park                  Mebfygme             7 400

Nyowani Kitara Group

Nyowani Kitara has previously hosted Copa Rushmori XLIII. One venue in this group — the CBDN Bowl — is located in the nation of the Kytler Peninsulae. The Kytler Peninsulae has previously hosted Copa Rushmori XLVIII, Copa Rushmori XLIX, World Cup 98, and World Cup 100. After the group stages conclude, Nyowani Kitara and the Kytler Peninsulae would also host two octofinals and one quarterfinal per tournament.

Comp.  Lake Viljan Hub      City          Capacity
Copa   Viljan Lighthouse    Port Viljan     46 000
S-20   Kitara Air Arena     Ibarnet         42 000
S-17   North Rock Stadium   Karora          34 000

Comp.  Dewayo Hub           City          Capacity
Copa   Republic Stadium     Dewayo          63 000
S-20   Blue Flower Arena    Dewayo          48 900
S-17   University Park      Dewayo           9 000

Comp.  Bitternea Hub        City          Capacity
Copa   CBDN Bowl            Cobden (KYP)    42 069
S-20   Mejo Road            Kampagola       21 202
S-17   Tayale Public Park   Tayale          11 200

Savojarna Group

Savojarna has previously hosted Copa Rushmori XXXV. After the group stages conclude, Savojarna would also host two octofinals and one quarterfinal per tournament.

Comp.  Sjoedrhavn Hub                         City        Capacity
Copa   Nationalstadion Carl Gustaf Bjurman    Sjoedrhavn    76 800
S-20   Stadion Dynamo                         Sjoedrhavn    42 300
S-17   Sjoedrhavns Stadsstadion               Sjoedrhavn    28 400

Comp.  Rusya Coast Hub                        City        Capacity
Copa   Stadion Admiral Rjurden                Pawlograd     59 500
S-20   Stadion Alexei Sacharov                Pawlograd     40 400
S-17   NUSArena                               Savojagrad    27 700

Comp.  Storevik Hub                           City        Capacity
Copa   Marinestadion                          Storevik      48 000
S-20   Ejansk Stadion                         Storevik      41 000
S-17   Ejansk Universitet Main Sports Field   Storevik      16 000

Sanford Group

Sanford has previously hosted Campeonato Rushmori Juvenil XV Sub-20. After the group stages conclude, Sanford would also host two octofinals and one quarterfinal per tournament.

Comp.  Sanford Falls Hub               City           Capacity
Copa   Tommy Sanford PREMIER Stadium   Sanford Falls    33 700
S-20   Overland Stadium                Sanford Falls     6 500
S-17   Hamlin Woods Field              Sanford Falls    10 000

Comp.  Mnisose River Hub               City           Capacity
Copa   The ValleyDome                  Red Stream        9 100
S-20   Discovery Archeodome            McGovern          3 000
S-17   Riverside Park                  Lewiston          1 600

Comp.  Northern Plains Hub             City           Capacity
Copa   The Checkerboard                Derry            19 300
S-20   Citizens Bank Field             Granite City      6 000
S-17   Redlin Stadium                  Redlin            5 000

Tikariot Group

Tikariot has previously hosted Copa Rushmori XXXVI, World Cup 89, World Cup 98, and World Cup 100. After the group stages conclude, Tikariot would also host each tournament’s semifinals.

Comp.  Tech Triangle Hub          City         Capacity
Copa   Solaria Crown Arena        Parakleion     69 000
S-20   Borealis Stadium           Miruan         56 000
S-17   Knightsbridge Park         Vantanoch      51 000

Comp.  Viljamark Hub              City         Capacity
Copa   Citadel of the North       Fort Viljan    40 000
S-20   Skarramark Arena           Skarraborg     42 000
S-17   The Den                    Samojaara      21 000

Comp.  Emerald Hub                City         Capacity
Copa   Jewel of the Coast         Carathyr       72 000
S-20   Curse of the Black Pearl   Carathyr       42 000
S-17   Union Square               Varathos       34 500

Qusmo Group

Qusmo has previously hosted Copa Rushmori XXXII, World Cup 98, and World Cup 100. After the group stages conclude, Qusmo would also host each tournament’s third-place playoffs and finals.

Comp.  Qanz Hub          City   Capacity
Copa   Mastad Qusma      Qanz     80 000
S-20   Mastad Qastyra    Qanz     74 758
S-17   Mastad Qalijana   Qanz     22 491

Comp.  Polan Hub         City   Capacity
Copa   Mastad Poldanza   Polan    60 333
S-20   Mastad Poljaka    Polan    29 619
S-17   Mastad Polxara    Polan    18 559

Comp.  Atlem Hub         City   Capacity
Copa   Mastad Atlova     Atlem    72 000
S-20   Mastad Atlanta    Atlem    42 000
S-17   Mastad Atlarka    Atlem    34 500

Pavola Group

In the event the tournament requires at least seven groups, Tikariot would host an additional group. Tikariot would not play in this group, and none of the group’s venues would host any matches beyond the group stages. To avoid confusion, it would be referred to as the Pavola group.

Comp.  Lake Ceydian Hub   City            Capacity
Copa   The Granary        Morannon          59 000
S-20   Blackthorne Park   Thorncliff        59 000
S-17   Lamarr Field       Ceramadhion       43 000

Comp.  Port Rho Hub       City            Capacity
Copa   Oceanview Park     Port Rhovanyon    63 000
S-20   Oldham Lane        Port Rhovanyon    29 000
S-17   Island Arena       Grahel            18 000

Comp.  Yavash Hub         City            Capacity
Copa   Pineridge Park     Anhedron          44 000
S-20   Sobodra Stadium    Seycardhu         43 800
S-17   Parapark           Pedipan           21 000

Xandrian Sea Group

In the event the tournament requires eight groups, Qusmo would host an additional group. Qusmo would not play in this group, and none of the group’s venues would host any matches beyond the group stages. To avoid confusion, it would be referred to as the Xandrian Sea group.

Comp.  Kolle Hub         City    Capacity
Copa   Mastad Koflira    Kolle     80 000
S-20   Mastad Kozona     Kolle     74 758
S-17   Mastad Kobata     Kolle     22 491

Comp.  Vlyv Hub          City    Capacity
Copa   Mastad Vlonza     Vlyv      60 333
S-20   Mastad Voraxana   Vlyv      29 619
S-17   Mastad Vloska     Vlyv      18 559

Comp.  Veq Hub           City    Capacity
Copa   Mastad Trewa      Tracam    52 022
S-20   Mastad Trosoca    Tracam    44 851
S-17   Mastad Werzina    Wexe      31 315

You keep using that word, “hub”

Each group has three hubs. Each hub consists of three stadia: one for the Copa, one for the Sub-20, and one for the Sub-17.

If Qusmo v. Examplestan is listed as the matchday one fixture in the Qanz Hub of the Qusmo Group, that means that Qusmo Sub-20 v. Examplestan Sub-20 will be played at Mastad Qastyra, then Qusmo Sub-17 v. Examplestan Sub-17 will be played at Mastad Qalijana, then Qusmo v. Examplestan will be played at Mastad Qusma. All three fixtures will be scorinated at the same time and for the same cutoff OOCly, but the matches will happen on three separate days ICly.

All three venues within a particular hub are located within the same city, metro area, or general region of the country, so it is relatively easy to travel between different stadia, fan fests, and accommodations within the same hub. Furthermore, every group consists of either nine venues within the same nation, or eight such venues plus one additional stadium very close by.

This way, your national federation staff and your nation’s travelling fans can stay within a particular hub for a three-day period and attend one match featuring their nation every day, with all fixtures being relatively close by and easy to get to. Then, once the matchday has concluded, teams, staff, officials, and fans can travel to another hub within the same nation and do it again, for the entire length of the group stage. Especially with action in other groups so spread out internationally, we hope that travelling supporters of senior national teams will be able to support their youth teams and pack their stadia much more easily, even if they wouldn’t travel to a foreign nation just to watch a youth tournament specifically.

It’s finally the end

We hope you enjoy our eight-nation, pan-Pavolan bid to host Copa Rushmori 50, Campeonato Rushmori Juvenil XVIII Sub-20, and Campeonato Rushmori Juvenil XVIII Sub-17. We anticipate you may have some questions, and we gladly invite any you may have. We’re excited for this tournament, and we’re excited for this moment in Rushmori history. We hope to celebrate it together with you.

Passion. Pride. Possibility.
It runs through us all.

[Eastfield Lodge]

Yes, and pre-confirming Olastor

[Olastor]

Yes, and pre-confirming Olastor

This

[Karst Socialist Republic]

We're in!

[Captina Island]

Captina coming home!

[Oberour Ar Moro]

To one side,
On a stunt stub of pine, only one
Raw splay of green showing, a magpie,
Wag-tailed in wind, sits and with eyes
Like shiny, black old-fashioned
Shoebuttons observes you.

He has been waiting for something funny and disastrous
to happen. Like Oberour Ar Moro entering the Copa Rushmori and pre-confirming Igratia.

- Robert Penn Warren, somewhat

[Igratia]

To one side,
On a stunt stub of pine, only one
Raw splay of green showing, a magpie,
Wag-tailed in wind, sits and with eyes
Like shiny, black old-fashioned
Shoebuttons observes you.

He has been waiting for something funny and disastrous
to happen. Like Oberour Ar Moro entering the Copa Rushmori and pre-confirming Igratia.

- Robert Penn Warren, somewhat

Right.