Copa Rushmori LI (51) - Everything Thread

by **Kordavia** » Sat Jul 25, 2026 3:28 am

Kordavia were held to a disappointing draw on their opening day of the Copa Rushmori in a result that will make progression out of the group stage much more difficult for the Eagles. With matches against the tournament’s #2 and #7 seeds to come, a full three points from their first match were crucial, but a late equaliser dashed Kordavian hopes and held them to just one. With no Lukas Müller or Arvid Kolvan in the squad, Niklas Greb out of the starting XI, and all-time NT top scorer Lukas Dren sitting on the bench, this was very much a new look for the Eagles under new head coach Jonathan Frehner, formerly of SV Altwein 09. A small but loyal band of green-and-white suited fans trooped to the Stilinkeep Stadium to watch Adrian Schifter lead out the NT for the first time as captain, while a young midfield core of Tom Ruud and Michael Stöcker replaced the veterans. Aleksandr Becker and Benjamin Kanner were among those providing a link to the past.

The promise of the future shone bright early on: a clever looping ball into the box from Ruud was poorly cleared, and Theodor Geijer, the exciting talent out of Frostheim who at just 21 already has a dozen NT caps under his belt, pounced on the loose ball to poke an unglamorous but effective shot in off the far post. But Kordavian celebrations didn’t last long. Their opponents’ tricky style of moving two paces forward then leaping one to the side (or one pace forward then two to the side) led to Stöcker poorly timing a challenge in the box. Though it was but a flesh wound, and despite VAR ruling that that was actually a reference to a completely different part of the film, the penalty decision stood, and Lancelot¹ sent Schifter the wrong way to level the score. Just 90 seconds later, Kanner won a corner which Bohan Turek swung into the box. It was headed clear, but only as far as Ruud, who hit a scorching volley. As every Kordavian on the pitch and in the stands yelled “don’t kick it!!”, he fucking kicked it, and it improbably swerved into the top corner for a goal he will be unlikely to repeat in a hundred attempts.

The Eagles nearly held their 2–1 lead, but with two minutes of regulation remaining, mounting opposition attacks proved too much, and Romani Ite Domum bundled in a late cross to ensure Kordavia Eunt Domus’d with just a solitary point. There was some confusion in added time as Galahad was shown a red card, to which he had a curiously muted reaction, but Kordavia proved unable to put another serious attempt on goal. Frehner’s decision not to bring on Dren raised eyebrows among pundits, with some feeling he had gone too defensive instead of pressing for more goals to make the lead safe. The Eagles will remain in the appalling multicultural hellhole Stilinkeep, a grim monument to the decadence and decaying cultural values of the region, for their match against Oberour Ar Moro. The Dragoons qualified for World Cup 101 and reached the quarterfinals of the last CR, contributing to their #2 seeding, and will be formidable opponents.

Knights 2 – 2 Kordavia
16’ Theodor Geijer
31’ Lancelot (pen.)
33’ Tom Ruud
85’ Romani Ite Domum
Yellow cards: Benjamin Kanner, Jonas Volyn
Red card: Galahad

¹ Kordavia does not generally recognise titles of nobility.

by **Pasarga** » Sat Jul 25, 2026 8:49 am

The dual islands are perhaps a nation that is in the middle of a bit of a cultural flux, as the past of the nation that was once looked upon with great shame and disdain has been recently looked on with more objectivity. The fall of the original empire that the Pasargan people originate from was a societal wound that festered over and never did quite heal, there was no scar to show that passage of time where the people had come to accept what had happened and moved past it to where they were. That wound was there for centuries even as the Pariis built a new nation here in Pargis and Peynol, the dual islands that make up our lovely nation of Pasarga. As Torgos, Stein-los, Paulinthal, Lunas, and Stilinkeep all rose and became prominent cities not just within the nation but in all of Rushmore, there beneath the surface was the shame of the Pasargan people and the refusal to acknowledge it, to accept what had happened and that it was through no fault of the people themselves. That Pasargans hid their ancestral names behind those adapted from the rest of Rushmore speaks to how deep this wound has been in the psychology of the Pasargan people.

However about two decades ago now a professor by the name of Rayn Ferxzyelli at the University of Torgos lead a team to study what they could about what actually transpired in the waning days, months, and years of the old Empire. A tenured professor at the university and nearing retirement age, Rayn did not have any concerns about any potential fallout from going against the tradition of letting the history be what was recorded and passed down one generation to the next to the point where the story had become so simple that no one could even remember the name of their original homeland or nation. He feared that the latter might be lost to time but he was hoping to find some new details about how the former empire was governed, what sort of state was it in when it fell to the foreign invaders, and any other contextual clues about the general state of the people and the culture that they had. All that seemed left of the culture that the Pariis had left behind when they fled the former homeland had been the worship of the Sacred Fire, where even the name of the religion it was supposed to be a central tenet of had fallen by the wayside.

The study lasted nearly two years as Rayn and his team of nearly a dozen academics tried to sift through the past to uncover whatever it was that they were able to, which had proven quite difficult. There were a handful of records and books from the time of the founding of Pasarga and shortly therafter but they were almost all kept locked away either to preserve them as they were in a state of decay that would see them collapsed if not handled in a sterile environment or in restricted sections of government run libraries. Rayn had feared that they were going to run into a dead end upon the discovery of the situation of many of these texts as he would need someone in the government to sponsor his study and grant his team the authority to handle these precious documents and records, which given the stigma around the topic of their research seemed very unlikely. Fortunately for the professor, both Queen Azra and King Aslan were both students and history and were interested in what results that this study might provide and the research team was not given just a governmental sponsorship but a full on royal one, giving complete access to all government archives, though it did come with being under supervision by archivists to ensure the safe handling of the texts.

That access lead to the discovery of many cultural clues to how the former empire that all Pasargans now descended from as well as the state of the nation as he had been hoping for. The team discovered that the original name for the people had been the Hagadi, though that did not seem to be the name of the empire based on contextual clues in the various texts. There was hints the empire itself was referred to simply as The Empire of the Dawn but whether that was an official title or what it was simply known as by the common people the team could not say. More notably, the team uncovered what appeared to be a massive tax ledger that included a long list of names of the old traditional naming system that only the royal family to this day followed at all. Perhaps the biggest discovery was that the invasion happened during a time of political instability for the nation as their had been a disputed succession during a particularly bad drought and a few years of economic downturn that had seen the standing army reduced from nearly twenty thousand to just about eight thousand that was spread thin across the Empire. The nation had been at its weakest point in decades when the steppe people invaded and crushed the Hagadi people, sending them off into exile to become the Pariis and eventually settling into Pasarga.

The publication of his study has started to seemingly heal that wound as people now more freely discuss the history of the people and in a new context as well. Part of the sign of that healing is that there has been a huge surge in children in the last seventeen years who have been named in the traditional style of the old empire rather than adopting the Rushmori linked names. Whether the nation ever truly gets over its troubled past is something that will no doubt take decades to observe, perhaps even longer as Pasargans have not exactly been known to adapt to change at a quick pace. Though if the adoption of the traditional Pasargan names is any indication, it does at least seem like there is a large portion of the population that is open and willing to have the cultural healing of the wound, even if it does take time. What that means for the future of Pasargan culture is an interesting question in of itself, though one would hope that it could only result in good and better things for the Pasargan people as well as those who interact with them on the day to day basis.

by **Tikariot** » Sat Jul 25, 2026 8:54 am

Belja, Pasarga. Tikariot’s headquarters for the Copa Rushmori 51. Or rather, the headquarters for the Runeborn Chronicles campaign of parts of the Tikariot national team. Wiołeta Motyka, Solfrid Frøya Fiskerstrand-Kyvåg, Andarra and Socorra Belfrage, Daniel Sankalin and Mikael Danderyd are in the sideroom that Thunderforge Records have completely transformed, in full costumes.

The Game Master, who has now been identified as Thomas Mostra, is giving them the campaign setup, still mostly oblivious to the characters that have gathered around him.

“You are a group of adventurers embarking from the citadel town of Xatverrak high in the Xarkian Range.”

“Xatverrak?” Motyka raises an eyebrow. “Why on earth would we be there? That’s middle of nowhere and then turn left!”

Thomas takes a deep breath. “As I said, you are embarking from Xatverrak, sent out by the Xarkian Queen from the court of Xanark to find the lair of the legendary dragon Xoruar who has been terrorizing the queendom for generations and has taken her only daughter captive. Now, you have been tasked to rescue the princess.”

“Isn’t that a little tropey?” Andarra asks.

“Uh, well, maybe a little? But just think about you six going into a dragon’s lair.”

Daniel raises a hand. “What level are we?”

“You’re starting as level ones.”

“So, you’re telling me that you’re sending a party of complete newbs right into the lair of a legendary dragon?”

“Yeah,” Solfroy adds, “shouldn’t we maybe, I don’t know, work on our characters and level up, get stronger and all so we don’t just end up being a light morning snack?”

Thomas raises both hands. “Alright, alright, you’re right. Got carried away a bit. So, ehm, let’s pivot. How about you roam the countryside a bit and see what you come across so you can build up your characters?”

“Excellent,” Motyka tents her fingers. “Let’s engage in some mischief.”

“May the gods have mercy on Xark…” Solfroy mumbles.

Over the next half hour, the group explores the countryside around Xatverrak. Dan attempts to engrave some runes onto his sword and manages to make it glow in the dark, but it also emits a squeak with every hit.

Socorra experiments with some runes in the forest and communicates with animals and trees, leading the group to a clearing full of plants with healing abilities and some fruit for sustenance. Solfroy uses her Glyphseer abilities to map out the area and find patterns of monster activity, which brings them to a goblin camp.

“Ooh, action incoming!” Motyka coos, grabbing the rune sheet they were provided with. “Let’s see…”

While she is studying the runes available to her, San and Dan opt for a head-on approach, going in with swords swinging. The Belfrages lend some magic support while Solfroy casts spells to discover weaknesses in the goblins. Their successes are rather mixed, with missed swings, spells not landing and the sheer number of goblins threatening to overwhelm them.

Dan hits a goblin.

“Squeak.”

Every goblin turns around, briefly breaking their concentration.

“I cast fireball!” Socorra shouts.

“You don’t know that spell,” Thomas douses her enthusiasm.

“Can I cast anything with fire?”

Thomas checks his notes. “You can light torches.”

“What good does that do?”

“You can ensure everybody can see us getting mowed down properly,” Andarra replies dryly.

“Can someone heal me?!?” Daniel has taken a crit and is bleeding.

Socorra is checking her list of supplies. “Eat a cohoca berry!”

The battle rages on, with the advantages shifting with every turn, but the goblins begin to push the group into a corner. Then, suddenly…

“I carve Mor, Nex, Echo and Vex!”

Everybody turns to Motyka. Thomas consults his rune list.

“That’s Endings, Connection, Memory and Chain. What on earth is this?”

“I let death spread through the goblins like a chain.”

“Uh, okay… I’m not sure those things can be combined, but here goes.” Thomas types the combination into the tablet to ensure he gets it right. His face pales as he begins to read.

“The runes’ power combines and every remaining goblin starts to remember the death of another goblin, even though they are still all alive. They experience memories of stabbing, burning alive and drowning. Half of them collapse to the ground, screaming, more run from the camp, screaming as if being hunted by a pack of rabid wolflings. Ehm, you won the battle.”

“Hah! Voidwalker for the win!” Motyka wears her most shit-eating grin ever.

Thomas looks at her in disbelief. “Did you really intend for this to happen?”

“Uh, well, maybe not exactly that, I just wanted to chain death…”

Solfroy rifles through the handbook. “You didn’t chain together death but only memories of dying, just as if they were experiencing it themselves.”

Thomas scribbles into his notebook. “Note to the devs: Never let a Voidwalker improvise.”

by **Chromatika** » Sat Jul 25, 2026 9:03 am

Of all the uncertainties facing the Anomalies' future, Attacking Midfielder/Advanced Playmaker isn't one of them.

Historically, there are the greats like Baillaire Fillar, Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov, Haley Hauser, and more recently, Evin Françine-Miklavivec. More recently, the likes of Maddie Prenn has completely taken over, the twenty-six year old already having 84 caps to her name. It was due to Maddie's eclipsing of fifty caps that Lee Hyeon-Seol and Linnea Karjalainen stepped into this Copa Rushmori, and they made the most of it.

In a match that may otherwise be remembered for the defensive struggles of one Jill Swanson and the back three, Lee and Karjalainen combined for two goals and two assists as the Chromatiks survived a Pridnestrovian onslaught to ultimately prevail 4-3 in the first matchup of Chromatika's at Rushmore's biggest stage. Lily Sullivan opened the scoring in the fifth minute on a breakaway ball from Lee, but then Pridnestrovia responded with two goals in ten minutes as the Chromatik defense broke down through the center. Coming out of halftime, Eden Gundsdorf shifted to being more of a pivot central midfielder, allowing Linnea to press up with Lee - and the added pressure, despite conceding on more goal, allowed the Chromatiks to score three more times to ultimately prevail.

It's the gap between Gundsdorf and Han Cunningham that proved to be the problem against Pridnestrovia, but it also can be questioned whether or not many other teams will be able to take advantage of this weakness like their first opponents did. With Sanford and Norrhem on the horizon, the likelihood of the Anomalies making the knockouts is all but certain - which allows Myeong to have a bit more time to theorycraft, to determine how to put his spin on the way that the Anomalies play, and to see if they can evolve throughout the tournament.

As to the play of Swanson, Interim Manager Myeong was a bit reserved when it came to criticizing the keeper.

"Could she have played the situations better? Sure, there's always room for improvement. However, when you're constantly put at risk, you're going to fold... We're going to have to do a much better job of maintaining our shape if we are to make inroads in this tournament, and we didn't give her a chance to thrive."

Swanson will start the second match against Norrhem. If she falters there, there may be talk about Aniston - as is expected from two keepers that have been joined at the hip from the very beginning of their Chromatik careers.

And if they continue to struggle, at least they know that there are two players playing the best ball of their careers in this tournament.

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Sat Jul 25, 2026 9:07 am

The "group of death" started easily enough in theory with the softest on-paper opponent in Nyowani Kitara. It was simultaneously a clash of neighbours and not; there are, after all, relatively few Bitterneans playing soccer at all, and none in the side that were held to a painful draw by the small, war-torn nation on the other side of the Kytlerian exclave from Tikariot.

Ten minutes in, a surprisingly heavily-changed side - as if to make a statement of preparedness to change after Thomas Hooker stepped down from the Kytlerian job he never planned on taking at all and certainly not under the circumstances he did, even if his replacement was the woman whose only prior managerial experience was as Hooker's successor at Aardswood - got the early breakthrough, Zorno-Zorno's early cross of sorts being only half-cleared by the Kitaran defender and falling into the path of the onrushing Astrid Noble to control with one touch and curl into the bottom right with her second; first cap, first goal, boom. Just how you'd draw it up, one of the young guns commencing the new era in style.

The team then proceeded to spend the remaining 80 minutes undoing that promise piece by piece.

There were mistakes in possession - one by Noble to spurn a promising attack, a bigger one by Davíð Svensson to set up a shock Kitaran equaliser on the half-hour, a calamitous one by Felix Jansen that only went unpunished because of a fine covering tackle from Zorno-Zorno - and frustration spilled out in the form of multiple uncharacteristically ill-judged tackles from multiple players, Jansen lucky to avoid a red card for one in first-half stoppage time. He was an inevitable sacrifice at the interval, but a frustrated Amelia Ibsdóttir ended up using her entire set of substitutions before the 70-minute mark - notably ending up with virtually the same XI that started the WC101 opener, as if to say "you had your chance, you blew it" to all the players she bought in, and never mind that one of them had literally scored the team's only slani goal of the match. And then Zachary Edwards-Hillier had to limp off injured just four minutes later, forcing the Kytlerians to chase the match with only ten on the field - something they inevitably couldn't do, in fact the Kitarans should have won it themselves but for two glaring late misses.

On this evidence, if Qusmo don't beat the Kytlerians this time they never will. Before that, Olastor - fresh from an opening 1-0 win over Qusmo - can lock down top spot in the group with a game to spare by beating these Kytlerians, and almost certainly will. And already, the vultures are circling around Amelia Ibsdóttir.

by **Greater Sanford** » Sat Jul 25, 2026 9:39 am

Midcon Sports Network

Sanford starts Copa by picking up a point
Sanford 1–1 Norrhem to open the tournament in Pasarga

Sanford marked their return to the Copa Rushmori today with their best-ever opening-day performance: a one-all draw with Norrhem.

Encouragingly, the team in green was able to recover from a poor start. After Christoffer Nordenskjöld’s early, mazy run to welcome Sanford to the tournament with a sixth-minute goal, there were real concerns about Sanford’s ability to compete. However, after the first fifteen minutes, the team settled into the match and seemed to gain much more composure. They looked more defensively sound, and were much better at retaining possession, the rest of the way.

Sanford’s equalizer wasn’t unexpected, then, but it did come from a somewhat unlikely source. Logan Jerke lofted up a corner, and it was Madison Dahl to rose above the rest to head it down and into the goal. The central defender scored her first-ever goal for the national team: one that, ultimately, secured her team’s first point of the tournament.

After half time, Sanford kept up their momentum. Although both teams had their moments, Sanford may have even felt disappointed just taking one point from this fixture. Given the fixtures ahead, perhaps Sanford will have needed a winner today against the bottom-seeded pot two team in the competition to advance to the knockout rounds. The opposition ahead are foreboding: top-pot Pridnestrovia from East Pavola and newly-arrived West Pavolan team Chromatika, unranked and pot four in the CRF ledger but twelfth in the KPB+ rankings, very nearly the best team by that metric in all of Rushmore.

Overall, though, it’s a performance Frank Vehle could be proud of. The estimable former manager of Corn Palace and Sanford Falls PREMIER had led Sanford at their debut at Copa Rushmori XLI and had agreed to come out of retirement to be an assistant for new national team manager Ron Naeve when the national team returned to this tournament last cycle. Despite his absence, Sanford’s team had no less of the defensive solidity, tireless effort, and refusal to quit no matter the odds that defined Vehle’s best teams. No matter what the intra-Pavolan fixtures ahead may hold, it seems the torch has been passed in Sanfordan soccer.

PREMIER Football Star! celebrated its tenth-cycle anniversary with a new edition of the game. Originally released to commemorate Sanford’s bid to host Copa Rushmori XLI, PREMIER Football Star! has delighted its dozens of fans for years, and developers decided that this would be a fantastic opportunity to update teams and features ~~and D. Tommy Sanford’s bank account balance~~.

As the game does not have official licenses for tournaments, teams, federations, or players, original crests have had to be devised, and the game’s player names are suspiciously similar, but not identical, to the names of real-life players at Copa Rushmori LI. Notably, a character with a suspicious resemblance to KF Koflir left winger Grant Haas has appeared as a star player from Sanford named Granny Hass, which has helped the game briefly go moderately viral, though perhaps not in exactly the same way as its creators would have intended.

by **Three Golden Kingdoms** » Sat Jul 25, 2026 9:42 am

The Imperial Guard had gone into that game against the Eastfielders knowing that they were likely up against it with the differences in talent between the two teams, especially with the Kingdoms not having a professional domestic league and the Eastfielders having one of the best in the sport. The national team had been doing as well as they could at the regional tournaments but without a proper league the team knew that they were likely always going to be fighting an uphill battle regardless of how good the players on the national team ended up performing. It was maybe why there was that lack of consistency for the Guard going from one Copa Rushmori to another, they could catch lightning in a bottle for a few games and have a good performance but trying to do so again in two years time is always going to be difficult to achieve. The Eastfielders punished the Guard's naivety in the defense, with Alexander Jager's team striking four times against the Guard, with Enoch Ingersleben grabbing a brace, while Boet Caceres scoring off a set piece, and Scripps heading in a goal off the corner in the eighty-ninth that finished off the game and any hope of a Goldenite comeback to share the points.

Tian Jiang has to consider the match to be a learning experience as the team had been able to show a bit of fight back after going into the half time break down two to nothing and had made it three to two with Zhao Zemin and Dai Bao striking in the sixty-seventh and seventy-first minute respectively. The team had played a game where they had tried to give it their all to try and pull the rug out from underneath the feet of their Eastfileder foes but it simply had not been enough. That tenacity though was going to have to stay and be quite effective if the team was going to grab a result in either of their last two games, as Tikariot was a far better team than what their official ranking might have implied. They had held a formidable Darmen team to only a pair of goals, though their attack had lacked the bite to make the Darmeni team pay for their lack of dominance in the game, which hopefully that lack of real bite in the Darmen game will still be there when the two teams clash on the final matchday. The odds seem quite high now that the team was going to be going into that match with needing a result to have a chance to advance out of this quite competitive group.

On paper the clash between Tikariot and the Imperial Guard was going to be a clash between two teams who wanted to get out on the front foot and impose their attack on the opposition. Tikariot with their professional and quite popular league definitely have the advantage when it comes to a sheer talent perspective, they have players playing at some of the best clubs in the world and the Guard simply do not. The tenacity and resilience of the opening match is the grit and determination that makes the Guard a tough out even if it does not look like a tie where the team can go into it thinking that they are going to come out with a result. Dai Bao is the head of the attack and flubbed a pair of chances against the Eastfielders that if he had been able to put into the back of the net might have allowed the team to take a draw from the more favored side instead of the defeat they suffered. Being more clinical in front of net will be one way the team can hope to improve their performances and hopefully be able to get four points from these last two games and see their way into the knockout stages.

by **A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni** » Sat Jul 25, 2026 10:27 am

A postgame discussion between the knights - likely in Pasarga somewhere, though knowing the nomadic nature of these people they could be as far away as Aeragny or Hispinas, if they've worked up the courage to swim

"I heard the Kordavian minstrels are refusing to call us Sir," said Sir Bedevere. "As a protest against nobility. How rude."

"What they don't seem to understand," said Sir Lancelot, "is that we are a freely associated group of people, and Sir is the title more for membership in this group than anything else. It's more as if Patsy is a title of anti-nobility than Sir is a title of nobility."

"We don't need to worry about what the Kordavians think, though, we've already played them," he continued. "We just need to look at our next match."
"Eastfield Lodge?"
"No, Sir Deja Vu."

In came a man, rushing more than anyone in Rushmore had ever rushed, more or less.

"Sorry I missed the first game," said Sir Bors. "My leg nearly got bitten off by a tiger."
"Well, did it?"
"Did it what?"
"Bite your leg off."
"Um, well,"
"Well? Well, did it?"
"Did it what?"
"Bite your leg off."
"I have two legs, so"
"Didn't you use to have three?"
"Shut up, Sir Net, substitutes aren't allowed to talk."
"Well, did it?"
"No, it didn't, it nearly did but it didn't."
"Well, was it?"
"Was it what?"
"A tiger."
"It was-"
"So it was a tiger?"
"Was it? They're pretty rare around these parts."
"Sir Bors had to travel a long way to get here, though - he had to go through-"
"Eastfield Lodge?"
"No, Sir Deja Vu."
"But it was a tiger?"
"It was-"
"It was?"
"Was it?"
"It what?"
"A whatsit?"
"Look at us whizzes."
"Shut up, Sir Net, substitutes aren't allowed to talk."
"But was it?"
It wasn't, it was two in a tiger suit.
"You know, tigers eat llamas."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, we're offering that prize for anyone who can figure out where we're from, but nobody's even applied for it."
"Nobody wants llamas, this isn't Esportiva."
"Exactly, so that's why I want to make the prize better."
"How?"
"Two llamas."
"Not Ezekiel!"
"We all must make sacrifices, Milt."

by **Bonusia** » Sat Jul 25, 2026 10:30 am

GROUP STAGE
MD 1 - Bonusia 2-2 Airannia - D
@ Crescent Park, Lunas, Pasarga
MD 2 - Bonusia vs Zenic
@ Stade de Torgos, Torgos, Pasarga
MD 3 - Bohr vs Bonusia
@ Stilinkeep Stadium, Stilinkeep, Pasarga

OPINION: Rivals, where are they?
An article by Aina Pereira

TORGOS, PASARGA - As Bonusia approaches it's third full cycle partaken in the wider multiversal football and establishes itself as a regular force amongst the nations of the wider realities it now constantly interacts with, the Space Labubus, both the squad and it's black-dressed fans, have been experiencing firsts moments left and right. Their first games, their first tournament, their first win, their first qualifying game, their first upset win, their first upset loss, their first knockout round and, for our glorious juvenile team, their first title win. All these moments the nation has absorbed and assimilated as Bonusia as a whole adapts to having interactions with other proper nations, something Bonusians really didn't need to do ever since the unification of the country.

However, as time goes, it seems like the only thing Bonusia lacks to be a proper sporting nation is a proper rival to quarrel with. Finding out their trans-portal island made them a Rushmori nation, it would be wise to assume that, eventually, another nation in the region would develop some sort of transnational rivalry with us, and viceversa; yet, two full cycles seems to be not enough time for such a bond to emerge. However, some sparks of what could be classified as a "regional rivalry" seem to light in the Rushmori scene for Bonusia.

Many talk about Qusmo and its crescent interconnectedness with Bonusia, regarding football at least. As of now, Qusmi'y national team players Vralx-Ilinx Tla and Pilta-Zorno Xam play in the Primera Divisió Bonusiana, while Bonusian regular Antoni Obiols has departed to Qusmo to play with Poldanz in the League of the Single Sun. These are the most notorious player exchanges amongst many more that have occurred between two leagues with potential, and symbolizes a connection that is strenghtening as cycles go by. More than 67% of sociological researchers believe that this connection combined with some games between the Caldera Sun and the Space Labubus should eventually spark a regional rivalry.

To this day, however, there has only been one direct game between Bonusia and Qusmo. Any Bonusian who doesn't live isolated within a 5km radius will remember the match where the yet not so proven Black Star defeated what essentially were the Copa hosts in their home turf, knocking them out of the tournament. It wasn't a pretty game, but the tenacity of the Bonusian midfield earned the team a win for history. According to some of the brightest sectors of the Bonusian fanbase, "that win must've stinged their non-binary asses"; however, it remains uncertain what was the impact of the defeat to the Xandrian nation, specially after their recent success in the latest World Cup held in Paradystopia and Farfadillis. Even with the significance of that game in the copa, more games seem to be needed in order to successfuly brew a brand new rivalry.

But if we talk about games played, then the other big candidate to establish a quarrelling bond with is, without a doubt, Zenic. This Copa included, The Survivors will have played Bonusia in a total of 3 out of the 4 official tournaments the Llimanian nation has ever partaken in, without including the Baptism of Fire. One way or another, the Zenicians have been very present in the early days of our national team. The first two of the encounters between Zenic and Bonusia came in the World Cup 100 qualifying campaign. In that moment, Zenic came as big favourites to qualify directly to the World Cup, while Bonusia came fresh off the BoF quarterfinals, without any experience facing the big national teams around the multiverse.

However, that game in Manacus ended in a surprising 1-1 draw, as Casas' rebound equalized the game, gave Bonusia a point to keep them dreaming on qualification and, most importantly, made a statement about Bonusia's determination to make an impact in the multiversal football scene. Sadly, though, some slip-ups along the way made the return game in Tarraconova pointless for both teams. That game ended in a 1-0 win for Bonusia thanks to a goal from Yonatan Morad in what was a pretty festive environment in Tarraconova, despite the non-qualification to the World Cup.

The third match between Bonusia and Zenic came in the quarterfinals of the Campeonato Rushmori Juvenil Sub-17, a game that was much more tense than the two previous ones, and yet very chaotic in nature, as both teams went back and forth making their attempts at goal. Despite this, only an attempt by Basurto was able to hit the back of the net, setting the result in a 1-0 for Zenic. Yenifer Morad, after losing and being denied every attempt, displayed unsportly behaviour by refusing to congratulate the Little Survivors, something that didn't set good with the Zenician squad and that left both teams with a bitter aftertaste, and it will be seen whether this bad feeling shapes the game between the major squads that will take place in the city of Torgos for this edition of the Copa Rushmori.

Qusmo and Zenic are not the only ones that could eventually establish a rivalry with Bonusia. Other nations around Rushmore, such as Tikariot, and around the wider multiverse, such as Snestar, Calgasia or Katzeburg, have played several games against Bonusia and have strongly intertwinned. However, a search for a worthy rival is still needed to complete the Bonusian experience of being a nation open to the multiverse.

by **Pasarga** » Sat Jul 25, 2026 10:31 am

Matchday 2

Group A
Concordia 0–3 Kwrpania
Pasarga 4–1 Taeshan

P                        Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts 
1 Kwrpania                 2     2    0    0      7     1    +6      6     Q
2 Pasarga                  2     2    0    0      7     2    +5      6     Q
3 Concordia                2     0    0    2      1     6    −5      0
4 Taeshan                  2     0    0    2      2     8    −6      0

Group B
Qusmo 2–0 Nyowani Kitara
Olastor 0–1 The Kytler Peninsulae

P                         Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts 
1 The Kytler Peninsulae     2     1    1    0      2     1    +1      4
2 Qusmo                     2     1    0    1      2     1    +1      3
3 Olastor                   2     1    0    1      1     1     0      3
4 Nyowani Kitara            2     0    1    1      1     3    −2      1

Group C
Airannia 1–2 Bohr
Bonusia 0–1 Zenic

P                        Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts 
1 Zenic                    2     2    0    0      2     0    +2      6     Q
2 Bohr                     2     1    0    1      2     2     0      3
3 Airannia                 2     0    1    1      3     4    −1      1
  Bonusia                  2     0    1    1      2     3    −1      1

Group D
Oberour Ar Moro 6–1 Kordavia
Captina Island 1–1 A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni

P                                           Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts 
1 Oberour Ar Moro                             2     2    0    0      9     2    +7      6     Q
2 A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni     2     0    2    0      3     3     0      2
3 Captina Island                              2     0    1    1      2     4    −2      1
4 Kordavia                                    2     0    1    1      3     8    −5      1

Group E
Three Golden Kingdoms 2–0 Tikariot
Eastfield Lodge 2–1 Darmen

P                         Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts 
1 Eastfield Lodge           2     2    0    0      6     3    +3      6     Q
2 Darmen                    2     1    0    1      3     2    +1      3
3 Three Golden Kingdoms     2     1    0    1      4     4     0      3
4 Tikariot                  2     0    0    2      0     4    −4      0

Group F
Norrhem 1–2 Chromatika
Sanford 3–4 Pridnestrovia

P                        Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts 
1 Chromatika               2     2    0    0      6     4    +2      6     Q
2 Pridnestrovia            2     1    0    1      7     7     0      3
3 Norrhem                  2     0    1    1      2     3    −1      1
  Sanford                  2     0    1    1      4     5    −1      1

by **Taeshan** » Sat Jul 25, 2026 10:34 am

Nation Name:Taeshan
Demonym: Taes, Taeshanis
Team Nickname: Purple Knights
Modifier: -5
Captain:Horiatio Cuevas
Vice-Captain:Elijah Santiago

Jerseys

MANAGERIAL STAFF
Manager: Shiloh Morgenstern
Much like the rest of us Shiloh Morgenstern doesn't know how he got here. One minute he was a world cup captain on home soil, the next Taeshan failed to qualify, and moments later the country seemingly snapped out of existence. But then he led the team to almost qualifying through the playoffs on their return to the international scene. Close but no cigar, now what can he do on Taeshan's return to the Cup of Harmony?

GOALKEEPERS

1 – Ward Sheridan – Real Atlantea 23 Caps, 18 Years Old
The first thing you will notice about much of this new look Taeshan lineup is how young they are. That is just a fact of dissapearing off the face of the planet for 2 and a half decades. Soccer became less of a focus for a while. Real Atlantea finished third in the TPL's return, and that has led to their quality young keeper being the face of the defense for this qualifying campaign.

12 – Max Fischer – Yenvil Town FC 1 Cap, 28 Years Old
Max Fischer didn't have the greatest of seasons with the oft mocked Yenvil Town as they finished just outside of the top half of the table. They weren't the best and they certainly were not the worst, that said Fischer is jsut here to be the veteran soccer presence in the goalie room.

24– Adam Myers – Yaton FC 1 Cap, 24 Years Old
Adam Myers led Yaton to being the first bottom half team and while not as experienced as Fischer he certainly seems the more likely of the two bench Goalkeepers to see any action in this campaign.

DEFENDERS
4 - CB, Trevor Thompson - Real Atlantea 23 Caps, 1 Goal, 29 Years Old
While there are a lot of younger players in the XI and in the bench for this world cup one or two veterans are listed. Trevor Thompson is one and is a stalwart defender for Real Atlantea and helped them finish third in the last campaign. He is a tall bully of a defender and will be an interesting havoc wrecker as they look to stall some much more skilled offensive teams,

10- RB, Mitchell Nguyen - Mierton Manatees 23 Caps, 16 Years Old
Right next to one of the oldest members of the team will be one of the youngest and most intriguing prospects for Taeshan. Not just young, but perhaps cocky? A Right back wearing number 10 is an interesting choice and Nguyen lifted the Taeshan title in his first professional season. While they have now won 5, and 3 of the last 4 there hasn't exactly been competitive soccer in the country in decades so who knows how good he actualy is.

20 - CB, Isaiah Walker - Bayern-Algaer 23 Caps, 1 Goal, 25 Years Old
Another veteran soccer player here as the defensive corps seems to be more built out on veteran and larger players. That said Algaer were not the most competitive of matchups last season and that could be a real sign of things to come for this team.

23 - LB, Elijah Santiago – 23 Caps, 1 Goal, 19 Years OldVICE-CAPTAIN
Now we come to an interesting name. Those around the world will remember notable Left Back Santiago Santiago, coached around the world, won games around the world and was in a World Cup many years ago. .

3 – Dion Campbell – X Island Marauders, 3 caps, 25 Years Old
Even the bench is averaged aged in the middle as this solid contributor from X Island will show. The Marauders finished 5th in the last season and are likely a big competitor in the next few yeasrs for league titles.

5 - Rowan MacDonald - Blacklake Blues, 5 Caps, 18 Years Old
The lone young bench member of the Taeshan team that is as young as some of the crew who are probably the future of the national team. His problem is both starters ahead of him.

19- Cameron Kipers – Mierton Manatees, 6 Caps, 23 Years Old
Another solid center back bench option for the Purple Knights.
21 - Eden Foster – Real Chinchinhua 0 Caps, 0 Goals, 22 Years Old
The main right footed fullback on the bench.

MIDFIELDERS

6- CDM, Horatio Cuevas – Capetown Crocs 23 Caps, 23 Years old CAPTAIN
Capetown was the best of the rest in the TPL's return and much of that is owed to Horatio Cuevas. The oldest of the young corps, Cuevas is a hard-nosed tackler who is more known for being no-nonsense than handling the ball in the attack from the 6. He might not be the prettiest soccer o=player in the world, but he gets the job done.

8 - RM, Ignacio Salmon – Mierton Manatees 23 Caps, 2 Caps, 20 Years Old
The second of two starters from the champions' Mierton, Ignacio Salmon is the metronome in the midfield for the Manatees. While certainly not as inexperienced as some of the other fresh faces on this team Salmon is still of the age where he is prone to mistakes and can be beat on the pass in the midfield and can tend to lag in games if not involved.

14- LM, Tobias – 1093 Club de Football Altantea, 23 Caps, 2 Goals, 16 Years Old
The midfield lefty in the starting lineup, Tobias is another young starter for the Purple Knights. Unlike some of the other players on the field he doesn't have a known last name, or even for that matter a "known" last name but he proved impressive for one of the Capitol city's big clubs and that gets you on the national team.

20 – CAM, Ethan Ying Uing – Bayern Phoenix 23 Caps, 2 Goals, 16 Years Old
It wouldn't feel like a return to international play for Taeshan without a Ying Uing. With both his grandfather and his great-great grandfather being international hall of famgers, Ethan will have a big, and long name to stand up to. Not to mention not only did his older sister go to the last winter olympics, but she won a medal there in the Nordic Combined.

7 - Eion Clinton - New Capetown Falcons 6 Caps, 23 Years Old
The midfield bench is an interesting one as well with a lot of names that many people will wonder about. The fact of the matter is they will likely continue to wonder about them as while they are all apparently now international quality, they all seem to also be international men of mystery.

13 – Harrison Vanguard – Fadrön Flight 5 Caps, 25 Years Old
A solid attacking midfielder for a just above average Flight side Vanguard is likely the interesting bench option if the Knights can stay in these games. He might not always have the quality but he tends to often ahve the quantity to push the ball towards the goal.

15- Jasper Likely – Al Haxire 7 Caps, 22 Years Old
A younger option on the bench Likely is likely to have a big impact in the closer games as his legs are very speedy and very good in a counter attacking press often employed by the Knights.

16 – Peyton Jesperson – Bayern Phoenix 10 Caps, 18 Years Old
Jesperson was a solid contributor for the Bayern side who finished in the top 10 in the league. He seems a good option to better control games and will be a very good option to help replace the tiring squad as the long campaign goes on.

22 – Alexander Pterasheim – Wolfin Wolves, 14 Caps, 1 Goal, 18 Years Old
Probably the best player on the bench for the long term Pterasheim has a knack with the ball and will likely be the best change of pace option. He offers speed and ability, and a right foot that is great for crosses.

STRIKERS

2 - LS, Jordan Tyson - Laketown Rangers 23 Caps, 4 Goals, 27 Years Old
Laketown Rangers is no stranger to giving national team strikers and one of the older players on this team is the tall Jordan Tyson. He might not be the most impressive when it comes to making his own opportunities but he often finds himself in the right spot and it seems like management wants a solid poacher on the team as they likely have a lot of rough games ahead of them.

9 - RS, Carter Ardeau – Wolfin Wolves 23 Caps, 5 Goals, 18 Years Old
The management went a different way with the presumed second starter. Wolfin had a solid season and much of it can be acredited to the speedy Carter Ardeau. Getting behind defenses seemed to be his game and whether drawing back for his teammates or going alone Ardeau seems to be a very fluid player and a young striker to look forward to for a decade for the national team.

11-LS, Noah Rinaldi – Atlantea Hurricanes 9 Caps, 2 Goals, 22 Years old
Rinaldi is the obvious backup speedy guy, more of a winger type for his club he is not exactly like for like up front for Ardeau but he certainly has a flair with the ball at his feed and can cross with the best of them.

17 – Arthur McGlintock- Mierton Manatees 5 Caps, 16 Years Old
The natural backup at big striker young McGlintock will feel himself out of it by not being a starter but you can only start so many young players in the international game and have any hope to actually compete in games.

Formation 4-4-2 (Diamond)
--Sheridan--
--Nguyen--Thompson—Walker--Santiago--
--Cuevas--
--Salmon--Tobias--
--Ying Uing--
----Ardeau--Tyson----

by **Darmen** » Sat Jul 25, 2026 10:35 am

National Football Team of Darmen
presented by the
Darmeni Football Association

Record (Modern-era only, since Copa Rushmori 24): 712 matches, 343 wins, 128 draws, 241 losses, 1478 GF, 1221 GA, .542 Win %

Caps
 1 Hyman Campo          284
 2 Silver Abbey         267
 3 Craig Blackwood      255
 4 Víedharr Svendsen    215
 5 Riley Mac Pharlain   212
 6 Alberich Goldschmidt 204
 7 Aurelio Di Stefano   169
   Feliciano Espinosa   169
 9 Juanito Stafford     165
10 Bill St. John        164

Goals
 1 Craig Blackwood      168
 2 Felix Lucanus         80
 3 James January         72
 4 Marianne Lee          58
 5 Skylar Hurst          49
   Torger Woodward       49
 7 Víedharr Svendsen     48
 8 Kennard Hale          46
 9 Darnell Halle         42
10 Daniel Norton         38

Coaching Staff

Position          Name                  Age
Co-Manager        Tor Tong Lee          83
Co-Manager        Alberich Goldschmidt  57
Assistant Manager Tryggvi Gunnarson     45
Goalkeeping Coach Marcellus Ahenobarbus 63
Fitness Coach     Gudfrod Kristóferson  42
Psychologist      Pétronille Deforest*  57

26 Player Roster

#  Pos Name                Age Club                  Caps Goals
 1 GK  Morris Mathews      31  Scott City FC          53   0
 2 LB  Ferdy Adkins        31  Scott City FC          79   5
 3 LCB Tóra Isakson*       25  Tempala United Saints  38   1
 4 RCB Comgán MacGowan     32  Romanopolis United     76   2
 5 RB  Markus Thomasson    33  Tempala United Saints 128   5
 6 LM  Walter Goddard      27  Rogerton Whitecaps     56  10
 7 CM  Dwayne Loritz       32  Tempala United Saints 131  18
 8 RM  Kara Falkner*       31  MTK Kingsville        121  14
 9 LF  Idonea Santiago*    32  Rogerton Valladar CF   82  32
10 CF  Gunni Holt          21  Rogerton Whitecaps     18   3
11 RF  Torger Woodward     32  Scott City FC         121  49

12 GK  Corina Mendoza*     35  Rogerton Valladar CF   17   0
13 LB  Bjarni Haraldson    25  Eau Claire United      21   1
14 LCB Knut Simonson       25  Johnho United          14   1
15 RCB Tomas Ingólfson     23  Scott City FC          18   1
16 RB  Aleksander Sólheim  23  Scott City FC           6   0
17 LM  Christel Erikson*   25  Chuckio FC             26   4
18 CM  Kaila Parker*       28  Brham United           35   6
19 RM  Butch Palmer        25  Darmen City United     34   6
20 LF  Emanuel Danielson   28  Tempala United Saints  16   5
21 CF  Vera Omdahl*        25  Royal PFC              42  17
22 RF  Signy Warner*       27  Guard FC               33  10

23 GK  Teresa Thompsett*   30  Royal PFC               7   0
24 RCB Audun Tórirson      23  Darmen City United      4   0
25 LM  Hilmar Edvardson    23  Scott City FC           2   0
26 RF  Luke Kristjánson    21  MTK Kingsville          2   0
*Female player

Tactics
Formation: 4-3-3
Style Mod: +2.5
In attack, Darmen will employ one of two tactics: the first involves the team playing down the flanks while the second is a possession oriented short-range passing style that closely resembles tiki-taka. The later tactic is normally only employed against weaker opponents or when Darmen has a multi-goal lead and involves connecting many passes together to slowly advance the ball towards the opponents 18-yard box. It is not uncommon for 30+ passes to be completed in the sequence, especially against weaker opponents.

Darmen's primary tactic however is a heavy emphasis on flank play, with the wide midfielders (also referred to as flankers in Darmen) being the linchpin of Darmen's attack. Upon gaining possession, Darmen will look to distribute the ball to one of the two wide midfielders as quickly as possible. After receiving the ball, the wide midfielders will look to advance the ball as far down the flanks as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the forwards and the central midfielders will crash the box, hoping to be on the receiving end of the wide midfielder's cross. The wide midfielder (or sometimes even the fullback) on the opposite flank will linger behind waiting to collect the cross should it overshoot the box. While scoring via headers is the primary goal, a player may also look to score by volleying or half-volleying the ball if they're in open space. Should the first attempt at goal not be collected by the goalkeeper, Darmenis are more than willing to take advantage of the ensuing chaos in the box and poach a goal as well. If the wide midfielder's path forward down the flank is blocked, they are not averse to cutting inside and taking a shot on goal themselves.

Defensively, the defenders have one job... to defend. They rarely venture out of their own half, but if they do it will only be one of the fullbacks (see above). Darmen will employ zonal marking when facing the counter-attack and man marking in all other situations.

Team Roles
Captain: Markus Thomasson
Vice-Captain: Dwayne Loritz
Left Corner: Walter Goddard
Right Corner: Kara Falkner
Penalties: Torger Woodward
Free-kicks: Dwayne Loritz

Team Personality
The Darmeni team will never argue with the referee. Indeed, if anything needs to be brought to the attention of the referee it will be done by either the Captain or Vice-Captain in a respectful manner (or to the fourth-official by the Manager). With regards to foul/dirty play, the Darmeni team will not provoke, or retaliate against any opposition player. Darmeni's expect each team to keep to itself and deal with its own trouble makers; any opposition player who attempts to prevent a conflict by pushing or pulling a Darmeni away from the scene will be promptly told off, as that is the duty of the Darmeni Captain.

Nonetheless, Darmen will play in a relatively aggressive manner. Tackles will be conducted in a way which ensures the opponent ends up on the ground, but causing injury will be avoided as much as possible. On set pieces, Darmenis will stand their ground and will not be easily pushed around. However, they will not engage in hugging. In fact, if any opposing player tries to push past them, it is not uncommon for the Darmeni player to feign resistance before simply stepping aside and watching as the opposing player stumbles past on their way to ground. This occasionally backfires however, as the referee may mistake the incidence as having been a foul in the box.

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: YES PLEASE! If you name your goal scorers, please also name mine.
Choose my scoring events: YES
Godmod scoring events: YES. If you have anything major planned, give me a heads up.
RP injuries to my players: YES, no more than one per match. If you have anything major planned, give me a heads up.
Godmod Injuries to my players: NO
Give Yellow Cards to my players: YES, no more than two per match. If you have anything major planned, give me a heads up.
Give Red Cards to my players: YES, no more than one per match. If you have anything major planned, give me a heads up.
Godmod other events: MAYBE. If you have anything major planned, give me a heads up.
Style Modifier: +2.5

If you need to contact me, TG's are preferred.

by **Oberour Ar Moro** » Sun Jul 26, 2026 8:38 am

VAINQUEUR

With a clear victory over Kordavia, the Oberour Ar Moro national football team has qualified for the Round of 16 in the Copa Rushmori. Further, as no other team in Group D has won a match, the Dragoons have secured top spot in the group.

“Having a game like this, a result like this, it’s something else,” said Daniel Demisserriche, who scored a hat trick of goals in the Oberour Ar Moro 6-1 win over Kordavia.

Oberour Ar Moro will have a match against A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni, the team currently second in the group with two draws.

Captina Island and Kordavia will meet simultaneously with both sides hoping to advance as either the group runner-up or as one the tournament’s best third-place finishers.

Manager Cirges d'Esquan announced he will put forward a heavily rotated team in this last group stage game. “We’ve earned the right to rotate a little," d'Esquan stated. He also noted that Center Midfielder Jozef 't Veld has been dealing with calf tightness. "It will be good to rest him for the Round of 16," he said.

In his post-match comments, d'Esquan also acknowledged "Kenelm des vii Clefz and Louis-Gaspar Petitpré are carrying yellow cards, and I obviously want them available for a knock-out match."

by **Qusmo** » Sun Jul 26, 2026 11:49 am

The Mathletic
Informed analysis.

Copa Rushmori LI matchday three preview
Explaining how every team can advance with just one suite of fixtures left in the group stage

Six teams have booked their places in the Copa Rushmori LI octofinals. Ten spots remain. Eight teams will be eliminated. But which teams will get to extend their reservations in Pasarga, and which ones will have to pack their bags early?

The general math is fairly simple. It is now impossible for any of the tournament’s six groups to have four teams with at least four points, or to have three teams with at least five points. Any team which collects four points will, at worst, be a very strong contender in the third-place table. Any team which collects five points or more will be guaranteed of going through as a group winner or runner-up.

As for the third-place race, Group A is the stuff of dreams for the teams which might finish third in the other groups. Concordia or Taeshan will finish third on no more than three points, and perhaps just one. All other groups could still have a third-placed team finish on four points, but Group E could only do it if Darmen and Three Golden Kingdoms draw — meaning the latter would finish third on four points and a null goal difference. That means that any team which finishes on either four points and a positive goal difference, or on more than four points, is guaranteed to play in the Copa Rushmori LI octofinals.

As for the top end of the bracket, that is much more difficult to predict. Though it is not Qusma seeding, this tournament won’t use group-fixed seeding, instead opting for global-performance seeding. That means that tables of group runners-up and group winners will be important, too. Six teams from five groups currently have a perfect six points, and are therefore already guaranteed safe passage to the next round.

That suggests goal difference will be key to sorting out the top few seeds, and likewise, finishing on any lower than nine points could result in finishing in the bottom half of the group winners’ table. Indeed, it is still possible to have five group winners finish on a perfect nine points in the group stage, meaning a clash between seeds four and five in the quarterfinals could be a battle between two teams which have won every single one of their fixtures across the entirety of the tournament up to that point. Of course, such a scenario is unlikely, but the fact that it remains a possibility at all emphasizes how important it is to finish the group stage strongly, even for teams which have already punched their tickets to the knockouts.

As for the teams at the very bottom, just hoping to scrape by as the third or fourth third-placed team? Groups A, C, and F could have a third-placed team finish on just one point, and Group D could have a third-placed team finish on just two points. That means that it is still technically possible for a team to make the knockout rounds despite earning just one point in the group stage — but only if Airannia loses to Zenic, Bonusia loses to Bohr, Norrhem loses to Pridnestrovia, Sanford loses to Chromatika, and Concordia and Taeshan draw.

Either way, every team still at least has some chance of making the knockout rounds, and therefore of lifting the trophy, no matter how badly their first two matchdays have gone. This group stage will come down to the finish — and it will only heat up from there.

Group A

Kwrpania

Kwrpania are already through to the octofinals, casting their poor home performance last cycle far behind them. A win or draw with Pasarga on the final day would see them win Group A, while a loss would still see them go through in second.

The Kwrpans’ array of permutations is easily one of the most straightforward of any in the entire tournament. There are absolutely no concerns to keep track of over goal difference, or coin flip tiebreakers, or third-place tables. For any readers who venture through the paths for all twenty-four nations, then, beware. It gets more complex from here.

Pasarga

Pasarga are the favorites to end their eighteen-cycle wait for a trophy as the tournament’s top-ranked and host nation. They’ve rewarded that confidence with two wins on the bounce to open the tournament, securing their place in the knockouts with a match to spare.

Still, the Wanderers have not quite matched Kwrpania’s goal difference against the other two teams in the group, so it would take a head-to-head win over Kwrpania on the final day for Pasarga to win Group A. Otherwise, they’ll make it through in second.

Concordia

Concordia could still, technically, make the octofinals as the sixteenth and final team in the octofinals with a draw against Taeshan on the final day. What it would take: an Airannia loss to Zenic, an Bonusia loss to Bohr, a Norrhem loss to Pridnestrovia, and a Sanford loss to Chromatika — and each one of those four matches’ margins would have to be four goals or more for Concordia to still have a chance via coin flips. Only five-goal margins or more in each of those four fixtures would be enough to bypass that final tiebreaker altogether.

It’s possible, then, but realistically, they simply need to beat Taeshan to have a real chance, and then hope that they beat out at least two other teams in the third-place table. Of course, a win of a great margin to help even out the team’s present negative-five goal difference would certainly go a long way in that effort.

Taeshan

Taeshan have lost consecutive fixtures, both by four-one margins. They will be out unless they can beat Concordia on the final day. With their goal difference currently sitting at a tournament-worst negative-six, the Purple Knights will likely need to win by a substantial margin to give themselves the best chance of making it through as one of the top four third-placed teams.

This cannot be how the former Copa Rushmori champions imagined making their return to the tournament, but at least they have one last shot to at least give themselves a chance of scraping through to the knockout rounds, or at the very least bowing out respectably.

Group B

The Kytler Peninsulae

The Kytler Peninsulae are the only group leaders in the competition which haven’t collected a perfect six points thus far, and they are the only group leaders who haven’t yet mathematically guaranteed their place in the next round. Still, they’re close. They’re already guaranteed a top-three finish, and given Group A’s third-placed team could finish on a maximum of three points, the absolute mathematically worst-case scenario for the Kytlerians is they finish seventeenth in a field that cuts to the top sixteen.

A win over Qusmo would give the Peninsulae the overall group win. Interestingly, a draw with Qusmo would see both teams guaranteed of advancement, although the Kytler Peninsulae’s hold on the group would slip to second place if Olastor defeated Nyowani Kitara. If the Peninsulae draw and Nyowani Kitara either draw or win in the either fixture, the Kytler Peninsulae would be locked into the sixth seed of the bracket, as they would finish on five points, and every other group’s leader is already on six.

The one way the Kytler Peninsulae could still fall to seventeenth place is if they lost to Qusmo. Still, if the Kytler Peninsulae lose by just a single goal, they’d still automatically advance in second place with a draw between Olastor and Nyowani Kitara, or if Nyowani Kitara won by a single goal, or if Nyowani Kitara won by two goals but the Peninsulae won an ensuing coin flip tiebreaker. If the Peninsulae lost by exactly two goals, they’d still have a path to securing second place with a one-goal Nyowani Kitara win over Olastor and then a win over Nyowani Kitara in a coin flip tiebreaker.

But even if the Kytler Peninsulae finish in third, as is their absolute worst-case scenario, they’d have four points: a very strong showing in a third-place table. One group’s third-placed team is already guaranteed not to reach that tally. All it would take is one more of the third-placed teams in Groups C through F doing likewise, and the Peninsulae would be through no matter what they do against Qusmo on the final day. Still, they’d surely prefer a result, and most especially a win, to ensure they don’t have to wait around on results from other groups to know for sure.

Qusmo

Qusmo have its fate within its hands, but they have a daunting challenge ahead. They’ve played six prior fixtures against the Kytler Peninsulae, have never won, and have lost each of their past six. This is a rematch of a World Cup knockout fixture just a cycle and a half ago, which the Peninsulae, of course, won.

This is shaping up to be perhaps the biggest match of the entire group stage: a final-day clash between two close neighbors with extensive geographic, cultural, and sporting links. Both are ranked in the top twenty in the Multiverse. Both played in the knockout rounds of the most recent World Cup. Both met in the knockouts of the World Cup prior. Both are still waiting to secure their place in the knockout rounds of this tournament.

All Qusmo needs to do to guarantee progression is to secure a draw, but that will be a difficult task against this opponent. A win would clinch a top-two spot, and if Olastor fails to win or if Qusmo matches or betters Olastor’s margin of victory, Qusmo would win their group at a Copa Rushmori for the first time in twenty cycles.

A draw would also guarantee advancement, whether in second place — if Nyowani Kitara draws with Olastor or wins by a margin of at most three goals — or in third. Should Nyowani Kitara win by four goals or more, or Olastor win by any margin, Qusmo would be one of the bottom four seeds in the bracket as a third-placed team, but they’d be guaranteed safe passage in the third-place table because neither the third-placed teams from Groups A nor E could match a record of four points and a positive goal difference.

Intriguingly, a draw would guarantee advancement for both Qusmo and the Kytler Peninsulae. Could these teams, with such friendly relations between federations, simply play out a result that would ensure both move on? It seems unlikely, as the Kytler Peninsulae are already on the precipice of advancing anyways, and a match win would clinch a group win.

On the other hand, with a draw, the Kytler Peninsulae would be guaranteed of finishing no higher than sixth — a knockout path that, assuming higher seeds win in other fixtures, would run through a group runner-up in the octofinals and then the third-, second-, and first-seeded teams, in order, in the next three knockout matches. Furthermore, there are chances the Kytler Peninsulae could not only fail to win the group if they draw with Qusmo, leaving them outside the top six seeds entirely, but fall outside the top ten seeds altogether. That would give the Peninsulae the gift of potentially having to play group winners in all four knockout fixtures through to the final. The Peninsulae will be focused on reaching a first-ever major tournament semifinal, or going even further, and the risk of having to get through multiple group winners to get to that point isn’t worth doing another team a favor.

Where Qusmo actually has jeopardy is in the territory they’ve occupied quite often against their upcoming opposition: with a loss. Qusmo actually can’t be knocked from the top three unless they lose by multiple goals, as they can only fall to fourth if they lose to the Kytler Peninsulae while Olastor loses to Nyowani Kitara by a smaller margin.

Still, assuming Qusmo does finish third after a loss, they’d have three points and a nonpositive goal difference. That may well be enough, particularly if the Caldera Sun do limit the damage to a single-goal margin to at least preserve a null goal difference and eliminate any possibility of falling outside the third-place table altogether, but there’s also a very good chance Qusmo could be overtaken and knocked out — for the seventh consecutive time at a Copa Rushmori — in the group stage.

The goal is simple, then: get a result. But, as Qusma fans know all too well, against the Kytler Peninsulae, that’s easier said than done.

Olastor

Olastor need only a win over Nyowani Kitara to punch their ticket in the octofinals. If Olastor win and the other fixture in Group B ends in a draw, or if Qusmo defeat the Kytler Peninsulae but Olastor better Qusmo’s margin of victory, Olastor will emerge as the Terramidian winner of a group otherwise entirely composed of West Pavolan teams. Otherwise, an Olastor win will be good enough for second place.

A draw could easily do the trick, too: that would grant Olastor second place in the group, unless Qusmo either draw or win by one, in which case Olastor would be left in third. Still, third place with four points and a null goal difference is right on the precipice of advancement, and it would almost certainly be enough to move on to the octofinals.

The danger is in a loss, which would consign Olastor to third, or worse. A loss paired with a Qusmo win or draw of any size would eliminate Olastor. Even if Qusmo also lose, Olastor would be eliminated unless Qusmo’s loss were by a greater margin. Even then, a third-place team with three points and a negative goal difference could find it tricky to navigate the third-place table. They likely wouldn’t be too far from the cut line.

In effect, then, it’s down to getting a result against Nyowani Kitara. If Olastor can get that, they’ll likely have little to worry about. Otherwise, it could get much dicier.

Nyowani Kitara

Nyowani Kitara are currently in last place, but their objective is fairly simple. A loss or a draw will result in elimination. A win will result in a top-three finish at least and, most likely, advancement. A win by three will guarantee advancement. A win by four will guarantee advancement as a group runner-up.

The permutations are as follows: if Nyowani Kitara defeat Olastor and Qusmo loses to the Kytler Peninsulae, Nyowani Kitara go through in second place. If Nyowani Kitara win by four or more and the other match ends in a draw, Nyowani Kitara go through in second place. If Nyowani Kitara win, the Kytler Peninsulae lose, and the combined goal difference swing is four goals or more, Nyowani Kitara go through in second place. If Nyowani Kitara win, the Kytler Peninsulae lose, the combined goal difference swing is exactly three goals, and Nyowani Kitara wins a coin flip tiebreaker, Nyowani Kitara go through in second place.

Otherwise, a Nyowani Kitara win will send them to the third-place table with four points, which is likely to be enough to make it through — and, if the Kitarans can win by three, they’d be guaranteed to advance via the third-place table. So if Nyowani Kitara is tied late, they’ll have no reason not to throw everyone forward for a winner. There’s a good chance that would be just enough.

Group C

Zenic

Zenic have punched their ticket back into the knockouts with a pair of one-nil victories to open the tournament. They need only a draw or win against Airannia, or a Bonusia win or draw against Bohr, to clinch a group victory outright.

Even a loss coupled with a Bohr win would still see the Survivors pull through in first if neither match finishes with more than a single-goal margin. Otherwise, the team which has reached two of the past three Copa Rushmori semifinals will simply make it into the knockouts as a group runner-up.

Bohr

Bohr would be through, guaranteed of a top-two placement, with a win over Bonusia. They could even still win Group C outright with a win over Bonusia and a Airannia win over Zenic, as long as the combined swing in goal difference is greater than two, the minimum in that scenario.

That said, they’d still be in excellent shape with a draw. In that case, they’d still place second in the group unless Airannia beats Zenic by a multi-goal margin — and even so, Bohr would be in excellent position in the third-place table, with four points and a null goal difference. It’s by no means assured, but that record is incredibly likely to see a team through to the next round.

Of course, a loss is where things get a bit more dicey. A loss to Bonusia, paired with an Airannia win of any size over Zenic, would result in the Maroon and White’s elimination. Bohr would at least get third place if Airannia were to lose or draw against Zenic, but in that case, the Diamonds would have three points and a negative goal difference. That’s much likelier to be right around the cutoff line for which third-place teams make it through and which are eliminated.

Airannia

Airannia will be looking to beat Zenic outright. They could advance despite a draw, or even a loss, as long as either their result is either better than Bonusia’s or the two teams’ results are equal but Airannia wins an ensuing coin flip tiebreaker. However, their odds of making it through via the third-place table would instantly become extraordinarily precarious with two or, especially, just one point.

A win over Zenic would guarantee a top-three finish, and a multi-goal win would clinch advancement, no matter what happens in the other fixture in this group or any of the other fixtures in the other groups. Airannia could even finish in second place in the group with a multi-goal win over Zenic and a Bonusia draw with Bohr, or with a multi-goal win over Zenic and a Bonusia win by a smaller margin over Bohr, or a win over Zenic and a Bonusia win by the same margin over Bohr and a victory in a coin flip tiebreaker.

Either way, all roads point to the same answer: it doesn’t eliminate Airannia outright if they don’t, but winning has to be their goal — and winning by two goals or more would guarantee themselves a spot in the knockout rounds.

Bonusia

Bonusia face a fairly simple calculus. Yes, technically they could draw and advance, or there’s still even a remarkably slim chance they could lose and make it through as the sixteenth and final team in the octofinals. But if Bonusia fails to win, their knockout hopes would rely upon finishing third over Airannia due to that team having an even worse result — or an equal result, necessitating Bonusia to win a resulting coin flip for third place — and then finishing as a top third-place team despite having just two, or perhaps even just one, point.

Instead, Bonusia needs to win. A win would guarantee Bonusia a top-three finish with four points and a nonnegative goal difference. A win of two goals or more would guarantee Bonusia’s place in the next round. A win of any size, paired with a Zenic win or draw against Airannia, would be enough to see Bonusia advance as the group runners-up, also awarding a spot in the octofinals. Even if Airannia does win, a Bonusia win of a larger margin would clinch a second-place finish, and a same-sized margin would simply lead to a coin flip tiebreaker for second place.

In fact, the only way Bonusia could still be eliminated despite a win on the final matchday: first, the win would have to be by just a single-goal margin. Second, either Airannia would have to record a multi-goal win or they would have to first beat Zenic by a single goal and then win a coin flip tiebreaker, pushing Bonusia into third place. Finally, the third-placed teams in Groups B, D, E, and F would all have to finish on four points and a nonnegative goal difference.

Even then, at the very least, Bonusia would at least know it would have one final chance to make it in via a coin flip tiebreaker for the final spot, or spots, in the knockout round, as it’s impossible for Group A’s third-placed team to reach four points at all and it’s impossible for Group E’s third-placed team to finish with better than the four points and goal difference of zero that Bonusia would have in this scenario. Only then could the Space Labubus still be eliminated.

In essence, then: a draw or loss means near-certain elimination. A win means a much near-certain still advancement. A win by any margin above a single goal guarantees a return to the octofinals no matter what.

Group D

Oberour Ar Moro

Oberour Ar Moro are the most recent Copa Rushmori champions and the second-ranked team in the competition, and they look remarkably assured at the moment. They’ve won both matches they’ve played by multiple goals, scored at least three goals each time, and won their last fixture six–one. They are the only team in this tournament which has already clinched its group with a matchday to spare. As such, the Dragoons may be seeded anywhere from first to sixth in the knockout bracket. That means they do still have something to play for against A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni.

As it stands now, as the only team guaranteed to win their group, as a team with the maximum points possible thus far, and as the team with the best goal difference in the tournament at this stage, they’re the favorites to win the number one overall seed. However, they’ll need to keep performing if that is their goal, almost certainly including a win — and preferably a win by another large margin — against A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni.

A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni

A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni do have the clearest route forward of any of the three as-yet-nonqualified teams in Group D, but they also have the toughest task in front of them. A win over Oberour Ar Moro would grant A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni second place. But that is far from certain, as illustrated by the fact that Oberour Ar Moro are the only team at this tournament to have won their group with a matchday to spare.

Things start to get a bit nervy if they can’t beat the Copa Rushmori XLIX champions. A draw, paired with a Captina Island–Kordavia draw, would also result in second. A draw, paired with either a win for either Captina Island or Kordavia, would lead to A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni heading to the third-placed table with three points, a null goal difference, and zero wins — meaning they’d lose out to a three-point team with, say, a pair of one-goal losses and a two-goal win.

If they lose to Oberour Ar Moro, meanwhile, the job gets much tougher. If they lose by one, they would still finish second place and qualify if the other match in the group ends in a draw. Otherwise, they’d finish third. If they lose by two goals, they’d finish in second place if the other match ends in a draw and they’re able to win a coin flip tiebreaker over Captina Island. Otherwise, they’d finish third.

If they lose by three or four goals, they’d finish third no matter what. If they lose by five goals, they’d finish in third place as long as the other match doesn’t end in a draw, or if they can win a coin flip tiebreaker over Kordavia. Otherwise, they’d be eliminated. If they lose by six goals or more, they’d finish in third place if the other match ends in a win for either Captina Island or Kordavia, or they’d be eliminated if that fixture ends in a draw.

A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni has plenty of paths forward, then, but the simplest: either beat Oberour Ar Moro to guarantee advancement, or hope for a draw in the other match to have the best chance of going through in second place anyways.

Captina Island

Captina Island could technically place second in Group D with just two points. All it would take is a draw with Kordavia — and an Oberour Ar Moro win over A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni, either of a three-goal margin, or a two-goal margin paired with Captina Island winning a subsequent coin flip tiebreaker. That said, if A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni does not lose by a multi-goal margin, Captina Island needs to win, lest they be stuck in the third-place table with just two points and a negative-two goal difference. It’d still be possible to advance in that scenario, but it’d be awfully unlikely.

Instead, a win over Kordavia would give Captina Island an excellent chance of progression. If Captina Island wins and Oberour Ar Moro either wins or draws, Captina Island would advance in second place. If Captina Island wins by three goals or more, they’d guarantee their advancement, even if they have to do it through the third-place table. Even if Captina Island wins by just one or two goals, and A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni beat Oberour Ar Moro, Captina Island would still take four points to the third-place table. That’s not a guarantee, but that would be a very strong hand.

Above all else, Captina Island cannot lose to Kordavia. There is no scenario in which Captina Island avoid elimination with a loss.

Kordavia

Kordavia practically need a win over Captina Island in order to advance to the next round, thanks to their six–one defeat at the hands of Oberour Ar Moro this past matchday. There is technically a slim path to the knockouts via the third-place table with a draw, but only if Oberour Ar Moro beats A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni by six goals or more, or if Oberour Ar Moro beats A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni by exactly five goals and Kordavia wins a coin flip tiebreaker over A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni. Even then, the best the Eagles could hope for without a win on matchday three is an exceptionally slim chance of finishing in the top three at all, and then having to finish as a top third-placed team with just two points and a goal difference of negative-five. A draw, then, is nearly as certain to result in elimination as a loss.

Kordavia do have a decent chance to advance if they can beat Captina Island. Paired with an Oberour Ar Moro win or draw, that would be enough to finish in second place, bringing with it a spot in the knockouts. Even if Oberour Ar Moro loses, Kordavia would still bring four points to the third-place table, a much better proposition — especially if they can claw back some of their goal difference deficit against Captina Island. Although it would take an unbelievable eleven-goal swing in margin from one match to the next, Kordavia technically still has a route to mathematically guaranteeing its spot in the knockout rounds, no matter what happens in any other match within or without its group, but only if they can win by six clear goals, or more, on matchday three.

Still, edge cases aside, it shouldn’t be that tough for Kordavian fans to keep up with the permutations. A loss means elimination. A draw almost certainly means elimination. A win makes advancement very likely. A win by a larger margin makes advancement likelier and likelier. At six goals, or an Oberour Ar Moro result in the other match, would mean advancement would be guaranteed.

Group E

Eastfield Lodge

Eastfield Lodge have secured their place in the knockout rounds after two wins from two against teams from pots three and two. All that remains before the octofinals is a clash with Tikariot. All the Lodgers need to do is win or draw that match to win Group E. Otherwise, things would depend on the outcome of the other group fixture.

If Darmen and Three Golden Kingdoms were to draw, Eastfield Lodge would win the group, no matter what. If the other fixture doesn’t finish in a draw, Eastfield Lodge would win the group if both matches end in single-goal margins. If Three Golden Kingdoms were to win, Eastfield Lodge could get away with as much as a three-goal combined swing in goal difference and still win the group. Still, the Eastfielders’ worst-case scenario is advancing in second.

Darmen

Darmen have a fairly straightforward path in front of them. Draw, and they advance in second place. Win, and they advance as a top-two side, with a chance of winning the group outright if Eastfield Lodge lose to Tikariot. In that event, Darmen would win Group E if either their win or Eastfield Lodge’s loss is by a multiple-goal margin.

If Darmen lose to Three Golden Kingdoms, however, things get much trickier, as the Greens would finish third at best. If their loss is paired with a Tikariot win, Darmen could even be eliminated altogether, although only if the combined goal difference swing is six goals or more. Unless that does happen, Darmen would at least make it to the third-place table, with three points and, as long as their loss to Three Golden Kingdoms isn’t too heavy, at least a presentable goal difference.

Would that be enough? The truth is that it’s likely to be fairly close to the cut line, so Darmen will have to do what they can to draw or, even better, win against Three Golden Kingdoms to ensure their place in the octofinals.

A footnote to potentially keep in mind as we approach the day of the actual match: Darmen would be guaranteed to advance with a draw, and should any third-placed team from Groups B, C, or D finish on less than four points or a negative goal difference, Three Golden Kingdoms would just need a draw to advance, as well. In that situation, how likely would it be that these teams could simply tacitly agree to do what’s best for both?

Three Golden Kingdoms

Three Golden Kingdoms were drawn against three golden medal-winning nations at this tournament in Group E. They still have an excellent shot of making it through, and they can guarantee it with a win over Darmen. In fact, with a win plus a Tikariot win over Eastfield Lodge, Three Golden Kingdoms would win this group if the combined goal difference swing is at least four goals — if both wins are by multiple goals, or if one win is by a three-goal margin or more.

If Three Golden Kingdoms draw, there’s no guarantee they’d go through with four points and a null goal difference, but they would have a phenomenal chance of finishing as one of the top four third-place teams.

A loss to Darmen, however, is where things would get more difficult. First, it would open the door to Tikariot surpassing them and knocking them out as a fourth-placed side. That would happen if Three Golden Kingdoms lose, Tikariot win, and the combined goal difference swing is five goals or more. But more to the point, Three Golden Kingdoms would take three points and a negative goal difference to the third-place table in their best-case scenario with a loss to Darmen. That’s not a death sentence, but it’s far from certain.

In some ways, it will be very curious to see how the prior four groups shape up before Group E kicks off on the final day. Will four points and a null goal difference be guaranteed a spot in the knockouts no matter what? Will there still be hope for a third-placed team with three points and a negative goal difference? Depending on the answers to those questions, it could be possible that by the time they actually kick off, Three Golden Kingdoms is faced with a scenario whereby if they draw, both they and their opponents are guaranteed to go through — but if either team loses, they may be on the brink of, or potentially even assured of, elimination. If that scenario does come to pass by kickoff, could that influence how these two teams play to end the group stage?

Tikariot

Tikariot are not quite out yet. However, they are on the brink of elimination, with two losses from two fixtures. The situation is stark. Since the end of their participation in the World Cup 101 cycle, they have played a total of five matches and have yet to collect a point. The Snowy Owls are the only team in the entire tournament not to be in a position to guarantee a top-three finish or better with a win, or at least a win of sufficient size, without relying on results in other fixtures going their way.

Tikariot will be eliminated if they fail to beat Eastfield Lodge on the final day. Tikariot will also be eliminated if Darmen draws Three Golden Kingdoms in the group’s other fixture. It is worth noting that, although it’s not a guarantee quite yet, by the time Group E fixtures kick off on matchday three, both Darmen and Three Golden Kingdoms could be guaranteed of advancement if they draw. That result would, of course, eliminate Tikariot, no matter what they do against Eastfield Lodge.

Should Tikariot win and the other match not end in a draw, however, Tikariot will need to have a combined goal difference swing of at least five goals if Darmen wins the other fixture, or of at least six goals if Three Golden Kingdoms win the other fixture. Anything less will result in elimination.

Group F

Chromatika

Chromatika have acclimated to Rushmori life very nicely. The team ranked twelfth in the Multiverse, but an unranked pot four team at this Copa, have beaten the teams from both pots one and two to book their place in the knockouts of their very first Copa Rushmori.

The Anomalies need only a win or draw against Sanford, or a Norrhem win or draw against Pridnestrovia, to win the group outright. Meanwhile, if Chromatika lose to Sanford by exactly one goal and Pridnestrovia beat Norrhem by exactly one goal, Chromatika will still win the group. Otherwise, they’ll simply advance as Group F runners-up.

Pridnestrovia

Pridnestrovia still needs a good performance on matchday three to be confident, but they do have a strong position in their group. A win would guarantee advancement as a top-two team. In fact, Pridnestrovia would win Group F with a win over Norrhem and a Sanford win over Chromatika, as long as at least one of those matches was settled by a multi-goal margin.

A draw would leave Pridnestrovia in excellent shape as well. They’d secure second place as long as Sanford didn’t beat Chromatika by multiple goals, and even if they did, they’d still enter the third-place table with four points and a null goal difference. In the absolute worst-case scenario, that would result in a coin flip for a spot in the knockouts. By the time Group F fixtures kick off, there’s a very good chance Pridnestrovia will know a draw would result in advancement, no matter what happens in the Chromatika–Sanford fixture.

With a loss, however, comes much more real jeopardy. A loss to Norrhem, coupled with a Sanford win of any size, would spell Pridnestrovia’s elimination. Even if Sanford doesn’t beat Chromatika, Pridnestrovia would finish in third on the back of three points and a negative goal difference. It is possible that will be enough to advance. It is possible that won’t.

Again, by the time Pridnestrovia actually take to the pitch, they’ll likely know exactly what it is they’ll need to do to keep playing. The question is: can they do it?

Norrhem

Norrhem is tied for last in a group otherwise composed of one team each from East, Central, and West Pavola. Still, they have an excellent opportunity to make it through to the octofinals. With a win over Pridnestrovia, Norrhem would be guaranteed a top-three spot with four points and a nonnegative goal difference. At worst, that would lead to a coin flip for the right to play in the knockouts as one of the top four third-place teams. Most likely, however, that would be enough to see the team through, even if they finish third in Group F.

That said, there are ways Norrhem could seal it. With a two-goal win over Pridnestrovia, they would be guaranteed of advancing no matter what, even if they finish third. If they win and Sanford doesn’t, they’d finish second and advance. If they win by a larger margin than Sanford does, they’d finish second and advance. If they win by the same margin as Sanford, they’d have a coin flip to decide which team finishes second and advances — and the other team would either also advance, just as a lower-seeded team via a third-place finish, or would at the very least get a second chance to win a coin flip to advance to the octofinals, this time via the third-place table. A win, then, will be Norrhem’s goal.

Technically, they could still advance as a third-placed team with a draw, or perhaps even a loss. But that would require either bettering Sanford’s result or equaling it and then winning a coin flip, before then somehow sneaking through as a top third-place team on just one or two points. It’s not impossible yet — and if it becomes a genuine possibility, Norrhem will likely know ahead of their final match — but realistically, it’s down to this: win and, almost certainly, in. Anything else will, almost assuredly, not be enough.

Sanford

Sanford squandered a prime opportunity to collect points on matchday two, after coming back from being three–nil down to equalizing, before giving up a fourth goal which eventually proved to be the winner. Even if Sanford had just drawn, they would be in second place in the group and in a much better position, much less if they had been the ones to find a winner and move to four points.

Instead, they’re tied for last place. The Sanfordans now have a date with the most fascinating team of this tournament: an unranked pot four team according to the CRF, which is also, according to the WCC, a top-twenty team in the Multiverse. The way their debut Copa Rushmori has gone thus far, it seems the WCC statistics have a bit more credence. That’s the opponent against which Sanford now almost certainly needs to win.

There are technically ways for Sanford to advance with a draw or even a loss, but that would require an extremely unlikely confluence of events whereby Sanford not only secures third place over Norrhem — that part is fairly simple enough, requiring that Sanford either better Norrhem’s result or both match it and then win a coin flip tiebreaker — and then emerge as one of the tournament’s top third-placed teams despite only earning one or two points.

Needless to say, a win is Sanford’s most realistic path towards a first-ever knockout appearance. If Sanford wins by a single goal, they could finish in second place in Group F if Norrhem also wins, also by a single goal, and Sanford then wins a coin flip tiebreaker. If Sanford wins by multiple goals, they could finish in second place if the other match in the group ends in a draw, if Norrhem beats Pridnestrovia by a smaller margin, or if Norrhem beats Pridnestrovia by the exact same margin but Sanford wins a coin flip tiebreaker.

No matter what Sanford does against Chromatika, they’ll be locked out of the top two if Pridnestrovia defeats Norrhem. That said, if Sanford wins by anything more than a single goal against Chromatika, they’ll be guaranteed to make it through to the next round, even if they do so as a third-placed team. And if Sanford wins by a one-goal margin, they’ll still take a record of four points and a null goal difference into the third-place table, where those figures are very likely to hold up.

Edge cases aside, then, it’s simple for Sanford: a win puts them through, while anything else sends them out.

Overall

We only have one matchday remaining in this Copa Rushmori, and all but one group includes at least one team that has already qualified. Still, there’s so much we still don’t know. Which other teams will advance? Which will be eliminated? Will teams finish first, second, or third? What seeds will they get in the overall bracket when matched up against teams from all the other groups, too? It’s impossible to know for sure now. Luckily, we’ll all know the answers soon.

by **Chromatika** » Sun Jul 26, 2026 7:23 pm

It turns out that all the hubbub about Chromatika having a leaky defensive backfield this tournament may have been a severe overstatement.

A game after conceding three to Pridnestrovia, the Anomalies only conceded a lone goal off a header to Norrhem before coming back once again to prevail, 2-1, to claim a spot in the knockout rounds and almost guarantee first place in the group. For a team making its entry into Rushmori football, it's been a valiant effort with an interim Manager and a bunch of players who can't be certain that the future is truly in flux for them as Chromatika looks to take the next step.

It would be Jack Heimdell to score the opener for the Anomalies in the thirty-second off of a nice cross from Lee that he buried to the upper left hand corner before he could be cornered. Then, the aforementioned Lee hit a shot from range to propel the Anomalies forward into the victory. Whether Norrhem lacked the players needed to split the central defenders like Pridnestrovia did or the Anomalies made the changes needed would be debated by pundits, but the result was that this time around, Gundsdorf did her job well enough.

"We talked about it all week," admitted interim Manager Myeong regarding the defensive lapses in the match against Pridnestrovia, "And tried to have couple contingencies in place just in case. We'll have to see if the changes made will last us throughout the tournament, but at least for this one match, we hung in there."

It's still the case that Lee is the player carrying the Anomalies this tournament, scoring once and assisting on another so far to make it two out of two games that she has been the player of the match. It now makes sense how she's taken over the deep playing position along with Prenn in the senior squad - even if she is playing the other role in this tournament, Karjalainen filling in Lee's spot on the senior squad in this particular iteration of the team.

Chromatika will start the same eleven against Sanford as the team tries to continue to mold itself. There were talks about Aniston, but Swanson needs to show that she can continue to shape up - and none of the other positions' backups are such that need to be given a chance to start. Instead, they'll keep chipping away at it to see how far they can go in this tournament that can in any aspect be considered as a throwaway by many.

by **Tikariot** » Sun Jul 26, 2026 7:30 pm

Still Belja, Pasarga. Still Tikariot’s headquarters for the Copa Rushmori 51. Still the place where Game Master Thomas Mostra is questioning several of his life choices.

“Alright, you defeated the goblins.”

The players briefly celebrate, until Thomas continues. “And in the process, you’ve also created the first documented case of Echo Corruption.”

The cheers die down.

“We have what??” Andarra asks.

“Echo Corruption. Echo is the Memory rune. By casting that… that, I don’t want to call it a spell…” He takes a deep breath. “Well, the goblins that ran off, are now spreading terrifying visions of death everywhere they go. Visions of themselves dying, despite being clearly alive.”

Everybody looks at Motyka, who tries to look at everybody at the same time. “What??”

---

In this session, Thomas gives the players a bit more freedom to ask questions and try things.

Dan looks at his sheet of notes in front of him. “Can I carve runes into someone else’s sword?”

Thomas nods. “Yes, you can technically carve runes into anything and imbue whatever the combination of runes does. Just like you did with yours, where you made it glow and, well, squeak. For example, if you carve the Fyr rune into Mikael’s sword, you can give it a fire effect.”

The two men look at each other with a big grin.

“Since I’m a Wildspeaker, can I negotiate with the river?” Socorra asks.

“Ehm, what do you mean ‘negotiate with the river?’”

“You know, have it slow its flow, so we could cross or… or… ooooh, access the river’s memory! Ask what crossed it three days ago or if it could flood a bandit camp or something.”

“You, uh…” He starts rifling through documentation and then checks his online database. His voice is careful. “It doesn’t say you cannot…”

“Splendid!” Socorra seems genuinely happy.

Andarra raises her hand. “Can I make a frying pan legendary?”

Solfroy looks at her. “I beg your pardon? Why on earth would you want a legendary frying pan?”

“To cook food faster, duh. Or, if it’s cast iron, make it a better bludgeoning weapon.”

Thomas swallows hard. “I guess it’s possible.” He gives Motyka a stealthy side-eye look, but she is not paying attention, trying to stack several of the dice and he silently exhales with relief.

---

Thomas looks somewhat relieved when he can pick up his notes for the next step.

“You arrive at a village that is built on a hilltop. It is surrounded with wooden palisades with two gates on either end of the village, leading in and out. You estimate about 100-150 people living here, in the literal middle of nowhere. There is a small stream nearby, together with some fields. As you approach the gate, the guard standing there eyes you with some suspicion, but allows you to pass. Together as a group, what do y--”

“I’m going to check the general store to get some equipment,” Dan says.

“Going with him.” Mikael immediately agrees.

“I suggest the party stays tog--” Thomas tries to reel them in.

“Does the village have archives?” Solfroy asks Thomas, who nods tentatively. “Alright, if anybody needs me, I’m in the archives.”

“Okay, a village with fields. Likely they have animals. Either for plows or maybe livestock, cats! There must be cats. I will talk to them.” Socorra mentally wanders off, while her sister looks at Thomas. “Blacksmith?” Thomas nods again. “Perfect, I will talk to the blacksmith. Probably has some good stuff.”

Thomas makes some shaky notes on a separate sheet of paper before looking at Motyka.

“Okay, I'm going exploring. The path less travelled, around the inner perimeter of the village, anticlockwise, of course. Between houses, around houses. I arrive at a suspicious, dark alley.”

“The village doesn’t have any--”

“I enter and feel as if I step into a different place. Oppressive, dark, the houses feel as if they are leaning in. I look up and can barely see the sky. I feel as if something is whispering to me in the dim light. There are some boarded up windows and doors that look as if they have not been opened in years. Ooh, a rat scampers across the packed dirt, looking at me with its beady eyes as if challenging me to say something. I don’t talk to rats. They never have anything interesting to say. I step deeper into the alley, drawing my dagger. Wait, do I even have a dagger? Eh, I do now. The blade glitters dimly in the little light that filters down. I can’t help but feel watched. I quickly turn around, but there is nothing, then I wheel back around, in case something snuck up on me from behind. Still nothing.”

“Miss Motyka, the villa--”

“The alley seems to be stretching on and on as if it stretches with time. I walk what feels like an hour.”

“The village only has about 150 people…”

“Then, I arrive at a door. Old. Made from weathered stone. It has four runes carved in it that emit a strange glow. They feel ancient. Ominous. Powerful.”

“It is a small village in the middle of the hills, there’s no--”

“They are calling to me.”

“No…”

Thomas looks at Solfroy with a pleading look. “I am sure our Glyphseer will come over to study them to decipher them.”

“I start pressing them randomly,” Motyka says, completely ignoring Thomas.

Everybody’s head swivels to look at her, but she is only staring into nothing, completely engrossed now. “One by one, they light up and die down again. There are some otherworldly noises coming from the door. I continue pressing them. Oh, one is staying lit up. I continue. Another rune starts to blink aggressively. I put my foot against the blinking one, one hand on the solid one and the other against a third one. Then, I press my forehead against the fourth. The door just collapses inward.”

Thomas whimpers and closes his notebook and puts his tablet upside down on the table. He gets up and walks to the door. As he reaches for the handle, he does not even turn around. "We're taking five..."

ISideWith UK · by **Eastfield Lodge** » Sun Jul 26, 2026 8:34 pm

Eastfield Lodge - Line-up

GK: Melia
CB: Darragh
CB: Halward (68’) (<> Rasme 74’)
RB: Kirkup (<> Plummer 83')
LB: Webber
DMF: Forde (<> Dinwoodie 74’)
RMF: Caceres (<> Walkden 63’)
LMF: Hangeland
AMF: Scripps
ST: Ingersleben
ST: Holdsworth (<> Haile 63’)

Three Golden Kingdoms - Line-up

GK: Jiahao
CB: Yi
CB: Cai (73’)
RB: Jianhong (<> Xue 70’)
LB: Xinyue
DMF: Yuhan
RMF: Z Xiuying (51’) (<> Shuren 81’)
LMF: Zhihao (<> Long 45’)
ST: Zemin
ST: Bao (<> Zihao 81’)
ST: F Xiuying (<> Yahui 45’)

Copa Rushmori 51 Group E Matchday 1

Location: Albrecht Road, Stein-los, Pasarga
Attendance: 56,998

61% - Possession - 39%
16 - Shots - 5
11 - Shots on Target - 2
6 - Corners - 9
9 - Fouls - 15

[][][][][]Eastfield Lodge 4 – 2 Three Golden Kingdoms

Ingersleben (10', 52') ––– (67') Zemin[][][][][
Caceres (34') ––– (71') Bao[][][][]
Scripps (89') ––– [][][][][][][][][]

Freshly minted as Cup of Harmony champions last summer, the Imperial Commonwealth start their bid for a second Copa Rushmori title in style with a dominant attacking display against the Imperial Guard, with a brace from phenom Enoch Ingersleben along with a superb free kick from Boet Caceres and the finale from Rafeeda Scripps enough to see off the late comeback from the minnows.

Eastfield Lodge - Line-up

GK: Melia
CB: Darragh (<> Peebles 80’)
CB: Halward
RB: Kirkup
LB: Webber (<> Etherington 69’)
DMF: Forde
RMF: Caceres
LMF: Hangeland (<> Jafari-Law 69’)
AMF: Scripps (<> Siddiqi 80’)
ST: Ingersleben (<> Noble 58’)
ST: Holdsworth

Darmen - Line-up

GK: Mathews
CB: MacGowan
CB: Isakson (<> Simonson 58’)
RB: Thomasson
LB: Adkins (<> Haraldson 81’)
CMF: Loritz (<> Parker 73’)
RMF: Falkner
LMF: Goddard
RWF: Woodward (<> Warner 73’)
LWF: Santiago
ST: Holt (<> Omdahl 58’)

Copa Rushmori 51 Group E Matchday 2

Location: Albrecht Road, Stein-los, Pasarga
Attendance: 56,970

51% - Possession - 49%
11 - Shots - 10
7 - Shots on Target - 7
12 - Corners - 11
11 - Fouls - 10

Eastfield Lodge 2 – 1 Darmen[][][][][][

Holdsworth (41') ––– (27') Santiago[][][
Jafari-Law (84') ––– [][][][][][][][][][][

Eastfield Lodge have booked their place in the Copa Rushmori knockouts thanks to a spectacular long-range effort late on from Goldie Jafari-Law to secure the comeback against the group's top seeds in Darmen, after Chappell Holdsworth’s drilled header cancelled out Idonea Santiago’s low shot across goal for the favourites in the first half.

Line-up to play Tikariot (4-1-2-1-2):
Melia - Darragh, Peebles, Kirkup, Webber - Dinwoodie - Walkden, Hangeland - Siddiqi - Ingersleben, Holdsworth
Suspended: N/A
Injured: N/A

by **Bohr** » Sun Jul 26, 2026 8:50 pm

“Are they really putting this out in the middle of the Copa Rushmori?”

“I don’t see why not? People are paying attention to football, two home-grown talents-”

“Whose careers would have been affected entirely negatively-”

“-just picked up their first international goals-that’s not fucking true, come on.”

“You’re telling me Solomon and Sunday would’ve gained from playing four more games a year in high school stadiums? They’re already getting funneled to the top teams.”

“First of all, that’s not the point-”

“Right, yeah, the point is four more weekends of games that can get packaged up and sold to Miraco+ or whatever.”

“That’s a good thing! That’s the whole point! People want to see more games, the players want to play in more games-don’t interrupt me here, they obviously do-and we’re a serious league now, our top teams can compete in the multiverse-”

“Our top teams can, sure, but everyone below, like, Colside is basically hopeless, Frumston hasn’t made a roster swap in five years and they’re still in tier one.”

“Which is exactly why we need more slots, so there’s more room for active clubs who care. The talent is obviously there, look at how Lewis has been doing.”

“Individual players are one thing, full rosters are another, and they can’t build full rosters. We’ve had three years of pro-reg and we’re already getting yo-yo teams that make the overall quality of the league worse.”

“So what, you want to shrink the league?”

“I mean, why not? Seriously, what’s the downside?”

“That a bunch of cities and towns lose all interest? Perets sucked this year, but they were still beloved by their city just for making it. You want to close that off?”

“...Fine. But it doesn’t do anything for the international game, which is why I was surprised about the timing of it all. The two World Cup finalists barely had a first-tier league between them.”

“If it doesn’t work out, they can absolutely go back to fourteen.”

“You know that’ll never happen.”

Bohr Championship Football Announces Expansion to Sixteen Teams
Other changes to league code include professionalized Northern and Southern third tier, more promotion and relegation slots, and revamped television rights

Bohr 2-1 Airannia
Solomon 34'
Sunday 45+1'

by **Zenic** » Sun Jul 26, 2026 10:20 pm

"I'm starting to sense a pattern here."

Zys and Tapi were trying to decide how to finish out this group stage after clinching a playoff spot with a second straight 1-0 victory, this latest time over Bonusia. A win was no longer required to win the group or qualify but it would certainly guarantee the best possible chance to win a second Copa Rushmori title.

"Keep in the starters and we give ourselves the best shot at winning the group and a nice path to the Final ," Zys stated while looking over the Airannia squad list. "True. Although, an injury or suspension to a key player in the final game could hurt us immensely in the knockout rounds," countered Tapi. "Valid point. However, considering how close our first two matches have been, it's not certain that a full Bench XI starting would win the match. And the potentially perceived 'insult' may give Airannia extra motivation," Zys said, doubling down. "Thinking it through, there's no better opportunity to test out the newcomers over the course of 90 minutes and give our tried-and-tested bench a rare shot at starting a game for the Survivors instead of just coming off of the bench."

Zys struggled to come up with a solid response. They'd won their lone Copa as group winners but when the squad had significantly less experience internationally and domestically. Now, in the prime or a bit past the prime of their lives, they should be more capable of winning a title from a worse position. Or getting into a similar position relying on their bench instead of their starters. "I would feel more comfortable against an 0-0-2 opponent but if we truly are one of the best teams in Rushmore and the World, we should be able to win this match with the bench."

Before Tapi could put in her two cents, Zys continued. "Buuuuut, considering there are 6 other Copa winners besides ourselves and at least 3 others are guaranteed to make the knockout rounds alongside us, do we really want to take the risk of facing off against one or two more of them than we need to?" Tapi had to take some time herself to ponder the situation in its totality. Zenic had previously gone toe-to-toe with several of these former Copa champions as well as a few others who had not qualified this time around, managing to win a few times (including several during their Copa title) while being at least somewhat competitive in the other, more recent matches. Could this Zenic squad replicate their previous success and knock out three former champions on the road to adding another regional title to their resume or was that a once-in-a-lifetime sort of title run and any future titles would come via more traditional routes?

"At the end of day, it's your decision, skipper," was the only reply Tapi could think of. Zys tossed aside the Airannia roster list and folded his arms. "Starting the entire bench would be a bit of a gamble even for the best of squads,"Zys uttered before a smile grew across his face. "And I'm a bit of a gambler myself." Tapi chuckled before crumpling up some paper and tossing at Zys.

Zenic would be testing out how well their eleven bench players fare against a fellow Rushmori nation's starting eleven and having faith that this generation's success has been due to all 22 players and not just the starting eleven.
.

by **Pasarga** » Mon Jul 27, 2026 8:03 am

Igor Topić was feeling quite comfortable heading into the final matchday of the group stage, the team had looked quite good in their first two matches and had already secured their spot in the knockout stages of the tournament. As a quirk of the group schedule, the two top seeds in the group were not scheduled to meet until the final matchday and things went more or less how everyone expected them to, both Kwrpania and the Wanderers were able to comfortably defeat Taeshan and Concordia to secure their tickets to the knockout stage. Kwrpania technically was in first heading into this tilt though, having only conceded once in the first two games, a four to one victory over Taeshan, and thus were in the most advantageous position to win the group. All Kwrpania had to do in the Stade de Torgos was to avoid defeat, which they looked quite capable of doing especially when they have defeated the Wanderers on home soil in the last decade in a major tournament. It was those dropped points that point the nail in the coffin in the Wanderers advancing out of the group that edition of the tournament and had the team not failed to make the knockouts then, Thor might still be the manager.

The most pleasing part of the opening two games for the Wanderers in Igor's mind had been how well disciplined at the back that the team had been, a strong defense to build out from was what he was always hoping for and believed was the key to success. While everyone in the media and the fandom complained about the lack of consistency in the attack, Igor knew from his playing days just how fickle form could be especially for the strikers, which was why his entire tactical philosophy was built upon a strong defense. If you could hold your never and keep the opponent scoreless, then you were at worst going to come away with a point from every match and more often than not were going to walk away with the full spoils. Even only conceding a single goal a game was still a good performance as far as Igor was concerned, as you had to believe that your own attack would find a way to get at least a goal and if not two and so the same odds as keeping a clean sheet and the spoils were more or less there with giving up only a solitary goal. That was what the team had done so so far, a three to one defeat of Concordia in the opening match in Torgos and then a four to one win over Taeshan in Lunas.

The team was now returning to Torgos and Igor was hoping that it would be the second of three matches that the team would play in the national stadium in this Copa Rushmori, the Final was set to be hosted there and he would love few things more than to bookend the tournament with wins at the ground. As it stood though, it was this second match that looked to be potentially the most difficult of those three games with Kwrpania ranked ninth and being quite well off for were they were in the group. This had not happened by mere happenstance, they were a good team who seemed to only be getting better with each passing tournament, with them being potential World Cup darkhorses in the upcoming World Cup the way things were now. They had a formidable attack that could break down even low blocks with relative ease and had a defense that could clamp down and keep the doors shut so that the attack need not to work as hard. The two teams had been a near enough same team in the opening two matches thus far that it was almost scary how alike they were and the strength that the visitors were going to be able to deploy.

Tímea Szôllôsi and Alexander Szôlösi had been revelations though, both strikers carrying two goals to their name heading into the final game with both having scored once in the first two games. Mór Buday had scored as well in addition to having two assists to his name as the veteran winger showed the experience he had and how the Banija-Farfadillis league had forged him into the player he was today through the fire. Tarján Ságy and Vilmos Ferenczy had the other two goals for the team and the spread gave Igor confidence heading both into this game but also the knockout stages, the team was not overly reliant on a single player to get the goals, they were able to do it as a complete team. That was going to be key for when the purple patch that the strikers were in came to an end and the team was pressing for goals when it mattered most, there would be options there for the team to try and use. A win would see the team finish top of the group and likely be in contention for the top overall spot in the seeding for the easiest path to the Final, so Igor was going to play the starters to try and get that victory. While the home advantage would do plenty of heavy lifting, getting the most comfortable path to the Final would hopefully mean the team could simply win through their talent alone and provide a spectacle for the crowd rather than needing it to push them onwards.

by **Kordavia** » Mon Jul 27, 2026 8:25 am

Oberour Ar Moro 6 – 1 Kordavia
7’ Jacques-Maurice Destelan de Saint-Joseph
34’ Daniel Demisserriche
39’ Daniel Demisserriche
45+1’ Daniel Demisserriche (pen.)
47’ Theodor Geijer
74’ Aloire des Cartes
79’ Jozef 't Veld
Yellow cards: Sava Tymoschuk, Michael Stöcker, Manuel Fischer

Route to the Round of 16: What Kordavia needs to do to advance in the Copa Rushmori

Despite what head coach Jonathan Frehner described as a “slightly less than ideal” result against Oberour Ar Moro that “left one or two areas for improvement”, Kordavia still have a chance of making the knockout stages with just one of the following easy-peasy steps:

1. Win their final match by six goals.

2. Win their final match and hope Oberour Ar Moro at least draw.

3. Win their final match and hope results across other groups leave them among the best four third-placed teams.

4. Draw their final match, hope Oberour Ar Moro win by five goals, and then hope results across other groups leave them among the best four third-placed teams.

5. Ford the mighty Green River, travel through the Wood of Silver Whispers making sure to take the left hand path and turn right at every fourth tree that does not have an even number of branches, and there seek out the hovel of Bow-Legged Jenny, procuring from her a potent draft made of eye of badger, petal of cloveleaf, and milk from the teat of a wizened banjo-player. Then fill out form 1179XB in triplicate, with a countersignature obtained from the second secretary to the office on the fourteenth floor of the Olympiastrasse administrative building (open only between the hours of 4:17 to 5:38 AM on alternate Tuesdays on months not containing the letter R when it is a full moon). After successfully win a land war in Russia they must then defeat the Sphinx of Aebactria, behead the Seven-Nosed Gorgon of Palyamitria, ungird the Most Reverently Oily Loins of the Jama’haroonian Dung Wasp, drive the Onyx-Horned Sheep of Fennowrathia from the Augustine Fields, and tidy up Gary’s room (it’s really messy). Following this, they will be granted access to the Crystal Sepulchre where they must correctly sort a series of identical stone tablets into order. Add flour, sugar, eggs, beat until an even consistency, then bake for 12 minutes at gas mark 4 until risen.

6. Maybe not lose.

7. Actually scratch that, better odds on the fifth one.

by **Greater Sanford** » Mon Jul 27, 2026 9:15 am

Midcon Sports Network

Sanfordan hearts ripped out by Pridnestrovia
Sanford comes back from three goals down to lose 3–4 to Pavolan neighbors

The Sanfordan national soccer team’s first-ever competitive match against a fellow Pavolan team was highly anticipated in the buildup. Unfortunately, it turned out to be unforgettable for the wrong reasons.

One match after conceding a sixth-minute opener, Sanford let in an even earlier goal against the United Socialist States: a fourth-minute strike from Vasyl Tsurkan. The Eel forward had far too much time and space on the ball, as Sanford again started a match by seeming to play casually. The team seemed rattled, and kept conceding big chance after big chance. The team in red kept fluffing their lines, either shooting off target or straight at goalkeeper Justin Tschetter, but Tschetter did have one fabulous save on a shot from Nazar Makarenko in the eighteenth minute that the wingback may still not fully believe didn’t go in.

The dam burst in the twenty-sixth, and it was Tsurkan who was responsible again. Foma Nedbaylo lofted a cross in from the left, and the ball floated just out of Tschetter’s reach at the near post. He could only turn and watch as the ball found the waiting head of Tsurkan, who simply redirected the ball in at the back post. After center back Bruno Wussmann recorded a second Pridnestrovian headed goal seven minutes later, this time on a corner kick, Sanford looked completely beaten, down three goals to nil after barely more than half an hour.

Courtney Frank had other plans, however. The winger had the ball at her feet just outside the final third but had no options to pass to. Instead, she took on Nedbaylo one-on-one and got by. With a three-player Sanfordan forward line matched up against a Pridnestrovian back three, the break was on, and Frank took the ball closer and closer to goal herself as Mykyta Stasiuk retreated, seeking help that wouldn’t arrive. With Stasiuk still defending reactively instead of committing to a challenge, Frank unleashed a curling shot at the corner of the box, which looped past Daniil Varvarin’s outstretched fingers at the far post. It was one of the most stunning goals a Sanfordan player has ever scored at this tournament, and it resulted in a visible boost in the underdogs’ spirits just before the half.

There was more where that came from after the break. Emily Reiter is a defensive midfielder for a team which has spent its past three seasons in the second-tier League of the Silver Moon. She may have been one of the unlikeliest players on the field to get on the scoresheet. She didn’t care. Confronting a settled Pridnestrovian defence which wasn’t yielding any space at all within or around the edges of the box, Reiter uncorked a bullet from twenty-five yards out. Varvarin’s hand wasn’t enough to keep it out, and he surely will have been disappointed in himself that he couldn’t manage to parry away such a long-range effort.

At three–two, Sanford needed just one more goal, and it only took six minutes to find it. With a newly-confident Sanford bombing down the half-space towards the end line, the Pridnestrovian defense overcommitted to the ball, leaving Joshua Garcia unmarked ten yards out. Garcia received Grant Haas’s cutback, and from there, it would have been a shock if Sanford didn’t draw level. Luckily, Garcia is the Sanfordan national team’s starting striker for a reason. He didn’t miss.

Everything was going Sanford’s way. At the start of first-half stoppage time, they were down three–nil to a team which reached the Copa Rushmori L final. Within the first ten minutes of the second half, they had levelled it, with enormous amounts of momentum on their side. They were invincible.

That’s when Oleksii Cheryshev decided to make a change. The Pridnestrovian boss saw the match slipping away and ushered in a triple substitution just before the hour mark to not just stanch the bleeding, but reverse the tide of the match. Among the new introductions was striker Ilhami Suleymanoglu, whose presence projected to Cheryshev’s team that he was not satisfied to sit back and ride out the storm for the rest of the game. Pridnestrovia were the favorites, by far, and expected not only to salvage points against a team like Sanford, but to win.

Cheryshev didn’t have to wait long for his changes to make an impact. Suleymanoglu brought new energy to the proceedings from the moment he stepped on the pitch, and four minutes after coming on, he had a golden chance. Artyom Polikarpov slipped a through ball past the Sanfordan defense, and Suleymanoglu timed his run absolutely perfectly, finding the ball at his feet with acres of space and only the goalkeeper between him and goal.

Before long, it wasn’t even that. Suleymanoglu decided to add a bit of flair and feinted Tschetter, leaving him sprawling on the ground after a dive to his right. He cut a hopeless figure on the grass, like a baby bird fallen from its nest, a bundle of limbs twisted together — unable to move, to rise, to fly. Suleymanoglu simply redirected the ball around the Sanfordan’s helpless body and calmly, almost nonchalantly, passed the ball inside the far post.

It was the winner. Of course it was. There was just over half an hour left to play, including stoppage time, but not a single player in green looked likely to do anything about it. They knew, to a person, what had just transpired. After all that work, all that magic, all that seemingly inevitable crush of momentum, it was completely dashed in a single moment. A single image. A single goal in seven proving the difference in the end.

After such a disappointing loss to the team from East Pavola, Sanford now has to turn its eyes to West Pavola, as they prepare for a do-or-die clash against the extraordinarily rare debutant championship contender, particularly at the Copa Rushmori of all tournaments. At club level, the Red League is the best league in the Multiverse, and it’s also where Megan Hofer now plies her trade.

But more to the point: Chromatika, at least so far, is perfect in the Copa Rushmori, without a single loss or draw to blemish its record. It has already guaranteed its place in the knockout rounds. And for Sanford to have any hope of making that leap for the first time for the senior team at this tournament, they will almost certainly have to beat the Anomalies. Whatever happens, we can only hope that this ragtag team from Central Pavola will fight to the end and make our country proud.

by **Pasarga** » Mon Jul 27, 2026 10:06 am

Matchday 3

Group A
Taeshan 1–0 Concordia
Kwrpania 3–3 Pasarga

P                        Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts 
1 Kwrpania                 3     2    1    0     10     4    +6      7     Q*
2 Pasarga                  3     2    1    0     10     5    +5      7     Q*
3 Taeshan                  3     1    0    2      3     8    −5      3     TPT
4 Concordia                3     0    0    3      1     7    −6      0
*Tie broken by GD

Group B
The Kytler Peninsulae 0–2 Qusmo
Nyowani Kitara 1–2 Olastor

P                         Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts 
1 Qusmo                     3     2    0    1      4     1    +3      6     Q*
2 Olastor                   3     2    0    1      3     2    +1      6     Q*
3 The Kytler Peninsulae     3     1    1    1      2     3    −1      4     TPT
4 Nyowani Kitara            3     0    1    2      2     5    −3      1
*Tie broken by GD

Group C
Zenic 4–2 Airannia
Bohr 3–4 Bonusia

P                        Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts 
1 Zenic                    3     3    0    0      6     2    +4      9     Q
2 Bonusia                  3     1    1    1      6     6     0      4     Q
3 Bohr                     3     1    0    2      5     6    −1      3     TPT
4 Airannia                 3     0    1    2      5     8    −3      1

Group D
A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni 1–2 Oberour Ar Moro
Kordavia 3–3 Captina Island

P                                           Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts 
1 Oberour Ar Moro                             3     3    0    0     11     3    +8      9     Q
2 A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni     3     0    2    1      4     5    −1      2     Q*
3 Captina Island                              3     0    2    1      5     7    −2      2     TPT*
4 Kordavia                                    3     0    2    1      6    11    −5      2*
*Tie broken by GD

Group E
Darmen 2–1 Three Golden Kingdoms
Tikariot 1–1 Eastfield Lodge

P                         Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts 
1 Eastfield Lodge           3     2    1    0      7     4    +3      7     Q
2 Darmen                    3     2    0    1      5     3    +2      6     Q
3 Three Golden Kingdoms     3     1    0    2      5     6    −1      3     TPT
4 Tikariot                  3     0    1    2      1     5    −4      1

Group F
Pridnestrovia 0–2 Norrhem
Chromatika 4–3 Sanford

P                        Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts 
1 Chromatika               3     3    0    0     10     7    +3      9     Q
2 Norrhem                  3     1    1    1      4     3    +1      4     Q
3 Pridnestrovia            3     1    0    2      7     9    −2      3     TPT
4 Sanford                  3     0    1    2      7     9    −2      1

3rd Placed Table

P                         Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts
3 The Kytler Peninsulae     3     1    1    1      2     3    −1      4     Q
3 Three Golden Kingdoms     3     1    0    2      5     6    −1      3     Q*
3 Bohr                     3     1    0    2      5     6    −1      3     Q*
3 Pridnestrovia             3     1    0    2      7     9    −2      3     Q
3 Taeshan                   3     1    0    2      3     8    −5      3
3 Captina Island            3     0    2    1      5     7    −2      2
*Tie broken by coin flip

Seeding Table

P                                           Pld     W    D    L     GF    GA    GD    Pts
1 Oberour Ar Moro                             3     3    0    0     11     3    +8      9
1 Zenic                                       3     3    0    0      6     2    +4      9
1 Chromatika                                  3     3    0    0     10     7    +3      9
1 Kwrpania                                    3     2    1    0     10     4    +6      7
1 Eastfield Lodge                             3     2    1    0      7     4    +3      7
1 Qusmo                                       3     2    0    1      4     1    +3      6
2 Pasarga                                     3     2    1    0     10     5    +5      7
2 Darmen                                      3     2    0    1      5     3    +2      6
2 Olastor                                     3     2    0    1      3     2    +1      6
2 Norrhem                                     3     1    1    1      4     3    +1      4
2 Bonusia                                     3     1    1    1      6     6     0      4
2 A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni     3     0    2    1      4     5    −1      2
3 The Kytler Peninsulae                       3     1    1    1      2     3    −1      4
3 Three Golden Kingdoms                       3     1    0    2      5     6    −1      3
3 Bohr                                        3     1    0    2      5     6    −1      3
3 Pridnestrovia                               3     1    0    2      7     9    −2      3

Round of Sixteen Fixtures
Oberour Ar Moro v Pridnestrovia @ Crescent Park, Lunas
Darmen v Olastor @ Stadium of the Sun, Belja
Eastfield Lodge v A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni @ Stein-los Stadium, Stein-los
Kwrpania v The Kytler Peninsulae @ Taltron Park, Torgos
Qusmo v Bonusia @ Albrecht Road, Stein-los
Chromatika v Three Golden Kingdoms @ Stilinkeep Stadium, Stilinkeep
Pasarga v Norrhem @ Silverthal, Torgos
Zenic v Bohr @ Kilmonarch, Stein-los

by **A Variable Number of Knights Who Say Ni** » Mon Jul 27, 2026 10:16 am

"Ni", the knights had said,
Forty minutes they led,
A goal in minute twenty-two
off Sir Deja Vu's head;

Captina got a fright,
Sir Brian up the right,
but regional number seven
still had in them some fight;

Not letting it be two,
they sent a quick pass through,
over the head of Galahad
and passing Yes Sir too;

But the shot went wide,
over the net it flied,
perhaps quite scared by Patsy's screech
the kick was simply skied;

At the half the knights lead,
thanks to Deja Vu's speed,
the higher-ranked islanders
can't find the goal they need;

There must have been some speech,
a cross into the breach,
the equalizer only blocked
by Patsy's jumping reach;

A goal, though, did soon come,
some play was simply dumb,
Sir Deja Vu, the goal-scorer,
being made much more glum;

The knights had to defend,
wanting to reach the end
with a point for their struggles and
not needing to full send;

The whistle blew full time,
the knights not in their prime,
but with a Kordavia loss
up the ranks they did climb.

by **Zenic** » Tue Jul 28, 2026 1:42 pm

Close To Perfection

Only three nations have managed to finish this Copa group stage with an unbeaten record: fellow Copa winners Oberour Ar Moro, newcomers (to the region) Chromatika, and the Survivors themselves, Zenic. None of them managed to have a perfect group stage, with no goals allowed, but each presents a formidable threat to hoist this cycle's Copa as the end of the tournament: Chromatika's offensive prowess taking no time to adjust and rivaling even the best in Rushmore, Zenic's recent defensive solidity holding strong after the beginning phases of their generational transition, and Oberour Ar Moro's being the complete package. They're not the only threats in this tournament though as fellow former Copa champions Pasarga, Eastfield Lodge, and Darmen advanced to the knockout rounds alongside some strong contenders in Kwrpania, Qusmo, Olastor, and The Kytler Peninsulae, all of whom are looking for their first title. In other words, despite some big nations missing from both this edition entirely and a few missing the knockout rounds, this Copa will be a highly contested tournament that will either give rise to a new champion or immensely strengthen an existing champion's profile in the region.

Fans within the Empire should feel confident in the Survivors' chances this cycle, especially after their most recent match. Having already qualified for the knockout rounds after beating B&B (Bohr and Bonusia) 1-0 each, Zys and the Survivors' staff decided to rest the starters and give the bench some playing time against Airannia in this A-Z matchup. Zenic got the upper hand early as Altwidus Aeneas launched the ball into the opposition's box and Pilypas Aldhard's head made contact with the ball to push it right in-between the goalkeeper's arms. The second goal took a lot longer to materialize as Maximon Nance only managed to win his first corner in the 41st minute of the match. From said corner kick, Sumida Nori was able to recover a failed clearance and blast it into the back of the net to go into halftime with a 2-0 lead.

The second half seemed to be trending in the same direction as Nance's third corner kick led to a Válter Geovana Couto header just 3 minutes in. Zenic's final goal arrived in the 57th minute as freshly substituted Hank Devor haphazardly dribbled through a few defenders before getting his shot blocked. Thankfully, the rebound was recovered by Wanyonyi Lawal and put into the goal to make it 4-0. No one would blame someone for thinking it was all over and starting to walk out of the stadium to beat traffic. No one aside from the Airannia national team, that is. A clumsy foul by goal scorer Couto led to a dangerous free kick from two meters outside the box that the opposition were able to get past Landon Hope to narrow Zenic's lead down to 3 with 22 minutes left. Zys' squad managed to stall the Airannia offense for a while but eventually, a second goal materialized from a desperate shot from 30 meters out that snuck under Hope's dive to make it 4-2. The Survivors' were able to eventually hold onto that lead and win Group C with no losses or draws to their name so far.

If you had to guess who Zenic's Round of 16 matchup was against, who would you have guessed? If you said an immediate rematch with Bohr, then you get a gold star. Zenic has a difficult road ahead of them if they want a second trophy for the regional trophy cabinet, regardless of who they face in the subsequent rounds. A rematch with a team that would love to get payback against Zenic in Bohr, a potential monumental matchup against host and fellow title contender Pasarga in the Quarterfinals, either another Group C rematch against Bonusia or another matchup against another fellow title contender in newcomer Chromatika and then a duel against the best nation from the other side of the bracket.

Can this squad finish 7-0 to win their second Copa Rushmori or will they stumble on one of the many hurdles that stand in their way? Only time will tell but we believe that the odds are slowly leaning towards the Survivors' favor.

-- Koralia Dev

Koralia Dev is one of our newest and most enthusiastic writers at The Leinz Herald. A graduate from the prestigious New Citium University, Koralia graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and has been working for the Herald covering foreign and international sporting events. We are excited to have her cover the Empire of Zenic’s return to sporting events, both domestic and international.

Copa Rushmori LI (51) - Everything Thread

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