IFP World Cup 2456

The IFP World Cup of 2456 was the 3rd edition of the IFP World Cup, the world championship for open league national football teams. It took place in Solan.

Origin and set up
The 2456 World Cup was greenlit within weeks of the 2452 World Cup final.

Host and venues
Several countries bid to host the tournament. Solan won on a ballet of higher up IFP members. Second place was Ceironia, and third place was Empherias to host.

Qualification
This world cup would be the first to not be invite-only, and include a qualification round. Solan, the hosts, automatically qualified. Furthermore, because of organisation difficulties, North Qatesh and East Qatesh nations would be assigned a set number of slots but would not have a qualification round, with nations being invited by the IFP. West and East Alaxia's confederations would combine into one qualification system, while Acoria would have a separate qualification system. The two intercontinental playoffs would be between Alaxia and East Qatesh; and Acoria and North Qatesh.

Alaxian qualification
Qualification in the West and East Alaxian confederations were merged to have a much larger tournament. The combined Alaxia had 12 slots in the World Cup, with an extra potential one pending intercontinental results. The tournament would be held in two parts. The first round would see five groups drawn consisting of six teams each, excluding Group A and Group B which had five due to only a total of 28 countries involved. Groups were drawn using pots that approximated similar team strength. The first and second placing countries in each group would qualify for the World Cup, while third placing countries would go to the second round. The second round was a sixth group consisting of all five third-placers. The first and second placing countries here qualified for the World Cup, with the third placing country going to an intercontinental playoff with an East Qateshi nation.

In the first round, 2 games would be played per fixture, while in the second round it was just 1 game per fixture. 110 matches were played across all six groups. To read the table, the score on the left was achieved by the team named on the row, while the score on the right was achieved by the team's flag shown in the column header. Concerning the first round: the matches played on the top-right were played first, across matchdays in 2453; the matches played on the bottom-left were played second, across matchdays in 2455. Concerning the second round, All matches were played in the matchdays in late 2455 and early 2456. The intercontinental playoff between East Qatesh would be played in March 2456.

Acorian qualification
Qualification in the Acoria confederation was recommended by IFP due to the standard of economies in the region. It would consist of a single round robin tournament, with 2 games per fixture. Two countries would qualify for the World Cup, while third place would go to an intercontinental playoff against North Qatesh. The top-right matches were in the first half of 2455, while the bottom-left matches were in the second half of 2455.

North and East Qatesh qualification
Due to conflicts within IFP management over cost and organisation, no qualification round was held in North or East Qatesh. Therefore, the teams qualifying and those in the intercontinental playoffs were individually invited. The slots to fill were 3 spots in North Qatesh, 4 in East Qatesh, and another one from each for the intercontinental playoffs. Holy Tempest Empire, Cammel, Yasja-Kanusphra were the West Qatesh nations invited; while United Republic, Suton, Skuria, Ladros were the East Qatesh nations invited. Alsara and Blia were picked to fill up the intercontinental spots.

List of participants
Alaxia (13)

Acoria (ACF) (3) North Qatesh (NORQAF) (3) East Qatesh (EQF) (5)
 * (host)
 * (host)
 * (host)
 * (host)
 * (host)

Group A
Getting the tournament off to a huge start, the host country Solan goes against Azyeri - a country who had a middling experience in the qualification rounds. Azyeri played the game very safe believing they could ride out a win against both Livyirin and Ladros and unwilling to upset the host country's hospitality. The first half was boring with no goals and just three shots between the sides. The second goal went off with a bang as Solan scored a corner kick in the 49th minute to make it 1–0. The game concluded with a host victory, an Azyeri defeat, and a pretty boring match overall.

Both sides - Livyirin and Ladros - both knew that they needed to win big in order to have a chance at qualifying against the other two major giants in the group. Livyirin had a lot of experience in the East Alaxian league, whereas Ladros was not a very high playing football nation at all and played in the smaller East Qateshi league. Livyirin played slow in the first half and defensive leading to no real major events except for a yellow card in the 29th minute given to the Livyirin striker to which he was substituted at half time. Beginning in the second half, Livyirin began to amp up pressure enormously and even changing formation and preferring set-piece tactics. This saw a Ladrosian yellow card in the 51st minute converted into a Livyirin free kick goal. Owing to smaller heights across the Ladros team, Livyirin scored another goal just five minutes later from a corner header. Ladros tried to tighten up towards the defence, but the Livyirin wing back managed to exploit this and go down the side and cross into the goal... Twice. Ladros' defender got a second yellow card in the 70th minute which left them with an open defence, one less player, an a penalty to Livyirin which they scored. Livyirin then slowed down and parked the bus, substituting their secondary striker and right-wing back for them to rest for later games. However, a tired Ladros defence allowed ST C from Livyirin to score a goal into the corner of the net from 11 metres out in the 82nd minute. The game ended with Ladrosian fans crying in the stands, and Livyirin delivering the first real televised wipe out of a team.

On the second matchday, the first match was between Ladros and the hosts Solan. Ladros had been utterly humiliated in their last match against Livyirin and had lost a key human defender to a red card suspension in this match. Solan on the other hand had home team advantage and national pride to cheer them on against a weaker side than Azyeri. The match got off to an insane side then, when Ladros scored in the third minute to a quick and nimble flight into position by their main striker and then a chip into the goal. Solan, who had been complacent and over-confident, had to gear up. Ladros celebrated but not too long before Solan equalised at just the fifth minute with an immediate counter-attack. Solan then managed to get another goal in with just three passes from kick off to intercept the Ladrosian striker to hit the back of the net at the 6th minute. This broke records for the fastest time a player had scored back-to-back goals in a match, and the earliest a match has seen two different teams by winning in not just the World Cup, but phutebola as a whole. Solan's main striker then got the fastest hat trick ever achieved at a World Cup when he scored again in the 12th minute. Solanese centre-forward scored a penalty won in the 17th minute by a Ladrosian yellow card. The rest of the first half was a massacre, with Solan scoring three more goals in the 24th, 32nd, and 35th minutes. Solan had turned the team inside and out before half time. According to some reports, the Solanese manager tried to slow down the pace of the ball to avoid injury, strain, and tiredness for their next game as they had already won. He also subbed off the main two strikers and played a purely defensive game for the second half. Ladros' centre-back was given a red card for racking up two yellows over the course of the match in the 66th minute. Solanese centre-forward could not resist getting himself a hat trick and at least one goal in the second half for the team and scored just before the full time whistle. The second match of the day was between Azyeri and Livyirin. Both teams would like a win although it isn't necessary, and Livyirin with the 3 point advantage would be looking to holding onto possession for the match. Azyeri doesn't want to go through the redemption round and possibly tire their team greatly before the knockouts and would therefore play more attackingly. Using East Alaxian tactics, Livyirin's slow possession and Azyeri's attack would hopefully leave gaps for the Livyirin strikers to take advantage of when the time is necessary. This pays off with a goal in the 43rd minute. Although their celebration was short lived as complacency in the back led to an Azyeri equaliser in injury time of the first half. Despite some good shots from Livyirin in the second half, the match ended as a draw.

The final matchday saw the hosts Solan against Livyirin. Both teams had already qualified regularly unless Azyeri were able to stage a victory against Ladros with a goal difference greater than 7, which would put Livyirin in jeopardy. Therefore, stakes were mostly off for both teams except for Solan's home advantage and huge crowd. They wanted to win all three games and put all their effort into that, while Livyirin employed the same strategy as their previous game to hold defences to not lose too badly on goal difference. Solan had three major chances throughout the match to score a goal and missed all three of them, while Livyirin had 7 shots on goal despite their defensive - which they missed too. Therefore, after a pretty boring game, the score ended as a draw.

Azyeri was matched up against Ladros with zero chance of advancing normally to the knockouts, requiring a second chance playthrough now. Therefore, they rested their major players for the upcoming second chance matches and played mostly a B-team setup. However, Ladros was fired up to produce a good result despite their key centre-back suspended during this match. Ladros shocked the world when they scored twice in the first half, once in the 30th minute and a second time in the 40th minute. This could be attributed to inexperience to Azyeri's other players and complacency. However, trying to defend their lead, Ladros acted desperate and gave away a penalty to Azyeri in the 67th minute which they scored. Even worse was Azyeri substituting in their main striker, who had been on the bench, in the 70th minute who went on to score a goal in the 74th minute to equalise. Despite both teams playing very hard in the rest of the second half, the match ended as a draw.

Group B
Ahitereira versus Malayang was predicted by some pundits to be quite an easy match for Ahitereira because Malayang had barely any experience against East Alaxian sides. Ahitereira on the other side were the world championships, one of the best teams in Alaxia and the world. However, the match was harder than expected for Ahitereira and many of the players had underestimated the Malayang side despite their victory in Acorian qualification. After a very boring first half with Ahitereiran possession, they were encouraged to be more aggression in the second half. However, mistakes made by the midfielders allowed for Malayang to take possession. They made the shot and scored. Players protested that the Malayang player was actually off side but the referee believed he was right in his decision to allow the goal to be given. Ahitereira, making substitutions for tired players, kept up pressure throughout the second half but fell victim to another Malayang goal in the 70th minute made from a corner kick. The audience was cheering heavily for the underdogs but despite this, the Ahitereiran team tried to remain calm and collected. This strategy allowed for a tiring Malayang defence to let through star striker from Ahitereira who scored in the 77th minute. With another 15 minutes left, many of the Ahitereiran squad believed they could keep up the pace but became more and more frustrated as the Malayang team ran down the clock... and eventually a Malayang opening victory. Karkuss against Cammel was one of the least attended games of the world cup, mostly because of the two lesser known sides playing. However, there may also be merit as the game was very slow to start with 2 shots by Karkuss in the first match and 0 shots by Cammel. The second half began with Karkuss attempting to defeat a side they believe had no experience, but also rest their major players. Despite the slow pressure and build up, lack of enthusiasm, and a b-team playing, one of the best goals of the tournament was scored. One of Karkuss' midfielders cross from the middle of the field to a striker running forwards who used a header to score a goal in the top right corner of the goal from outside the penalty box. Despite this crazy goal, Karkuss was unable to score another and many audience members said they regretted watching the match and some reportedly fell asleep. This did secure however, both players involved in the goal were invited to join Karkuss' A-team line up for future games.

Ahitereira decided to use their entire main squad for their match against Cammel, seeing it as an opportunity to score a lot of goals easily for goal difference advantage and to get an easy three points. They didn't want to risk anything. This led to the highest score line ever at a World Cup, beating the Ceironia v United Republic game of 2452 which had 20 goals to 3 goals. Ahitereiran star striker was eager to prove himself and scored with his first touches of the ball in the second minute. They scored a total of fourteen goals in the first half alone, and eventually Cammel strikers began to sit down to rest before half time. Cammel used all five substitutions during half time, while Ahitereira switched in their B team after their victory had been secured. Despite this shakeup, the sloppiest goal of the tournament was made in the 47th minute as the new Ahitereiran striker just decided in the Ahitereiran side of the pitch to cross it across the entire pitch and it went in the goal and scored while the Cammel goalkeeper reacted too late. The new influx of energy from Cammel delayed an Ahitereiran momentum for the first ten minutes of the second half though but Ahitereira still scored another nine goals to make the score line 24 to 0. Even the Ahitereiran goalkeeper decided in the final few minutes to try and score, and did, getting the first ever goalkeeper goal in world cup history. The Malayang versus Karkuss match would take either team to the magical six points of automatic qualification. Karkuss played it's A-team for the first team although Malayang had more of an experience with their team. Karkuss however needed the win more as their game with Ahitereira, the harder match-up, was still undecided, and Karkuss didn't want the anxiety of a loss tonight with the next game to play for. The game was slow to start but began with a bang as a corner kick from Malayang bagged them a goal in the 35th minute. Karkuss, much better at drawing in qualification, aimed mostly for a slow comeback to give Malayang security before equalising and getting at least a tie. Therefore, there was no major Karkuss counter-attack before half time. The second half was also slow to start as both teams, when gaining possession, wanted to keep it for as long as possible. This changed in the 69th minute as Karkuss substituted two midfielders and began an assault through the middle and could've scored a goal before the main striker flopped to the ground and called for a penalty that was never granted. Despite valiant attempts to score, the match ended in a Malayang victory.

Ahitereira versus Karkuss was supposedly the last real game of the group with Cammel's extinction imminent. Both teams played their best squad and needed a good result both being on three points to progress. Pressure began at the off-set from the Ahitereiran side, high from their previous alliteration of Cammel, although the Karkuss defence held strong. A gap in the defences led to an early goal in the top-left corner from the Ahitereiran striker in the 15th minute. Ahitereira had another few runs and shots in the first half but two went wide and two were caught by the Karkuss keeper who was on much better form. The second half began with an immediate yellow card to Karkuss who was then substituted. Not much action occurred in the early stages of the second half but then a disallowed goal from Karkuss happened in the 67th minute with many fans unhappy with the referee's decision. An Ahitereiran penalty in the 83rd minute decided the game.

Malayang versus Cammel was a game where Malayang was expected to dominate but became one of the most well known games in phutebola history. Reports from the time suggest that there was drug taking in the Cammel camp, some suspect the main three forwards of the squad as well as the goalkeeper possibly could've been partaking. An official investigation was opened after the world cup had ended but they found nothing, though some suggest there were cover ups involved. Whereas, a secondary investigation was opened up forty years later to finally found out the truth in 2496 found some evidence of drug-usage but could not directly link them to Cammel. Regardless, the Cammel team was not suspended or receive punishment for the team's performance. The game began to almost instant excitement as the Cammel striker ran through four Malayang players and scored from way outside the penalty box and took almost everyone by surprise. Malayang became disorganised quickly unable to figure out a good solution to the Cammel offensive. Another run by Cammel's striker and then a cross saw a midfielder be tripped out by Malayang defence in the penalty area, but got up so quickly and un-phased that the referee didn't even see. However, Malayang player kindness saw the penalty given and scored, with Cammel leading by 2 goals in the first ten minutes. Despite this, the Malayang team soon moved to a highly defensive play and substituting some defenders in (having been very wide and open for an attacking play they thought they'd need) which saw them secure the score line until half time. The second half began with Cammel main striker falling to a harsh foul, granting them a free kick on goal (which scored in the 52nd minute) but he had, unknown to him, began bleeding heavily from the head soon after. He was sent off and died in hospital the day after. With many distractions and morale wearing down, Malayang scored a great goal from their main striker in the 78th minute, and a follow up in the 85th minute, but ultimately lost to Cammel - having already qualified themselves. The dead Cammel player had a memoriam held in both Cammel and Solan.

Group C
One of the greatest rivalries of the sport would start in the first match of the second day. Ginsukyo had a stellar record this season, topping their group in the qualifications, while still losing once they were still on the track to be the victors of this cup as well. Jimaria in the other hand had not topped their group, but remained undefeated in it, as such they believed they were not worse than the Ginsukyans in any way. The crowds for the game were pumped up to see such a rivalry early on, and the players knew they had to satisfy their fans. While not big nations, the Ginsukyans and Jimarians had obtained a large amount of fans from their last performances, so many were excited to see some of the greatest teams of all time combat it. The first half would start, and the swift Ginsukyans would attack various times, without much success, as the new Jimarian goal-keep seemed more competent than previously thought, sustaining 8 shots on target. Jimaria would play very defensively almost as if to tire the aggressive Ginsukyan team. 3 minutes into the halftime overtime, and the Ginsukyans would finally get one shot, from their Star Striker. The second half would remain much of the same, but the Jimarians couldn't reach an opportunity to score upon the Ginsukyans. In the end, the Ginsukyans had executed their revenge and claimed the first victory of the 2nd day of the tournament.

Comparisons were brought up between the Cammel team and the Kanusphra team, many thought they much like them would have no change. Unlike the Cammeli team though, Kanusphra was much more developed, having a league of its own, still prospects weren't high even for them. Nordleg in the other hand was a competent team, and while not at the top of its group was nothing to scoff at, had previously obtained various stellar results. The game would begin with a not so big audience, many were just expecting a Nordlegi victory and not much else. The whistle blew and the Nordlegi team would begin their onslaught, hopefully quickly scoring one against the opposing team and then being able to rest in a defensive formation for the rest of the game, in the end they would just tire themselves out, and would be unable to score anything for the entire first part, the Kanusphran team had proven themselves more competent than previously thought. The second part would be thought to be much of the same until the Nordlegi offensive finally payed off and they scored a majestic goal. By overtime, the Kanusphrans dropped their strong defensive line and went for a goal, they went in a strong formation passing the ball and dribbling over the at this point quite tired Nordlegis who hadn't seen this coming, reaching the end field and finally executing not only a goal, but a bicycle kick goal. While the numbers of the audience weren't great in person, the many viewers watching through their small screen would hail the grand Kanusphran offensive, which won with a tie.

Hopes were high for the Kanusphran team after the last game, many thinking they were the new dark horses of the tournament, and the Qateshis loving their underdog stories, would come in vast numbers to be able to see the Kanusphran team take one of the greatest teams of all time. This time they knew they were in for a hard match, Ginsukyo had only lost one game in the past 9 games it had played, as such it was not going to be easy at all. Going with an unorthodox tactic, the starting Kanusphran team wouldn't have a single striker, instead replacing them with central backs and defenses. Ginsukyo on the other hand, was known for its strong attacks, and it knew Kanusphra was not a team of bad defensive capability. The Ginsukyan team would repeat its strategy, but this time, suffered immense pressure out of the large amount of defenses in the Kanusphran team, after all it was quite obvious they were looking for a tie and nothing more. The pressure would hold, and the various fans had never cheered as hard as they had, specially not for any defensive ability. The second time would continue as it would be much of the same, by the end the Ginsukyans looked extremely tired and furious at the game, they were about to tie against Kanusphra. The final whistle would blow, and the game would be declared a tie, but a victory for Kanusphra.

Jimaria with its onslaught of fans, was the clear favourite, and no doubt was that they would win this match, with many calling this a waste of time. The Nordlegi side though, was not ready to forfeit, and they put their sneakers on and prepared themselves for a match that they would not forget. Group C had proven itself to be one of the most entertaining groups, yet, this match would prove to be one of the most uneventful. The first half would see a strong Jimarian team score in the 30 minute mark, and just like they had basically declared themselves victors, why? Well, the Nordlegi team was unable to push through or even score a goal in any of the opportunities it was given, while not a bad team, they were unable to properly strike. At the 78th minute, Jimaria would score yet another, and hope would be lost by the Nordlegi team.

Ginsukyo was ready to win this game, needing it to qualify, as such they would try a more calculated strategy and would focus on obtaining as much opportunities to score as possible, as to not allow a solid wall defense to happen like it had before. Nordleg would have a not so good morale this game, but they would still hang on the possibility of qualifying, having as much chances as Jimaria currently had. As the game would go start, the new calculated and calm strategy of the Ginsukyan team began paying off against the Nordlegi's, as they were usually a very technical team, and were probably expecting to be able to abuse this against the Ginsukyans. A goal would be scored in the 20th and 31st minute by the main striker of the Ginsukyo team. The second part would see a more defensive Ginsukyo, something that hadn't been seen since the first implementation of their aggressive strategy in the first World Cup, and it would be successful until the Nordlegi offense would respond with a magnificent chip goal at the 86th minute. It would be too late for them though, and they weren't able to score any other goals, being unable to qualify.

Kanusphra without winning a singular game had become a fan favorite in the league, the Beastmen Fortress, being one of the nicknames many began to call them for their uninpenetrable defense and ability to hold their own. Even if the Kanusphran had lost this game against the Jimarians they would still be able to continue in the redemption rounds, which for them, was much more of a victory than anybody else could've predicted. Jimaria was ready to win this game and prove that the uninpenetrable Beastmen Fortress was in fact not as strong as many had assumed. The Jimarian coach in the 3 days before the game would acquire various copies of the Kanusphran formation and defense and think of holes in their strategy, to which they found a solution, throw ins and corner kicks. While an obvious solution to many, the coach would devise a strategy to obtain as many throw ins and corners as possible, by forcing the opposite players to move to risky places and pressure them upon such, and then scoring with either a robust throw in into the penalty area or a corner kick into another player. The game would start, and the Jimarians would put this new strategy into play, in the first half of the game, not scoring anything, as the players were not used to this or even understood the point that well. The second part would begin and the Jimarians would not only score one goal, at the 68th minute, but a second goal, at the 82nd minute, and a third goal at the 90th minute. They had done it, the golden eagles had broken the fortress down.

Group D
Both part of the East Alaxian league, Palakkinen and Aether were not strangers to playing each other, as such the expected winners were Palakkinen, with a stronger team in most times they had played together. Therefore, the Aether team played it safe, focusing on the defensive side, choosing to attack only on the opportunities given. And surprisingly, the Palakkinen defense seemed to provide quite an ample amount of opportunities, as Aether's star midfielder would score not once but twice in the span of 20 minutes. Palak had seemingly underestimated Aether's team, choosing to let its main players rest and only putting its secondary players in this first match. As first half would go on, Palakkinen's manager would see himself put the main strikers that would've been resting in order to possibly turn the match around, but Aether had strengthened its defense by replacing its strikers for defenses. In the end, the game would end with an Aether clean sheet with 2 over the Palak offense.

Suton's team had historically been one of the worse in the world, as while being from a very populous country, barely surpassed the qualifying stages. Suton though was confident on its new team, as its leagues had recently grown in popularity and with that various new players had come into play. While Suton's team was filled with new star power, Kiavalar wasn't anything to scoff at, it had various seasoned veterans and it was prepared for the unorthodox Qateshi league tactics, with the coach preparing for this match for many days by attending various games in Suton. In the end, none of the teams would score. For Suton, such a thing was nothing short of a victory, and outside the stadium many celebrated the Tie.

Both Kiavalar and Palakkinen's teams had suffered losses in the past round, and they were both ready to redeem themselves in this match. Sadly for Kiavalar, they weren't ready for the Palak attack, seeing it score one goal in the first 2 minutes. As the game seemed to have calmed down in the second part and as Kiavalar began to gain possession over the Palak team, they would shock the world, as Palak scored, not with a striker, not with a midfielder, but with a defense. As the game ended, riots outside the stadium by the various Kiavalari fans had begun, demanding a rematch, arguing that Palak had rigged it, and that Kiavalar had various penalties ignored.

Aether and Suton had very different objectives for this game, as they saw Kiavalar's game, both knew this was an opportunity to get ahead of the curve, and saw each other as possible victories. As the Aether midfielder would once again score a goal many saw this as the end of Suton, but as a fantastic corner assist would be dealt, Suton would also score shortly after. The uneventful second half would be stressful for both sides, as many saw any outcome as possible. As the whistle blew, and a tie would be the outcome of the game, and a collective sigh was heard on both sides of the stadium.

Palakkinen and Suton with three points and two points respectively needed this win to qualify, with even a tie putting Palakkinen at risk of having Kiavalar above it, if they won the next match, which was the probable thing to happen. Palakkinen would go on a harsh offensive, with Suton responding with an equally harsh offensive rather than a defense. Seemingly both sides had forgotten defensive tactics, but it would enable Palak's very own ST A to score a goal at the 30 minute mark, sadly for them just 10 minutes later Suton would score a beautiful chip goal. The second part would begin with either side not forgiving their strategies, persisting with their attack. ST A would score another goal to the cheer of the Palak fans. As the 80 minute mark rolled through many were sure of themselves that this would be a secure Palakkinen win, but on the 82nd minute a penalty would be called. Suton would successfully score such a penalty, and as the tie seemed imminent and overtime had just began, Suton's main striker would once again score. Suton had won, and had just secured their qualification.

Kiavalar needed not only a win, but also needed to score two goals to qualify, all while not receiving a single goal, and while not impossible specially with a team like Aether, they were still wary. The morale was not exactly high for the Kiavalar players, which had basically suffered two losses in the past game. Aether meanwhile, was much more optimistic, their team while not exactly the best, was known for its strong defense, and all they needed to qualify was a tie. Aether would go on to do much more. In the 5th minute, Aether would score. And just three minutes later they would score again. Aether's star midfielder had done it again. In just 8 minutes the game had been won, Kiavalar would need to score 5 goals to be able to qualify, or just 3 to even reach the knockout stage. As halftime had passed, it became abundantly clear that Kiavalar would not only not qualify, but be last place in the group, without a single victory in its belt. As the final whistle blew, crying was seen, but not heard as Aether's fans were celebrating harder than the Kiavalar fans were crying.

Group E
Lothern and Koresa had both played each in the same group of the Alaxian qualification round, with only one goal by Lothern allowing it to make it the only defeat Koresa had gotten, conceding its first place. As both teams arrived in the camps, tensions were at an all time high, teams from both sides wanted this win, almost as if a rivarly between the two had always existed. Many were very anxious for the result of this game, and the Koresans would respond to such cries, scoring a goal just 15 minutes in. The celebration afterwards being one of the most iconic parts of the cup, as the Koresan Striker who had scored it would direct it to the recent TV spectators blowing a kiss to the camera, becoming a worldwide sensation in the matter of minutes. As the game continued, Koresa filled with morale, would score another, this time by a relatively unknown midfielder, cementing the win by Koresa.

From completely different leagues, and completely different types of play, this was one of the most unpredictable matches. The Holy Tempest Empire's team being mostly occupied by the Ruskvi super stars of West Alaxia, saw itself more confident than the Republican team, which was cautious in its play. Betting houses in Solan saw themselves putting completely different rates, with many considering the Tempest the superior team with rates of 69% chances of winning, while others gave the United Republic's team chances of 82%. As the starting whistle started, the Tempest team would see itself on the attack, with many of its defenses being able to push through, as possession was in the 59% for the Tempest, some were predicting that the win was assured for them already. In the 22nd minute, they would score. Just 5 minutes later, the United Republic would respond with one goal of their own. In the half-time overtime, Tempest would score another. The second part would begin, and just 2 minutes in, the United Republic would score a goal. By the 80th minute, the game was seemingly stalled, with a tie imminent. Tempest would substitute many of its Ruskvi players for its new Ciyugan ones, seeing the appearance of some dwarven defences into play. On the 2nd minute of overtime, a seemingly normal throw-in would begin, done by an unimportant dwarven defence. Shockingly, he would throw it in such a manner that it would allow a goal for the Tempest team, and a victory would be called soon after.

Suffering a loss just previously, both sides were clamoring for a victory. Lothern had come first in the Alaxian qualifications, while the United Republic hadn't participated in many international events, failing to even surpass the Erdelichtians in the past cup they had played. While the new United Republic players seemed more competent than previously, with more money being invested in the new leagues, people were still not confident enough in their team to consider a possible win. The United Republic was betting for a possible tie, focusing on their defense, knowing the capability the Lothernians had in their offense. The game would start, the United Republic would get the ball by the first 30 seconds, they would pass it to their main midfielder who would single-handedly run into the goal-keep, shooting a clear and fast goal. The United Republic were so happy they began dancing, and the midfielder would even take his shirt out of excitement. Sadly for him that would get him a yellow card, yet that didn't matter, they had just scored against Lothern. Celebrations kept roaring for 10 minutes, being shut down quickly after as Lothern's midfielder would score a goal. At the 20th minute, Lothern's striker would score another. 12 minutes later, Lothern's midfielder would score yet another one. By the halftime overtime, Lothern's striker would score yet another. By the second part, Lothern would continue, scoring a goal at the 52nd minute, another at the 68th, one at the 81st and a final goal at the second minute of overtime. Lothern had not just won, they had decimated the Heboian team.

Both being winners of the past round, such a game would be one of the most anticipated, with the Tempest fans, in the thousands, shouting hard for their team. While Koresan fans were small in numbers, they were ingenious on how they celebrated their team, organizing themselves, they would wear black and red shirts, sitting in such manner that the Koresan star would be seen in the camp. Koresans were not many but they were committed, and that showed in their team. This would be a match of titans, with both sides being prepared to combat the other, being one of the highest players in their respective leagues. The game would start, and the first part would see a large amount of shots and attempts, none succeeding. As the second part continued, the same would apply, and in the end the game would end in a disappointing tie, but a tie that would enable both sides to be tied for first place, and officially eliminating the United Republic

Lothern had just shown before that it was not a team to be underestimated, and they needed this win to qualify. Coming out high from their last match, they were ready to seal the deal against the Tempest team. The Tempest team while not in a bad situation, knew it was in for a harsh ride, but they also needed the win to qualify. With both sides trying for a win, the Lothernians would know the Tempest team would go on the offensive, and with this, they played it safe only trying for goals when the Tempest team forgave their positioning. Such a strategy would lead to the game stalling during the first half, with no goals. A quick pep talk in the halftime would seemingly change the Lothernian's team whole strategy and mindset, forcing attack after attack not forgiving the Ruskvi-Ciyugan team even once. This would lead to 3 goals being scored by the main Lothernian midfielder, and now saw himself with two hat-tricks in a single world cup, by the group stage. Lothern would leave victorious, and would qualify for the Knockout Round.

There was no hope for the United Republic, they had a goal differential of -11, and they had no points in their belt, no matter what would happen in this game they would be out. Meanwhile Koresa was sure they were going to win, and against the weak morale of the United Republic it was basically confirmed. Still, the Heboians hold, and would see themselves defense quite fiercely, in the end Koresa would only score 2 goals, and while not that much, it was more than enough for the Koresans to end in first place without a singular defeat. Koresan flags would be all over, and their star midfielder would soon become a famous celebrity due to his ability to appeal to a TV Audience.

Group F
Fazar and Grensalbourg had both great qualifications, with first place and second place respectively in their groups. Fazar was the clear favorite, with the Fazarian fans being the biggest in number with the exception of the Solanese themselves. Grensalbourg in the meantime was the clear underdog, while not a bad team by any way, they had no support besides from the small demographic of Grensalbourg fans and the Thraxian fans looking for some team to latch on. The first half would begin and 10 minutes after, the main Grensalbourgian striker would get a yellow card. By the 37th minute mark, he would get sent off, for inciting a fight against a Fazarian player. By the second part, Grensalbourg's team had lost their main striker, and Fazar began an onslaught of attacks, such that would succeed in a goal at the 75th minute mark. Fazar had won.

Tupalei'i had historically one of the worst teams in the tournament, not even being considered for the past two cups, yet they had finished 2nd in the Acoria qualification. Many saw Tupalei'i as the great giant killer, being able to take both the Ceironians and the Nordlegi in one of its first international appearances. The Tupalei'i players were ready to cause an upset once again. In the other side of the field, Skuria, while the majority of its team were Skaven, it was one of the most competent teams in the entire cup, and many knew they were not a force to be reckoned with. The game would start, and the Tupalei'i would score a goal in the 5th and 13th minute, in such a fast fashion that many Skurian fans saw their impending downfall. As the game would continue, the Skaven might would serve them a goal in the 26th minute, a win was still in the sights of many Skurian fans. As Halftime overtime came, the Skurians would scored another and equalize the game. The second half would be relatively uneventful, and the game would end in a tie.

Skuria and Fazar are both very different, Skuria while very competent would be competing against one of the best, if not the best team in the cup. Fazar had topped its group and was on its way for qualification, while Skuria had just tied a game against the Tupalei'i newcomers, many doubted Skuria's ability. The first half would be a secure defense of the Skurians against the high speed Fazarians, but in the end wouldn't lead to anything. The second half seemed that it would be much of the same, until a substitution by Fazar to replace their main Midfielder with a relatively unknown player without a previous, he would then proceed to score two consequent goals against Skuria, guaranteeing the win for them. He would subsequently get a yellow card for celebrating "too harshly". This win would guarantee Fazar's qualification.

Grensalbourg was desperately clamoring for this win, as it would bring them one step closer into safely qualifying, specially after losing against Fazar. Tupalei'i though, was equally determined to win if they won against Grensalbourg they would be second in the league, and most likely wpuld qualify, unless a mass upset by the Skurians would happen. Mirroring the events of their past game, Tupalei'i would begin an early domination of the field, scoring a goal by the 5th minute once again, unlike last time, Grensalbourg wasn't as quick to answer as the Skurians had previously been. This would eventually lead to an tedious second half, and a Tupalei'i win. Grensalbourg was officially out of the tournament.

Tupalei'i had shocked the world of football able to win against a team in the East Alaxian league, and tie with the competent team of Skuria, still the main question would be, could they defeat Fazar? The answer was clear after just 10 minutes of play, a strong no. Fazar was simply above its competition, and while Tupalei'i had managed to score one goal later on, Fazar had finalized the game with 3 of their own. This defeat while embarrassing still showed that Tupalei'i wasn't as bad as it could've been. Fazar was the unbeaten team in this group, and they had showed themselves that while not capable of beating them, they were not as bad as initially thought being the only team to score a goal against Fazar in the group.

Grensalbourg was disqualified but not wholly, as they could still reach the redemption round, so the goal was simple, don't lose. For Grensalbourg winning against an inferior Qateshi league team would be easy but Skuria was confident. Skuria was still assured on their own skills, considering itself as a competent team, even if losing against Fazar, the Skurian manager saw the potential on its team, and with a strong pep talk the Skurian team was ready to put itself out there, and get on the redemption round. As the first minute began, the fast Skurian rodentids rushed the enemy camp, and like that would find an opening by the 13th minute. The Skurians had done it, they had scored one against the Grensalbourgians. Gloom came upon the few Grensalbourg fans in the stadium, were they about to lose every single match in Group F? As the second half continued, the Skurian defense would remain strong, not letting a single goal in, and by the 82nd minute, they would score yet another one. Skuria would win, while also humiliating the Grensalbourgians, making them qualify rather than Tupalei'i.

Group G
The Tempest were confident in their skill and had not bothered to study much of the Kanusphran game, focusing rather on honing in their own technique. Kanusphra had a chance of going into the knockout stage in their first international event, and they were not ready to waste it, they had two strategies in their hand, the first would be the same they had been using since the start, the Grand Fortress, and if this wouldn't work, the Kanusphran team would employ the usage of the usual East Alaxian strategy, choosing to attack as many times as possible. In the first part, the Holy Tempest would see itself unable to score a singular goal, and the Kanusphran fortress proved itself to be the way to go. As the second part would come, the Kanusphran coach would unexpectedly swap 3 of the all defenses team for 2 strikers and an Attacking Midfielder, in an odd formation. Those 3 and a defense would employ an aggressive push and as they crossed the field they would score one for Kanusphra. The team had scored a goal, all they had to do now was persist with their defense. The Tempest would see this, and sub in two strikers in place of two defenses as to push back against the now weaker Kanusphran defense, sadly this would all but pay off in another goal from the Kanusphrans. At the 80th minute the Tempest team would finally be able to score. The final whistle would blow and Kanusphra would declare victory.

The question for the Kanusphran fans was "Could they do it again?", the team not only managed to tie against some of the best teams, but won against the Ruskvian team in their first international appearance. But still the Azyeri managers didn't think much of it, and saw themselves as much more qualified than whatever the Kanusphrans could put in the table. As the game would start, the Kanusphran formation saw itself as oddly regular seemingly they were ready to play a game without any unorthodox tactics going for a simple 3-4-3. Many questioned the capability that Kanusphra would have in such a formation, but Azyeri didn't even bother to care. The game would begin to oddly strong possession by the Kanusphran team, who would respond to the Azyeri attacks with grace, still Azyeri would go through many many times to see itself faced by 3 defenses all of which kept pushing it back and back again, with the goal-keep not allowing them an easy response as well. Ultimately the Kanusphrans would have an even possession with the Azyeri, and looked like they were playing way above what was expected of them, until Azyeri scored a goal, the cries of the various Kanusphran fans were heard, would the Qateshi pride fall this hard?. 10 minutes later, the Kanusphran team would respond with one goal as well, celebrations roared, Kanusphra was here to stay. The second half would see a continuation of the previous slugfest by both sides until... the Kanusphran main striker scored yet another! The redemption stage had its named proven, as the new team managed to win by two against both teams in it.

This game would define whether each team would pass onto the knockout stage. Many expected this to be one of the defining games of the league, but as it went on, it became obvious both teams were being way too cautious leading to a tedious game, the first part would be mostly uneventful and unrisky play. The second part would feature a fast and immediate attack from the main Azyeri striker getting them a goal. This would put the Tempest team out of the tournament. The Azyeri were in the Knockout stage.

Group H
Karkuss had just left a gruesome group, with the past world champion and first standing acorian team, and right now it saw itself ready to redeem itself towards the Palakkinen team. Palakkinen saw itself in an extremely tough position, losing against two usually considered subpar teams, and now it was unsure of its future in the tournament. The first part would start with a quick goal from the Karkussi team in the 2nd minute, and another at 30 minute mark, Karkuss seemed to be a much better team than the Palakkinen, and this would continue onto the second part, in which the Palakkinen team would see itself unable to fight back.

Tupalei'i had proven itself more than capable, being the singular team able to score against the Fazari monolith in their group, yet they were excluded to the redemption round by singular goal, and they were ready to retribute such towards Palakkinen. As the game would begin the Palakkinen offensive would prove itself inneffective, as the Tupalei'i would dominate the possession and would many times execute successful shots on target, being stopped only being the Palak goal-keep. The Tupalei'i main striker would eventually pass onto the their centre-forward who would execute a brilliant goal. The game would continue with Tupalei'i dominating the game but not being able to execute on its advances. The victory would be handed to Tupalei'i, and Palakkinen would officially be out of the qualification.

Tupalei'i and Karkuss had both been be able to win, and they were automatically qualified. The only thing that this game would decide, would be the winner of this group, and both sides were clamoring for such a spot. The game would lead into a majestic tie, as both sides would not do anything remarkable and would leave the game with an incredibly sour taste to the fans of the sport. Many claimed this had been the worst game they had seen the group so far, some even claiming Tupalei'i let such a thing happen in order to get a favorable bracket with Suton, while Karkuss only did it as a way to go against a familiar opponent.

Round of 16
The first knockout match was Solan against Malayang. Solan thus far has had home advantage and had won two matches in the group stage, drawing one and losing none. However, their victories weren't very impressive. Solan's victory over Azyeri was impressive at first, but Azyeri's form throughout the entire tournament was very poor. Their other victory was against Ladros, who had performed very poorly the whole tournament too. They tied against Livyirin, a minor East Alaxian team. Therefore, Solan went into the match confident because of the crowd but not complacent. Malayang on the other hand had managed to beat world champions Ahitereira in the group stage, and East Alaxian decent side Karkuss, but losing to Cammel in their most recent match. They were very eager to redeem themselves for their recent loss against Cammel. Both teams used their full main squad for the match with no injuries. The match began with the crowd cheerily very heavily for Solan, even more-so as they dominated the first half with constant pressure. They had 22 shots to Malayang's 5 shots, but none of them converted into goals. Through the second half, Solan slowed down the pace to not exhaust their players, and Malayang saw a more favourable possession throughout. But the game ended normally as a tie. Extra time began with a disallowed goal from Malayang, which became controversy, when the Malayang striker had committed a foul worthy of a yellow card just before the goal. Extra time concluded and the first penalties of the tournament began. The crowd cheering the Solanese shots, and booing the Malayang shots, most likely contributed to Solan's win.

World champions Ahitereira were put up was a tough challenge early on as they faced Jimaria, previous world champions. The match began incredibly tough with neither team getting a shot on target within the first thirty minutes. However, things changed when Jimaria scored a free kick in the 31st minute. The match then took another unexpected turn when the Jimarian goalkeeper sustained a leg injury to a failed Ahitereiran challenge in the 40th minute, being substituted soon after. Ahitereira amped up towards the end of the first half and managed to score an equaliser during the chaos in the 43rd minute. Ahitereira had a great turnaround when they scored another during injury time! The second half began with Jimaria attempting to maintain possession but the Ahitereiran star striker managed to push through and score a goal in the 56th minute, getting a hat trick. Jimaria began losing energy and switched to set piece tactics, eventually gaining a penalty in the 82nd minute. The match ended with some real challenge to the Ahitereirans not succeeding.

The Kanusphra versus Ginsukyo was a very interesting matchup. Both teams had already faced each other before at the 2456 world cup, in the group stage, where they drew unexpectedly. However, since then, Ginsukyo topped their group while Kanusphra lost hard to Jimaria, and then had to endure two more matches to catch up. Kanusphra returned to the formation and tactics that got them their previous tie, an all defensive line up with no strikers, to frustrate the side into anger and tiredness. Luckily for Kanusphra, this tactic worked mostly with Ginsukyo achieving just 2 shots on target, both caught by the Kanusphran keeper, in the full game. The game went to extra time with Ginsukyo subbing out defenders, who they believed weren't needed because of a lack of Kanusphran offence, and replaced them with strikers. However, these strikers were unable to prove effective. Before penalties, Kanusphra did substitute strikers into otherwise defensive positions. Penalties saw a not totally warmed up Ginsukyo goalkeeper against five brand new Kanusphran strikers, while the Kanusphran muscular keeper was ready to go up against some new and some worn out forwards for Ginsukyo. The stadium went into celebration as Kanusphra won, and Ginosukyoan mainly sulked as they lost to this nation.

This match up was seen as incredibly futile as Fazar had topped their group stage by winning all three games, while Karkuss inched through the second chance round with just one win and a draw. However, Karkuss did put up a bit of a fight. Mostly going slow at first, Fazar made it's first real attempt on goal in the 9th minute which failed, although they returned and scored in the 11th minute. Karkuss soon tightened up formation and kept a slow game throughout the rest of the first half. The second half began with Karkuss riling itself up significantly, making two striker substitutions aimed at pressuring the back of Fazar's lines. Although there were great opportunities, and by the end 7 shots on target from Karkuss, the game ended in a victory for Fazar, although pundits say their form began tiring out towards the end.

Aether versus Lothern was a very unpredictable matchup. Although unexpectedly great throughout qualifying, Aether had met some challenge in the group stage drawing Suton but knocking out Kiavalar. They were definitely capable of a massive upset against Lothern. And it would be an upset for a team who had achieved respectable wins against two teams in their group, though losing to Koresa. The match heated up with a controversial free kick granted to Lothern which went in their favour and bagged them an early 20th minute goal. Despite multiple attempts from both teams, this score line remained the same until very late when Lothern was able to secure, or so they thought, their victory with a goal in the 73rd minute. Following this, an angry Koresan fan jumped the stadium fences and began pitch invading, which led the referee to suspend the game for three minutes. In the chaos as the game resumed, Aether scored a goal while the Lothern team remained confused on whether the game was in play. Another controversy began as the referee said the goal stood in the 78th minute. Soon after, an Aether attack saw a set piece given in a penalty from lousy Lothern defending. This saw the score equalised in the 81st minute, with just 9 minutes to go. Lothern began preparing to go into extra time, however the Aether striker had other plans as he expertly manoeuvred around two Lothern defenders to score a spectacular goal in the 1st minute of injury time, and got a hat trick. The Koresa-Skuria game would be interesting for both sides. Koresa had won their group but their results weren't entirely impressive. Both teams maintained one win, one tie, and an one loss, and it was anybody's game despite Koresa's huge experience with the game and domestic leagues. Both halves of the match were incredibly slow as both teams wanted to produce a good result and not rush and concede. The were four major opportunities to score throughout: two Koresan and two Skurian. All four were set-piece tactics, all being close to the goal free kicks. The first Koresan opportunity went wide in the 50th minute, while the first Skurian opportunity was saved by the keeper in the 67th minute. The second Koresan opportunity hit the crossbar in the 74th minute and was cleared, while the second Skurian opportunity saw success as the Koresan goalkeeper was blindsided by his own defenders, and saw them win the game by the 84th minute. It ended quite a disappointing run for Koresa.

Despite Livyirin being a fairly unknown team to most people, many pundits believed they actually had a chance. They had a decent qualification and group stage, while Azyeri crashed through second place in second chance to some subpar teams. The Azyeri squad were confident, trying to break expectations, although they succumbed almost instantly to the Livyirin terror with an early goal. Azyeri's morale had all but evaporated at this point and the Livyirin striker was able to score a second inside ten minutes. Livyirin had turned the team inside out with a third, and then a fourth goal inside thirty minutes. At this point, Livyirin had parked the bus and substituted most of it's main players off to save their energies for upcoming knockout matches. Meanwhile, the game remained quite boring with Livyirin switching to defensive tactics, although secondary Livyirin striker couldn't resist a clear open goal to score in the 65th minute. Azyeri had been totally humiliated.

Tupalei'i against Suton would be a more interesting match than the one earlier in the day. Tupalei'i had done well in qualification but dropped to the second chance group, coming second there. However, their form was improving. Suton on the other hand had drawn two games in a pretty tough group. Despite predictions, Tupalei'i did score twice in the first half, with Suton challenging with a goal themselves. The fate of the match was decided by a Sutonese red card which saw a key midfielder sent off, and therefore they conceded two more times to be eliminated by the full time whistle.

Quarter-Finals
The first quarter-final match would kick off with the hosts, Solan, getting an immediate yellow card in the first minute. Many said this was a bad omen for the match to come, but they proved them wrong. Kanusphra had again utilised an entirely defensive team to try and hold out the game to the semi-finals, but Solan was able to break this down with set piece tactics to goat Kanusphran players into fouling and giving free kicks and penalties to open up the box. This allowed a goal by Solan in the 37th minute and the crowd, full to the brim with Solanese people, cheer furiously which demoralised the opposing team. Eventually, constant pressure by Solanese strikers saw Kanusphra concede a second goal later in the second half in the 73rd minute, securing a Solan victory with great commiserations to Kanusphra for defying expectations to get there.

Possibly the biggest match of the knockouts thus far, this match pitted two massive juggernauts of phutebola: Ahitereira and Fazar against each other. Although, both teams played relatively safe in the first half with only 8 shots between them, pressure ramped up in the second half. Ahitereira's star striker scored an excellent goal in the 56th minute to give Ahitereira the lead, while he returned yet again five minutes later! It was not over for Fazar however as a penalty kick granted to them saw them inch closer to survival, with an equaliser in the 80th minute to secure this. This left both teams going into extra time, although Fazar was already out of substitutions. Extra time was a rollercoaster as Fazar scored a whopper of an opening goal in the 92nd minute. Some people thought the game was up, but a great free kick from Ahitereira's centre-forward saw them equalise by half time, and Ahitereira's star striker got himself another hat trick and the Ahitereiran win with a super goal in injury time.

One of the lesser attended matches of the quarter-finals was Aether against Livyirin. Both teams were smaller Alaxian teams who had unexpectedly done well and both were aiming at reaching their first semi-finals. Livyirin was experimenting with it's starting eleven, wishing to try out a new formation with their secondary striker which would focus more on going wide. This bizarre and sudden change in tactic caught Aether off guard, who were unprepared in the first half and conceded two early goals. In the second half, Aether were able to maintain more possession and prevent any further major damage, but Livyirin were able to finish off with a late goal in the 62nd minute. Pundits did suggest that Aether had played brilliantly regardless.

The last quarter-final game was Skuria against Tupalei'i, a matchup that had ended in a draw in the group stage. However, Tupalei'i was disadvantaged in the fact that they had to play two more matches in the second chance round and thus had sustained various injuries, notably their main striker was absent due to a pulled muscle. This allowed Skuria to exploit a mostly slower Acorian side. Skuria, despite racking up three yellow cards in the first half alone, managed to defend free kicks from the Tupalei'i side with miracles, and managed to score their own goal in the 36th minute. A lackluster second half, and another injury from Tupalei'i which saw their primary player sent off, meant that Tupalei'i couldn't stage a comeback to tie up the game like in the group stage. Thus, the match ended with not much action with a Skurian victory. Some pundits suggested that in the first half, Skuria only had possession for a quarter of the time despite their win.

Semi-Finals
The first semi-final saw the hosts, Solan, up against a very unlikely contender in Livyirin. Solan against continued it's winning strategy of set pieces, while Livyirin kept it's wide positioning, with players starting more confident in the tactic and with some small training sessions on headers and crossing. The match began with huge cheering on the side of Solan, and the Solanese striker very confident and swaggering, but after their first attack and Livyirin's repel, the counter-attack from Livyirin was speedy and quick, with the wingers running incredibly fast to cross to the Livyirin strikers. This exact scenario happened four times in the first half, with only two of these being intercepted by the defenders, and the other two scoring with an useless goalkeeper. Solan switched up it's strategy to try and win the ultimate comeback and win back the crowd, which they did with great morale. This new defensive strategy on the sides saw Livyirin win no more goals, but Solan only managed to win a free kick in the 90th minute to still lose. Livyirin had defeated the hosts and won worldwide acclaim being in the finals.

The second semi-final saw world champions Ahitereira against Skuria, an incredibly unexpected opponent. Ahitereira was quite confident and smug believing they could easily beat Skuria, a small skaven nation, and believed their path was easy. However they underestimated their side and this led to a very complacent first half. The second half opened up with Ahitereira's star striker missing an open goal, but a centre-forward managing to rectify the situation with a chip goal in the 57th minute. The game slowed significantly afterwards and despite a few minor challenges, the score line remained the same and allowed for an Ahitereiran win. While a victory, Ahitereira was displeased with the result against Skuria but remained confident, while Skuria was incredibly happy to reach as far as the semi-finals and hold their own.

Third Place Playoff
The third place playoff was between Solan and Skuria. Unfortunately for Skurian fans, they were unable to overcome the might of Solan fighting at home and trying to make up for their lost against Livyirin. With two disallowed goals for offside, Solan still managed to score two goals: one in the 17th minute and another in the 46th minute. However, Skuria made great attempts to try and get back into the game but sadly it was futile and they ended 4th place.

Final
The final of the 2456 IFP World Cup was between Livyirin and Ahitereira. Both teams were Alaxian and had played each other before, and had done very well out of the world cup. Ahitereira were the favourites going in, being the reigning championships, although the morale for getting a major title wasn't as high anymore. Livyirin was seen mostly as an underdog having never won a major tournament or even expecting to get far in the world cup. Livyirin went with it's new wide-focused strategy with some changes to the midfield to distract. Ahitereira's main weapon was it's star striker but a decent defence looking for constant possession. Despite their focused attack, Livyirin had maintained a clean sheet excluding one goal from Solan in the entire knockouts. The game remained pretty boring for the first half, with Ahitereira seeing few chances to break through, and having 3 of their 5 shots going wide, and the others being saved. Livyirin's strategy hadn't paid off yet but they did achieve two shots on target. The second half began with an Ahitereiran capture of the ball and slow build up towards the Livyirin side. However, a break from the Livyirin winger saw a fierce counter-attack and a cross into the box and then into the goal. Livyirin was up in the final and Ahitereira had to do something. Their solution was constant pressure which wearied both sides down significantly for the next thirty minutes without much result. However, after constant attacks, the Ahitereiran star striker scored against a weakened Livyirin defence in the 86th minute to bring the game to extra time.

Extra time began with both teams taking it slow, unwilling to rush into any particular attack in fear of being retaliated against. The second half of extra time saw no major events either and most teams preparing for a penalty shootout to end the world cup. Although, there was a challenge by Ahitereiran centre-forward which scored - but was deemed offside. Ahitereiran substituted new strikers, and Livyirin did the same. One event then occurred that shaped the outcome: the injury of Ahitereiran's star striker. In a last minute challenge to the Ahitereiran goal, the Livyirin left-winger (who received a yellow card) seemed to twist the Ahitereiran golden boy's ankle. Thus, when the game did go to penalties, the Ahitereiran management was conflicted on what to do. They decided that since he was such a good talent, he must take a penalty shot first. The penalties then went ahead, the star striker missed his penalty, alongside two other Ahitereirans who had subbed on towards the end of extra time without much warmup. Livyirin scored four of their goals against a demoralised goalkeeper, worried for his friend. Therefore, the biggest underdog story won over, Livyirin won the world cup.