IFK World Cup 2460: Difference between revisions
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| style="text-align:left;" |{{ |
| style="text-align:left;" |{{Cfb|Palakkinen}} |
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| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left; background-color:#BBF3BB" |Advance to the Knockout Round |
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left; background-color:#BBF3BB" |Advance to the Knockout Round |
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| style="text-align:left;" |{{Cd|Yagoaan}} |
| style="text-align:left;" |{{Cd|Yagoaan}} |
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| style="text-align:left;" |{{Cd|1=Yasja-Kanusphra}} |
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| style="text-align:left;" |Eliminated |
| style="text-align:left;" |Eliminated |
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|}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. |
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| team1 = {{Cfb|Holy Tempest Empire}} |
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| team2 = {{Cfbc|Yasja-Kanusphra|Kanusphra}} |
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| goals1 = |
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| goals2 = ST A {{Goal|63}},{{Goal|72}} |
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| event = |
| event = |
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| time = |
| time = 18:00 [[WST]] ([[UTC+05:00]]) |
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| round = Redemption Stage |
| round = Redemption Stage |
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| report = |
| report = |
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| stadium = |
| stadium = White Rose Stadium |
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| attendance = |
| attendance = 10,295 |
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| referee = |
| referee = |
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| location = [[Esthullen]] |
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}} |
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| date = 2 Deccember 2460 |
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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. |
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| score1 = 0 |
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| goals2 = {{goal|29||55}} Striker A |
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| goals1 = ST A {{Goal|43}},{{Goal|62}} |
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| event = |
| event = |
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| time = |
| time = 18:00 [[WST]] ([[UTC+05:00]]) |
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| round = Redemption Stage |
| round = Redemption Stage |
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| report = |
| report = |
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| stadium = |
| stadium = Zerwynn Western Sports Centre |
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| attendance = |
| attendance = 11,245 |
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| referee = |
| referee = |
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| location = [[Zerwynn]] |
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}} |
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| date = 3 Deccember 2460 |
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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. |
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| team2 = {{Cfb|Yagoaan}} |
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| score1 = 4 |
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| goals1 = Striker A {{goal|9||45+3}}<br>Midfielder A {{goal|67||88}} |
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| goals2 = {{goal|22||40}} Striker A |
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| score1 = 1 |
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| goals1 = ST B {{Goal|47}} |
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| goals2 = |
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| event = |
| event = |
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| time = |
| time = 18:00 [[WST]] ([[UTC+05:00]]) |
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| round = Redemption Stage |
| round = Redemption Stage |
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| report = |
| report = |
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| stadium = |
| stadium = Ryken–Latterheim Stadium |
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| attendance = |
| attendance = 12,355 |
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| referee = |
| referee = |
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| location = [[Ryken]] |
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}} |
}} |
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===Group H=== |
===Group H=== |
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| style="text-align:left;" |{{Cfb|Tupalei'i}} |
| style="text-align:left;" |{{Cfb|Tupalei'i}} |
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| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left; background-color:#BBF3BB" |Advance to the Knockout Round |
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left; background-color:#BBF3BB" |Advance to the Knockout Round |
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| style="text-align:left;" |{{Cd|Blia}} |
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| style="text-align:left;" |{{ |
| style="text-align:left;" |{{Cfbc|Horyuxia|name=|Ceironia}} |
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| style="text-align:left;" |Eliminated |
| style="text-align:left;" |Eliminated |
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|}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. |
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{{Football box |
{{Football box |
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| date = |
| date = 1 Deccember 2460 |
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| team1 = {{ |
| team1 = {{Cfbcr|Horyuxia|Ceironia}} |
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| team2 = {{ |
| team2 = {{Cfb|Tupalei'i}} |
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| score1 = |
| score1 = 0 |
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| score2 = |
| score2 = 1 |
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| goals1 = |
| goals1 = |
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| goals2 = |
| goals2 = {{goal|80}} Striker A |
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| event = |
| event = |
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| time = |
| time = 18:00 [[WST]] ([[UTC+05:00]]) |
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| round = Redemption Stage |
| round = Redemption Stage |
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| report = |
| report = |
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| stadium = |
| stadium = Rosetta Stadium |
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| attendance = |
| attendance = 10,295 |
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| referee = |
| referee = |
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| location = [[Rosetta]], [[Wynnoa]] |
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}} |
}} |
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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. |
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{{Football box |
{{Football box |
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| date = |
| date = 2 Deccember 2460 |
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| team1 = {{ |
| team1 = {{Cfbcr|Horyuxia|Ceironia}} |
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| team2 = {{ |
| team2 = {{Cfb|Blia}} |
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| score1 = |
| score1 = 0 |
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| score2 = 1 |
| score2 = 1 |
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| goals1 = |
| goals1 = |
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| goals2 = |
| goals2 = {{goal|90+1}} Striker A |
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| event = |
| event = |
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| time = |
| time = 18:00 [[WST]] ([[UTC+05:00]]) |
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| round = Redemption Stage |
| round = Redemption Stage |
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| report = |
| report = |
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| stadium = |
| stadium = Vreimes Emporium |
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| attendance = |
| attendance = 11,224 |
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| referee = |
| referee = |
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| location = [[Vreimer]] |
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}} |
}} |
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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. |
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{{Football box |
{{Football box |
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| date = |
| date = 3 Deccember 2460 |
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| team1 = {{ |
| team1 = {{Cfbr|Tupalei'i}} |
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| team2 = {{ |
| team2 = {{Cfb|Blia}} |
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| score1 = |
| score1 = 2 |
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| score2 = |
| score2 = 1 |
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| goals1 = Striker A {{goal|39}}<br>Midfielder A {{goal|50}} |
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| goals1 = |
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| goals2 = |
| goals2 = {{goal|88}} Striker A |
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| event = |
| event = |
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| time = |
| time = 18:00 [[WST]] ([[UTC+05:00]]) |
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| round = Redemption Stage |
| round = Redemption Stage |
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| report = |
| report = |
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| stadium = |
| stadium = Rommes National Centre |
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| attendance = |
| attendance = 9,992 |
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| referee = |
| referee = |
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| location = [[Rommes]] |
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}} |
}} |
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==Knockout stage== |
==Knockout stage== |
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===Bracket=== |
===Bracket=== |
Revision as of 22:52, 16 August 2023
Q
Tournament details | |
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Host country | Empherias and Grensalbourg |
Dates | November 2460 – 21 December 2460 |
Teams | 24 (from 5 confederations) |
Venue(s) | 15 (in 12 host cities) |
Final positions | |
Champions | TBD |
Runners-up | TBD |
Third place | TBD |
Fourth place | TBD |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 58 |
The 2460 IFK World Cup was the 4th IFK World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for open league national phutebola teams organised by the IFK. It took place in Empherias and Grensalbourg, the first dual-host, from November to 21 December 2460, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2453. It was the third time the championships had been held in Alaxia, and the second time they were held in the High Kingdoms of Alaxia.
The tournament phase involved 24 teams, of which 22 came through qualifying competitions held in different continents between 2457 and 2459, while Empherias and Grensalbourg qualified automatically as host nations.
Origins and organisation
Host and venues
Qualification
This world cup would be the second to not be invite-only, and include a qualification round. It would also be the first cup to include a proper process for qualification for Qatesh nations, although still limited. Empherias and Grensalbourg, the hosts, automatically qualified. Usually, just one country hosts and so only one slot is reserved for them. Therefore, East Alaxia would lose one of its available slots. Qateshi and Alaxian qualifications would be consolidated into a joint tournament between both confederations in their continents. The 12th place in Alaxia, and 3rd place in Acoria, would play an intercontinental playoff to decide the final space.
Confederation | Qualification | Slots in final | |
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Host | n/a | Host selection | 2 |
East Alaxia | EAF | Alaxian Qualification for 2460 World Cup | 11 (or 12)[a] |
West Alaxia | WAF | ||
East Qatesh | EQF | Qateshi Qualification for 2460 World Cup | 8 |
North Qatesh | NORQAF | ||
Acoria | ACF | Acorian Qualification for 2460 World Cup | 2 (or 3)[a] |
Total | 24 |
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.
Group A
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ||||||||||||
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1 | Ginsukyo | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 16 | Qualification to the World Cup | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | 24 May | 8 Mar | 18 Mar | 30 Mar | ||
2 | Koresa | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 13 | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1 Mar | — | 15 Mar | 29 Mar | 12 Apr | |||
3 | Peryzium | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 12 | Advance to Second Round | 0–0 | 0–0 | — | 3–0 | 5–2 | 22 Jun | 7 Jun | — | 4 Mar | 5 Apr | ||
4 | Bordo | 8 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 11 | Eliminated | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | 8 Jun | 21 Jun | 25 May | — | 11 Mar | ||
5 | Yuvani | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 19 | -15 | 3 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | — | 3 Aug | 5 Jul | 17 Aug | 20 Jul | — |
Group B
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ||||||||||||
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1 | Ahitereira | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 4 | +17 | 22 | Qualification to the World Cup | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 5–0 | — | 15 Mar | 1 Mar | 29 Mar | 12 Apr | ||
2 | Palakkinen | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 9 | +8 | 13 | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | 3–0 | 7–0 | 7 Jun | — | 22 Jun | 4 Mar | 5 Apr | |||
3 | Jimaria | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 29 | 9 | +20 | 11 | Advance to Second Round | 3–3 | 4–2 | — | 0–0 | 11–0 | 24 May | 8 Mar | — | 18 Mar | 30 Mar | ||
4 | Atlantia | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 11 | -1 | 10 | Eliminated | 0–3 | 0–2 | 1–0 | — | 5–0 | 21 Jun | 25 May | 8 Jun | — | 11 Mar | ||
5 | International City | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 46 | -46 | 1 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 0–10 | 0–4 | — | 5 Jul | 17 Aug | 3 Aug | 20 Jul | — |
Group C
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ||||||||||||
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1 | Hveden Federation | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 7 | +16 | 17 | Qualification to the World Cup | — | 0–2 | 4–4 | 1–0 | 6–0 | — | 2 Sep | 28 Sep | 15 Sep | 6 May | ||
2 | Kiavalar | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 16 | 1–1 | — | 0–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2 May | — | 14 Sep | 5 Sep | 21 May | |||
3 | Livyirin | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 13 | Advance to Second Round | 2–0 | 0–1 | — | 0–2 | 5–1 | 28 May | 14 May | — | 1 May | 4 Jun | ||
4 | Lothyran | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 12 | Eliminated | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | — | 3–0 | 15 May | 5 May | 1 Sep | — | 29 May | ||
5 | Etherevar | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 30 | -29 | 0 | 0–8 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | — | 6 Sep | 21 Sep | 4 Oct | 29 Sep | — |
Group D
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Karkuss | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 2 | +11 | 20 | Qualification to the World Cup | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | — | 1 Sep | 5 May | 15 May | 29 May | ||
2 | Fazar | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 4 | +25 | 19 | 0–0 | — | 7–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1 May | — | 14 May | 28 May | 4 Jun | |||
3 | Thraxia | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 21 | -14 | 9 | Advance to Second Round | 2–3 | 0–9 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | 5 Sep | 14 Sep | — | 2 May | 21 May | ||
4 | Vamu | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 8 | Eliminated | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | — | 1–0 | 15 Sep | 28 Sep | 2 Sep | — | 6 May | ||
5 | Zhar | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 19 | -17 | 1 | 0–3 | 2–5 | 0–1 | 0–0 | — | 29 Sep | 4 Oct | 21 Sep | 6 Sep | — |
Group E
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ||||||||||||
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1 | Sinkajja | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 6 | +10 | 17 | Qualification to the World Cup | — | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 5–0 | — | 20 Oct | 11 Oct | 26 Jun | 7 Jun | ||
2 | Aether | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 6 | +8 | 17 | 1–0 | — | 0–3 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 19 Jun | — | 6 Jun | 10 Jul | 3 Jul | |||
3 | Azyeri | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 13 | Advance to Second Round | 0–1 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 5–3 | 10 Jun | 7 Oct | — | 4 Jul | 20 Jun | ||
4 | Tushinmero | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 8 | -4 | 8 | Eliminated | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 27 Oct | 10 Nov | 4 Nov | — | 12 Oct | ||
5 | Mem | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 21 | -18 | 1 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | — | 8 Oct | 3 Nov | 21 Oct | 11 Jun | — |
Second Round
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ||||||||||||
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1 | Livyirin | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 5 | +3 | 8 | Qualification to the World Cup | — | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 9 Dec | 15 Dec | 11 Dec | 5 Dec | ||
2 | Jimaria | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 | Advance to Intercontinental Playoff | — | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | — | — | 28 Dec | 4 Dec | 20 Dec | ||
3 | Azyeri | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | Eliminated | — | — | — | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | — | — | 7 Dec | 10 Dec | ||
4 | Peryzium | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | — | — | — | — | 14 Dec | |||
5 | Thraxia | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Acorian qualification
Qualification in the Acoria confederation was recommended by IFK 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.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ceironia | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 9 | +17 | 23 | Qualification to the World Cup | — | 1–1 | 7–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 4–2 | — | 8 Aug | 13 Jun | 7 Mar | 31 Jan | 22 Aug | ||
2 | Tupalei'i | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 8 | +8 | 20 | 2–3 | — | 5–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 21 Feb | — | 24 Jan | 21 Mar | 4 Apr | 20 Jun | |||
3 | Nordleg | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 22 | -17 | 12 | Advance to Intercontinental Playoff | 0–3 | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 10 Jan | 4 Jul | — | 11 Apr | 28 Feb | 25 Jul | ||
4 | Erdelicht | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 11 | Eliminated | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | — | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1 Aug | 19 Sep | 29 Aug | — | 27 Jun | 18 Jul | ||
5 | Lunidor | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 11 Jul | 5 Sep | 15 Aug | 17 Jan | — | 12 Sep | |||
6 | Malayang | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 16 | -8 | 6 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | 28 Mar | 3 Jan | 14 Feb | 7 Feb | 14 Mar | — |
North and East Qatesh qualification
Due to conflicts within IFK 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.
Group A
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Holy Tempest Empire | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 13 | Qualification to the World Cup | — | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | — | 7 Mar | 13 Jun | 22 Aug | 31 Jan | 8 Aug | ||
2 | Heboi | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 11 | — | — | 4–2 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–0 | — | — | 11 Apr | 18 Jul | 27 Jun | 21 Mar | |||
3 | Cammel | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9 | Eliminated | — | — | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | — | — | — | 25 Jul | 28 Feb | 24 Jan | ||
4 | Dai Shun | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | 12 Sep | 20 Jun | |||
5 | Zerrikania | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 9 | -7 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 Apr | |||
6 | Kibrahn | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 10 | -8 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Group B
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | TS | TS | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Yasja-Kanusphra | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 5 | +14 | 13 | Qualification to the World Cup | — | 4–4 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 5–0 | — | 7 Mar | 13 Jun | 22 Aug | 31 Jan | 8 Aug | ||
2 | Blia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 5 | +13 | 13 | — | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 7–0 | — | — | 11 Apr | 18 Jul | 27 Jun | 21 Mar | |||
3 | South Solan | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 7 | Eliminated | — | — | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | — | — | — | 25 Jul | 28 Feb | 24 Jan | ||
4 | Malassia | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 1–1 | 3–0 | — | — | — | — | 12 Sep | 20 Jun | |||
5 | Ladros | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | -9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 Apr | |||
6 | File:Tespra.png Tespra | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 17 | -17 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Group C
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | TS | TS | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Suton | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1 | +14 | 13 | Qualification to the World Cup | — | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 5–0 | — | 7 Mar | 13 Jun | 22 Aug | 31 Jan | 8 Aug | ||
2 | Skuria | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 13 | — | — | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 5–0 | — | — | 11 Apr | 18 Jul | 27 Jun | 21 Mar | |||
3 | Dramadral | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 7 | Eliminated | — | — | — | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | — | — | — | 25 Jul | 28 Feb | 24 Jan | ||
4 | Emphora | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | — | — | — | 12 Sep | 20 Jun | |||
5 | Bronzefeld | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 4–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 Apr | |||
6 | File:Thesalia.png Thesalia | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 19 | -19 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Group D
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SV | SV | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Solan | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 13 | Qualification to the World Cup | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | — | 7 Mar | 13 Jun | 22 Aug | 31 Jan | 8 Aug | ||
2 | Yagoaan | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 7 | — | — | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | — | — | 11 Apr | 18 Jul | 27 Jun | 21 Mar | |||
3 | File:Suvernikia.png Suvernikia | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 7 | Eliminated | — | — | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4-0 | — | — | — | 25 Jul | 28 Feb | 24 Jan | ||
4 | Alsara | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | — | — | — | 12 Sep | 20 Jun | |||
5 | Scoitlan | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 3–3 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 Apr | |||
6 | Dwarf Confederacy | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Intercontinental playoffs
Nordleg | 0–3 | Jimaria |
---|---|---|
Defender A 66' 79' | 80' (83), 88' Striker A |
Participants
List of participants
|
Acoria (ACF) (2)
|
Format and draw
Pots
Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
---|---|---|---|
|
Groups
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Empherias | Ahitereira | Ginsukyo | Grensalbourg | Fazar | Solan |
Jimaria | Karkuss | Koresa | Livyirin | Kiavalar | Skuria |
Heboi | Tupalei'i | Aether | Ceironia | Palakkinen | Hveden Federation |
Yasja-Kanusphra | Suton | Yagoaan | Holy Tempest Empire | Sinkajja | Blia |
Group stage
Group A
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Empherias | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 9 | Advance to the Knockout Round |
2 | Jimaria | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | |
3 | Yasja-Kanusphra | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 4 | Advance to Redemption Round |
4 | Heboi | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 0 | Eliminated |
Heboi | 0–1 | Yasja-Kanusphra |
---|---|---|
68' Striker A |
Empherias | 3–1 | Heboi |
---|---|---|
Masdon 21', 88' Goldstone 67' |
64' Striker A |
Jimaria | 1–1 | Yasja-Kanusphra |
---|---|---|
Striker A 35' | 44' Striker A |
John Masdon, the key striker to Empherias, is severely injured by a Kanusphran player - who subsequently is given a red card. Masdon is taken off by a medical team in the 67th minute and is not allowed by his doctors to compete in the rest of the tournament
Yasja-Kanusphra | 0–3 | Empherias |
---|---|---|
Midfielder A 65' | 45', 55', 59' Masdon |
Jimaria | 4–2 | Heboi |
---|---|---|
Striker A 16', 82' Midfielder A 20' Midfielder B 26' |
51', 62' Striker A |
Group B
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ahitereira | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 9 | Advance to the Knockout Round |
2 | Karkuss | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 4 | |
3 | Tupalei'i | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 2 | Advance to Redemption Round |
4 | Suton | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | -5 | 1 | Eliminated |
Ahitereira | 4–2 | Karkuss |
---|---|---|
Striker A 11', 66' Midfielder A 81' Midfielder B 83' |
25' Striker A 44' Striker B |
Ahitereira | 2–1 | Tupalei'i |
---|---|---|
Midfielder A 45+3' Striker A 80' (pen.) |
55' Striker A |
Suton | 0–1 | Karkuss |
---|---|---|
86' Striker A |
Suton | 1–5 | Ahitereira |
---|---|---|
Striker A 67' (pen.) | 6', 18', 29', 51' Striker A 78' Midfielder A 66' Defender A |
Tupalei'i | 2–2 | Karkuss |
---|---|---|
Striker A 21' Karkuss Defender A 80' (o.g) |
40' Striker A 68' Midfielder A |
Group C
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ginsukyo | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 | Advance to the Knockout Round |
2 | Koresa | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 | |
3 | Yagoaan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 3 | Advance to Redemption Round |
4 | Aether | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | -5 | 3 | Eliminated |
Ginsukyo | 1–1 | Koresa |
---|---|---|
Striker A 49' | 58' Striker A |
Aether | 0–4 | Yagoaan |
---|---|---|
17', 77' Striker A 58', 87' Midfielder A |
Ginsukyo | 2–0 | Aether |
---|---|---|
Midfielder A 41', 46' |
Koresa | 2–0 | Yagoaan |
---|---|---|
Striker A 6', 10' | 33' Midfielder C |
Yagoaan | 0–1 | Ginsukyo |
---|---|---|
30' Striker A |
Group D
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Grensalbourg | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 6 | Advance to the Knockout Round |
2 | Livyirin | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 | |
3 | Ceironia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | Advance to Redemption Round |
4 | Holy Tempest Empire | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 0 | Eliminated |
Grensalbourg | 3–1 | Livyirin |
---|---|---|
Striker A 34', 48', 80' (pen.) | 46' Striker A 80' |
Ceironia | 1–0 | Holy Tempest Empire |
---|---|---|
Striker A 27' | 22' Striker A 80' Defender A 88' Defender B 90+3' Midfielder A |
Grensalbourg | 1–2 | Ceironia |
---|---|---|
Striker A 80' | 6' Midfielder A 69' Striker A |
Livyirin | 2–1 | Holy Tempest Empire |
---|---|---|
Striker A 31', 90+5' | 78' Striker A |
Holy Tempest Empire | 1–4 | Grensalbourg |
---|---|---|
Striker A 23' | 30' Midfielder A 56', 58' Striker A 90+2' Striker B |
Group E
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kiavalar | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 6 | Advance to the Knockout Round |
2 | Fazar | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 6 | |
3 | Palakkinen | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 6 | Advance to Redemption Round |
4 | Sinkajja | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | -6 | 0 | Eliminated |
Fazar | 2–4 | Kiavalar |
---|---|---|
Striker A 67', 76' | 51', 54', 71' Striker A 57' Midfielder A |
Palakkinen | 1–0 | Sinkajja |
---|---|---|
Striker A 10' |
Fazar | 3–2 | Palakkinen |
---|---|---|
Striker A 16' Striker B 33', 79' |
75' Midfielder A 90' Striker A |
Kiavalar | 2–0 | Sinkajja |
---|---|---|
Striker A 7', 55' |
Fazar | 3–0 | Sinkajja |
---|---|---|
Striker A 15', 23', 90' |
Kiavalar | 2–3 | Palakkinen |
---|---|---|
Striker A 40', 62' Defender A 64' 77' |
81', 83' Midfielder A 90+2' (pen.) |
Group F
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Solan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 7 | Advance to the Knockout Round |
2 | Hveden Federation | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 7 | |
3 | Blia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 1 | Advance to Redemption Round |
4 | Skuria | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 1 | Eliminated |
Solan | 4–2 | Skuria |
---|---|---|
Striker A 1', 5' Midfielder A 37' Midfielder B 90' |
7', 49' (pen.) Striker A |
Hveden Federation | 2–1 | Blia |
---|---|---|
Striker A 4', 26' | 17' Striker A |
Solan | 0–0 | Hveden Federation |
---|---|---|
Skuria | 1–1 | Blia |
---|---|---|
Striker A 50' | 90+2' Striker A |
Solan | 5–1 | Blia |
---|---|---|
Striker A 11', 17', 25' Midfielder A 34' Midfielder B 80' |
7' Striker A |
Hveden Federation | 4–0 | Skuria |
---|---|---|
Striker A 32' Midfielder A 68' Midfielder B 74', 84' |
Redemption stage
Group G
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Palakkinen | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 | Advance to the Knockout Round |
2 | Yagoaan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 3 | |
3 | Yasja-Kanusphra | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 | Eliminated |
Kanusphra | 0–1 | Yagoaan |
---|---|---|
40' Striker A |
Kanusphra | 0–2 | Palakkinen |
---|---|---|
29', 55' Striker A |
Palakkinen | 4–2 | Yagoaan |
---|---|---|
Striker A 9', 45+3' Midfielder A 67', 88' |
22', 40' Striker A |
Group H
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tupalei'i | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 6 | Advance to the Knockout Round |
2 | Blia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
3 | Ceironia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 | Eliminated |
Tupalei'i | 2–1 | Blia |
---|---|---|
Striker A 39' Midfielder A 50' |
88' Striker A |
Knockout stage
Bracket
Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
3 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Solan | 0 (4) | |||||||||||||
8 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Malayang | 0 (2) | |||||||||||||
Solan | 2 | |||||||||||||
4 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Kanusphra | 0 | |||||||||||||
Kanusphra | 0 (5) | |||||||||||||
13 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Ginsukyo | 0 (4) | |||||||||||||
Solan | 1 | |||||||||||||
5 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Livyirin | 2 | |||||||||||||
Aether | 3 | |||||||||||||
10 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Lothern | 2 | |||||||||||||
Aether | 0 | |||||||||||||
6 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Livyirin | 3 | |||||||||||||
Azyeri | 0 | |||||||||||||
18 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Livyirin | 5 | |||||||||||||
Livyirin | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||
3 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Ahitereira | 1 (2) | |||||||||||||
Ahitereira | 3 | |||||||||||||
9 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Jimaria | 2 | |||||||||||||
Ahitereira | 4 | |||||||||||||
4 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Fazar | 3 | |||||||||||||
Karkuss | 0 | |||||||||||||
14 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Fazar | 1 | |||||||||||||
Ahitereira | 1 | |||||||||||||
5 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Skuria | 0 | Third place | ||||||||||||
Koresa | 0 | |||||||||||||
11 May 2456 | 16 May 2456 | |||||||||||||
Skuria | 1 | |||||||||||||
Skuria | 1 | Solan | 2 | |||||||||||
6 May 2456 | ||||||||||||||
Tupalei'i | 0 | Skuria | 0 | |||||||||||
Tupalei'i | 4 | |||||||||||||
Suton | 1 | |||||||||||||
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.
Solan | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Malayang |
---|---|---|
ST A 97' | ||
Penalties | ||
ST A CF A CB A ST B MF A |
4–2 | ST A CB A ST B CF A |
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.
[[{{{2}}} national football team|{{{2}}}]] | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Ginsukyo |
---|---|---|
Penalties | ||
ST A ST B ST C ST D ST E |
5–4 | ST C CF A CF B CB A RW A |
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.
Ahitereira | 4–3 (a.e.t.) | Fazar |
---|---|---|
ST A 56', 61' (120+2) CF A 104' |
ST A 75' (pen.), 92' CF A 80' |
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 IFK 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.
Livyirin | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Ahitereira |
---|---|---|
ST A 48' LW A 117' |
ST A 85' | |
Penalties | ||
CF A ST A ST B RW A LW A |
4–2 | ST A ST B CF A ST C CF C |
Goal scorers
Pos | Team | Player | Goals | Hat tricks |
---|---|---|---|---|
Controversies
Qatesh invited nations
Fazar-Skuria grouped together
Sinma aggression
See also
References
References
- ↑ West Alaxia (WAF) and East Alaxia (EAF) combined