2026 World Cup (Updated June 7)
Posted: Sun May 24, 2026 5:54 pm
This tourney will replicate the 2026 World Cup Soccer tournament.
Play: 1 vs. 1
Settings: escalating, chained, foggy -- 30-round limit
Open to freemium (but need to keep up to pace)
Prizes ...
World Cup champion - 800 CC credits
Runner up - 450 CC credits
Third place winner - 250 CC credits
Fourth place - 100 CC credits
WorldCupG1a by David Ball, on Flickr
Phase 1 (pool play)
It will follow the format of the traditional World Cup with 8 groups of 4-team pool play.
You will play each team in your group once. No overtime in pool play, so it's Win, Lose or Draw in this phase.
3 standings points for a win
1 standings point for a tie
0 standings points for a loss.
The top two teams in each pool advance to the Knockout Stage.
Tiebreakers will be by World Cup standards ... 1. Goal Differential; 2. Total Goals; 3. Head-to-Head. and 4. (tourney rules) Most spoils in pool play stage; 5. Drawing lots (doubt we need to use this final one, but that's how the World Cup does it)
Phase 2 (Knockout bracket)
This is a 32-team knockout stage bracket. One match to decide who advances. First round will match Group Winners vs. Group Runners-Up.
In the case of overtime, a 2014 World Cup map will be played. If the game remains tied, a Geographical Country map will be played.
If a Golden Goal is NOT scored in two overtime maps, then we go to a Penalty Kick shootout.
This will be 2 World Cup maps, Geographical City, Geographical Country and Random.
Win the map, score a goal. (Spoils will also factor in -- 0.4 per spoil in PKs, for every 2 full points you can fill in a lost map with a PK)
Game play:
Games will be played in a 7-map format (see scoring chart for point system and maps).
You gain points based on how quickly you win maps, and spoils are tallied during the game accruing at 0.4 points per spoil during the set.
Your score a goal for every 6 full points you gain.
WorldCupScoringMaps by David Ball, on Flickr
Here's a sample boxscore ...
ScoreSample by David Ball, on Flickr
In this sample ... Mexico won two maps in the 11 to 14 range; and one map in the 8-10 range for 7 points + 11 total spoils * 0.4 = 11.4 points. 1 goal.
Korea won two maps in the 8-10 range, one map in the 6-7 range and one map in the 15-19 range for 11 points + 16 spoils *0.4 = 17.4 points. 2 goals
Sign-ups
WorldCupSignUps by David Ball, on Flickr
Play: 1 vs. 1
Settings: escalating, chained, foggy -- 30-round limit
Open to freemium (but need to keep up to pace)
Prizes ...
World Cup champion - 800 CC credits
Runner up - 450 CC credits
Third place winner - 250 CC credits
Fourth place - 100 CC credits
WorldCupG1a by David Ball, on FlickrPhase 1 (pool play)
It will follow the format of the traditional World Cup with 8 groups of 4-team pool play.
You will play each team in your group once. No overtime in pool play, so it's Win, Lose or Draw in this phase.
3 standings points for a win
1 standings point for a tie
0 standings points for a loss.
The top two teams in each pool advance to the Knockout Stage.
Tiebreakers will be by World Cup standards ... 1. Goal Differential; 2. Total Goals; 3. Head-to-Head. and 4. (tourney rules) Most spoils in pool play stage; 5. Drawing lots (doubt we need to use this final one, but that's how the World Cup does it)
Phase 2 (Knockout bracket)
This is a 32-team knockout stage bracket. One match to decide who advances. First round will match Group Winners vs. Group Runners-Up.
In the case of overtime, a 2014 World Cup map will be played. If the game remains tied, a Geographical Country map will be played.
If a Golden Goal is NOT scored in two overtime maps, then we go to a Penalty Kick shootout.
This will be 2 World Cup maps, Geographical City, Geographical Country and Random.
Win the map, score a goal. (Spoils will also factor in -- 0.4 per spoil in PKs, for every 2 full points you can fill in a lost map with a PK)
Game play:
Games will be played in a 7-map format (see scoring chart for point system and maps).
You gain points based on how quickly you win maps, and spoils are tallied during the game accruing at 0.4 points per spoil during the set.
Your score a goal for every 6 full points you gain.
WorldCupScoringMaps by David Ball, on FlickrHere's a sample boxscore ...
ScoreSample by David Ball, on FlickrIn this sample ... Mexico won two maps in the 11 to 14 range; and one map in the 8-10 range for 7 points + 11 total spoils * 0.4 = 11.4 points. 1 goal.
Korea won two maps in the 8-10 range, one map in the 6-7 range and one map in the 15-19 range for 11 points + 16 spoils *0.4 = 17.4 points. 2 goals
Sign-ups
WorldCupSignUps by David Ball, on Flickr