FANA 2021 World Cup

[Luiri]

2021 HOSTING BIDS

The FANA opened the hosting applications for the following competitions:

• FANA Men's World Cup 2021 + FANA Confederations Cup¹
• FANA Women's World Cup 2021²

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1. For the Men's WC and the Confederations Cup, we will require:
• a logo
• a slogan
• 8 to 16 venues (depending on your country's size)

Please use the official Men's WC logo in your design:
SVG
PNG Black
PNG White

Joint bids are also eligible as long as you border your partner directly/indirectly!
Only the qualified countries can apply, except the NFC qualified countries.
nb: you can search in which confederation your country is a part of here: forum.songcontests.eu/thread/28641/fana-regional-confederations

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2. For the Women's WC, we will require:
• a logo
• a slogan
• 8 to 12 venues (depending on your country's size)

Please use the official Women's WC logo in your design:
SVG (tba)
PNG Black
PNG White

Joint bids are also eligible as long as you border your partner directly/indirectly!
Everyone is allowed to apply for this competition.

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The hosts will be picked via an open poll, and decided like this:
• The application with the most votes will be picked for the Men's WC & Confederations Host
• The application with the second most votes will be picked for the Women's WC Host

Please send your bids to Luiri !

Deadline: 18th April 2021

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[Luiri]

2021 WC • BIDDING APPLICATIONS

The FANA has received 3 applications for the FANA Men's WC and the Confederations Cup, hosted this autumn.
The voting procedure will be simple, every FANA members will be allowed to vote for one application on the poll above.

Here is the applications:

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JAREA

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XIMBALA & ULIKANA



note that in case this bid wins, Ximbala will be hosting the world cup, while Ulikana will be hosting the confederations cup.

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the goal of ulikana and ximbala 2021 is to make the idea of the first duo-continental fana event in history a reality. ulikana is a small nation located in the southern part of wulfor, and ximbala is a large nation at the eastern end of latinica. while these nations may be oceans apart, they are connected through their brotherhood and via an exclave of ximbala by the name of tenoch. this city borders the southern tip of ulikana, and is of great importance to both nations. should this bid be selected, it will be the focal point of one of the largest global conferences on fantasia.

NAMISENTRIA

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Vote now for your favorite.

Deadline:
Sunday 20 June

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(Callum ), (Lars ), (Aliya ), (Aless ), (Bow ), (Jens ), (How Bogs How Blue ), (Dimitris ), (αndreas ), (Levi21 ), (Domas), (Dylan ), (Eke ), (ClassifiedCat ), (kev ), (ᴛᴏᴍ ᴋʟᴏsᴇʀ ), (joshua ), (Lux ), (Lᴇꜰ ), (Syr ), (Matt ), (agni ), (MG ), (Argüello ), (Ste ), (Anesović ), (Luiri ), (Julian ), (𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋 ), (Matilda ), (MaRtIn ), (hannahannah ), (Queen of Mean (Inactive) ), (Kinoshita! ), (Holland ), (Wysteria ), (alexeh ), (Anton ), (Logan ), (Chante™ ), (alex(a)bg / H U M A N ), (Oisín / max ), (Daniel ), (Ｊａｋｕｂ ), (✨ Forrest ✨ / тнєяσиттi95 ), (Aglan ), (CHAE WITH A C ), (Alper ), (Jan), (Sel ), (George J. ), (Kyron ), (Lewis ), (Jmain ), (basil )

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[/quote]

[Luiri]

NAMISENTRIA 2021

With 77.14% of the votes, Namisentria won the FANA World Cup bidding process

Congratulations to the two countries!
The remainings bids did a fantastic job and also deserves to be praised aswell
(full results can be seen on the poll above)

More will follow soon

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(Callum ), (Lars ), (Aliya ), (Aless ), (Bow ), (Jens ), (How Bogs How Blue ), (Dimitris ), (αndreas ), (Levi21 ), (Domas), (Dylan ), (Eke ), (ClassifiedCat ), (kev ), (ᴛᴏᴍ ᴋʟᴏsᴇʀ ), (joshua ), (Lux ), (Lᴇꜰ ), (Syr ), (Matt ), (agni ), (MG ), (Argüello ), (Ste ), (Anesović ), (Luiri ), (Julian ), (𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋 ), (Matilda ), (MaRtIn ), (hannahannah ), (Queen of Mean (Inactive) ), (Kinoshita! ), (Holland ), (Wysteria ), (alexeh ), (Anton ), (Logan ), (Chante™ ), (alex(a)bg / H U M A N ), (Oisín / max ), (Daniel ), (Ｊａｋｕｂ ), (✨ Forrest ✨ / тнєяσиттi95 ), (Aglan ), (CHAE WITH A C ), (Alper ), (Jan), (Sel ), (George J. ), (Kyron ), (Lewis ), (Jmain ), (basil )

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[Dylan]

2021 WC • ALLOCATION DRAW

Today, the official allocation draw for the FANA 2021 World Cup was held in the Qasentrian capital, Marianne.
46 of the 48 nations that qualified to the tournament were allocated to the 12 groups for the group stage. As hosts, Namimori and Qasentria were already allocated to groups A & G respectively. Group A-F matches will take place in Namimori, while Group G-L matches will take place in Qasentria. All nations were divided into pots of 4 based on the FANA ranking of April 2021.



This was the end result:


(this was made by the incredibly talented Kinoshita! )

This means that the first match of the FANA 2021 World Cup will be Namimori vs Neocastria . Stay tuned for more updates!

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(Callum ), (Lars ), (Aliya ), (Aless ), (Bow ), (Jens ), (How Bogs How Blue ), (Dimitris ), (αndreas ), (Levi21 ), (Domas), (Dylan ), (Eke ), (ClassifiedCat ), (kev ), (ᴛᴏᴍ ᴋʟᴏsᴇʀ ), (joshua ), (Lux ), (Lᴇꜰ ), (Syr ), (Matt ), (agni ), (MG ), (Argüello ), (Ste ), (Anesović ), (Luiri ), (Julian ), (𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋 ), (Matilda ), (MaRtIn ), (hannahannah ), (Queen of Mean (Inactive) ), (Kinoshita! ), (Holland ), (Wysteria ), (alexeh ), (Anton ), (Logan ), (Chante™ ), (alex(a)bg / H U M A N ), (Oisín / max ), (Daniel ), (Ｊａｋｕｂ ), (✨ Forrest ✨ / тнєяσиттi95 ), (Aglan ), (CHAE WITH A C ), (Alper ), (Jan), (Sel ), (George J. ), (Kyron ), (Lewis ), (Jmain ), (basil )

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[Chante™]

CONFEDERATIONS CUP: DAY 1

Opening up the first match of the Confederations Cup was one of the host nations, Qasentria, going up against the number 1 seed in the FANA rankings, Niolskiaj. In fact, a number of Qasentrians joked that the group was the “Group of Death”, with three FANA World Cup Champions, the first, second, and fourth teams ranked FANA nations, alongside Qasentria in the 21st rank. In front of a packed crowd 15,300 for the debut of the Namisentrian FANA World Cup, with this match. However, the elation in the stadium wouldn’t last terribly long, as after only 9 minutes, Niol striker Ilja Sharov took a shot that buried itself in the top right corner of the net. The first half of the match was relatively quiet after that, with both teams missing out on goals. With the second half underway, Qasentria led an attack down the pitch, only to have Niol midfielder Radoslaw Filipiak swipe Qasentria’s breakout football star Sylvain Hayle’s legs from underneath them. Filipiak was issued a warning as Hayle was awarded a free kick. Despite a valiant effort from Niol keeper Artem Chornyi, the ball curled just beyond the reach of his arms, tying the match up at one goal a piece. However, this lead wouldn’t last, as with the 68th minute winding down, Sharov intercepted a pass from the Qasentrian midfielder Song Ha-jun and after one touch, slammed the ball through the legs of keeper Gaëtan Clérisseau to give Niolskiaj the edge 2 goals to 1. Even with a strike from midfielder Masami Fukui that was barely tipped by Chornyi off the crossbar, Qasentria was unable to come up with an answer to the Niol offense. As the final whistle blew, the scoreboard flashed the final score, Qasentria 1, Niolskiaj 2.

Immediately after the final whistle of the game in Hana blew, the match between two consistent favourites in any FANA World Cup, Prunia and Aquia, got under way. The first half was a quiet one, as no major attacks took place. All of that changed once the Prunian offence got the kickoff of the second half. Prunian striker Kasey Saunders slipped straight through the stalwart Aquian defence, and took a strike having evaded keeper Arnaldo Caballero on an empty net, giving Prunia a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute. Aquia was not pleased with that, and focused their energy on the offensive front. This paid off with a cheeky header from striker Rui that found the top left corner of the net in the 53rd minute, tying the match up at one goal a piece. With the adrenaline flowing through him, Rui swiped the ball from the Prunian attack, and put a ball in the back of the Prunian net a mere 4 minutes after his previous strike. This put Aquia up 2-1 over Prunia. Prunia took every opportunity to try and tie the match up, but every attack failed. All but one. In the 90+2 minute, Saunders lofted a ball into the box off of a corner kick, and the ball bent it’s way into the net, no assistance from teammates necessary. That incredible strike finalised the match as a tie, 2-2.

Over in the other half of the hosting duo, in the city of Sunwoo, the opening match of Group B took place between Hansaaria and Hwaesonna. The reigning FANA World Cup champions Hansaaria had something to prove, as they floundered in the regional qualification of Sakoda, where they qualified to the FANA World Cup through a tiebreaker with Te Ao, and then were eliminated in the semi finals of the Sakodan Cup. The Hwae team stood firmly in their path, and Hansaaria proved that their Cinderella run in the 2020 FANA World Cup wasn’t a fluke, as midfielder August Ahonen struck first in the 38th minute, with a strike that was guided directly to his sliding foot by Joel Sibul. At the half, Hansaaria led the Hwae side 1-0. Unfortunately for the Hwae team, that wasn’t the last time Ahonen would strike. In the 79th minute, he found himself sprinting down the left hand side of the pitch, and a well placed tap-in shot found the netting, pushing the Hansaarian lead to 2-0, where it remained once the final whistle blew. Hansaaria took the first match of Group B, 2-0.

In Mori, the Fordians took on the Nineliese. The crowd’s purple and teal scheme painted not just the stadium, but much of the surrounding bars in Mori. The supporters in teal were quickly treated to some beneficial action, as in the 11th minute, midfielder Ante Hirtl fielded an erroneous touch from Nineliese midfielder Sakamoto Ryuichi. Hirtl found striker Fitim Behrens on a sprint towards the Nineliese goal. Behrens then struck the ball into the back of the net, putting Fordia up 1-0. Ninelie then took their chance to try and answer back, but Behrens and Hirtl switched roles for this strike. 2-0 following that goal from Hirtl in the 29th. This 2-0 lead would hold for most of the remainder of the first half, but in the 45+3 minute, Hirtl once again stole the ball from Sakamoto, but instead of finding Behrens, he took the shot himself, and once again scored. Fordia led at the half 3-0. Coming out of the halftime break, the Fordian squad had a different idea for how to play the rest of the match. All their efforts were focused on preventing any answers from Ninelie. This ploy ended up being extremely successful, as every Nineliese attacking attempt was quashed by the stellar Fordian defence. The score at the half would prove to be the final score.

Next Match Day: vs , vs , v , v

[Kinoshita!]

CONFEDERATIONS CUP: DAY 2

Fresh off of a draw and a loss, the two teams that came to Kinsia were ready to alter their fortunes. Prunia would open off the match, but ultimately it would be Qasentria that would score first. In the 39th minute, dynamo Sylvain Hayle struck a shot from outside the box just past the outstretched hands of keeper Teddy Lowe. At the half, Hayle’s singular goal was the only one that had been scored. After the half started, only two minutes later, Hayle took a shot, but Lowe blocked it out of bounds. Defender Upash Atuy crossed the ball in the box to midfielder Moon Jeong-hui, and Moon headed the ball into the net, adding another goal to the Qasentrian tally. Prunia’s legendary attack was smothered by the Qasentrian defence. In the 84th minute, Prunian striker Kasey Saunders squeaked a shot in the lower left corner, to bring the score to 2-1. A final attempt by Prunia to tie the score was blocked out by keeper Gaëtan Clérisseau, and the whistle blew. The Qasentrian crowd in Kinsia erupted with the final score reading 2-1.

In a rematch of the final match of the 2018 World Cup, Niolskiaj and Aquia took to the pitch in Marianne. The Aquian side clearly had that match in mind, because right out of the gate, they went full throttle on the attack. Aquian striker Rui struck first in the 7th minute, with a goal through the legs of Artem Chornyi. Aquia then struck again in the 27th minute, with a strike from Rui once again. The whistle blew for half, and Aquia was in the lead 2-0. The Aquian attack didn’t let up, as Rui struck for a third time in the 58th. Rui didn’t strike for the next Aquian goal, but instead, Rui set up midfielder Cabral for a shot just off the fingertips of Chornyi. The clock read 4-0 in the 72nd minute. Niol striker Ilja Sharov finally removed the 0 from the Niol side of the scoreboard in the 79th, but that score didn’t last very long. Rui was let loose on the Niol defence, and he slid a shot through Chornyi’s legs. The final whistle blew, and Aquia avenged themselves from 2018, as they beat Niolskiaj by two more goals that they lost in the 2018 finals. Aquia won in Marianne, 5-1.

Opening off the second day of Group B’s play in Chikara City, the Hansaarian team played the Foridan squad. Both squads were fresh off of a win, and were gunning to keep their record clean. The first half was uneventful, at least until the 39th minute, where Fordian striker Ante Hirtl shot the ball from around the midfield line, in an attempt to clear the ball from their side of the pitch. The ball took two bounces and found its way past the outstretched arms of Hansaarian keeper Erko Koivu. The first goal of the match went to the Fordian side. At the half, 1-0 Fordia was the score. Hansaaria would answer quickly, as in the 52nd minute, August Ahonen found the back of the Fordian net, tying the match up at one goal a piece. With the clock reading 63 minutes, Hirtle once again struck, giving Fordia the edge once again. However, that lead wouldn’t last. Only 5 minutes later, Ahonen bicycle kicked a corner from Joel Sibul into the top right of the goal, tying the match up at 2 a piece. Ahonen would have the last laugh, as he headed in a cross from Sibul into the net in the 86th minute, giving Hansaaria a 3-2 lead. That would be the score that blared across the scoreboards once the final whistle blew. The Hansaarian fans rejoiced, as their nation found their spot in the knockout round. For Fordia, it will all come down to their match tomorrow.

Following the absolute insanity that was the match in Mori, the match between the Hwae and  Nineliese teams began. The Hwae team got the kick off, but quickly turned the ball over to the Nineliese side. They began stalling, before finding striker Salvatorino Guglielmino on a streak route towards the nineliese goal. Guglielmino would pull some fancy technique on the Hwae defence, before slamming a shot into the back of the net in the 21st minute. Ninelie took a 1-0 lead. The whistle would blow for halftime without any additional events. The Hwae offence immediately began playing their minds out, culminating in a 49th minute goal from striker Kwon Jin-woo. Both teams would be unable to add to the score, so the game finished in a 1-1 draw.

Next Match Day: vs , vs , v , v

[Chante™]

CONFEDERATIONS CUP: DAY 3

Opening off the final day of group play, Qasentria and Aquia took to the pitch. Both teams were fresh off of their first wins in the Confederations cup, and hungry to add to their points total. The stadium in Hana was raucous, as the Qasentrian and Aquian fans both knew what this match meant for their teams. Both teams needed a win in order to secure their place in the next round. This led to the Qasentrian offence striking early in brilliant fashion, with midfielder Sylvain Hayle scorpion kicking a cross from defender Atuy Upash right between the hands of Aquian keeper Arnaldo Caballero in the 7th minute. This gave Qasentria a 1-0 lead early on. The small stadium erupted, and the sea of blue that was in the stands ebbed and flowed in elation. Aquia would retaliate as the time in the first half ticked down. In the 34th minute, Aquian striker Allessandro smashed a shot off of the shin of Qasentrian keeper Gaëtan Clérisseau, and it bounced into the net, tying the match up at 1-1. That would be all the goals for the first half. The second half would start out relatively uneventfully, with all the attacks being either stolen or blocked. That all changed in the 86th minute, as Aquian striker Rui struck a shot past a diving Clérisseau, giving Aquia a 2-1 lead. Qasentria wasn’t having any of this, and they immediately went full out on the attack. This culminated with a corner kick in the 90+6. Midfielder Fukui Masami lobbed a cross into the box, and Qasetrian striker Robin Aiza headed the ball into the net, tying the game up at 2-2. The whistle blew after the Aquian side tapped the ball to restart play. This meant that the Aquian side punched their ticket into the knockout round. The numerous Aquian fans that made it to Hana were in elation. Their 5 points would be enough to mathematically confirm their spot, as Prunia would only be able to earn a maximum of 4 points, and Niolskiaj 6. Everything for the Qasentrians would fall on the shoulders of the match in Kinsia.

Tensions were incredibly high in Kinsia. The numerous Qasentrian fans that came to watch the match all saw the writing on the wall. They all came out to support the Prunian side, as that would be the side that would most likely push their nation into the knockout round. The match started, and the first half was incredibly underwhelming. Not many attacks made it to the point of a shot being taken, and the ones that did missed the net or were blocked out of bounds by the keeper. The first half came and went without a goal. The second half started, and the same story played out. That is until the 58th minute, when Niol striker Radoslaw Filipiak found the back of the net past the outstretched arms of the Prunian keeper Teddy Lowe. The score became 1-0, and Prunia would take the next chance and go on the offensive. They had a number of chances, but Niol keeper Artem Chornyi was stopping every shot. All but one. In the 72nd minute, Prunian striker Kasey Saunders slipped a shot past the diving body of Chornyi, tying the match up at one. Both Niolskaj and Prunia would attempt to score again, but to no avail. The final whistle blew with the score at 1-1. The Qasentrian fans in the stands erupted in elation, as the final results of that match put the Qasentrians into the knockout round, as they beat the Niol side in goal differential, the deciding factor as they tied on points.

With the insane finale to the Group A matches, Hansaaria and Ninelie had a lot to live up to. And with that, the match would not do that. A single goal by Hansaarian striker August Ahonen in the 44th minute was the only one that would find the back of the net in the whole game. A 1-0 win was the anticlimactic finale to a stellar group stage performance by Hansaaria.

The final match of group play was held in Mori, between the teams of Hwaesonna and Fordia. Both teams had a chance to qualify, and both came out for blood. Fordia would strike first in the 33rd minute, with a goal by striker Fitim Behrens. Hwaesonna came roaring back in the second half, with a goal in the 51st minute by striker Kwon Jin-woo. Exactly 20 minutes later, midfielder Nam Min-yong would take a free kick and bend it into the back of the Fordian net, putting Hwaesonna up 2-1. Fordia would find the back of the Hwae net in the 81st minute, with a shot put into the top left corner by Ante Hirtl. The whistle blew, and the score read 2-2. This put Fordia into the knockout stage. The Fordian fans were elated, and the knockout round was set. Aquia would play Fordia, and Hansaaria would play Qasentria.

Next Match Day: vs ,  vs

[Kinoshita!]

CONFEDERATIONS CUP: DAY 4 (SEMI-FINALS)

The first of the two semis would pit the winner of Group A, Aquia, against the runner up of Group B, Fordia. The stadium was packed to the brim, with 80,000 fans in attendance. The tension was palpable across the stadium in Sunwoo. The Fordians would strike first, with the surprise breakout star Ante Hirtl taking aim, and putting a shot through the legs of Aquian keeper Arnaldo Caballero in the 27^th minute. This gave Fordia the lead, 1-0. Despite numerous attempts, the first half whistle blew with the Fordians in the lead. Aquia would take the opening kick, and would convert off of it. In the 46^th minute, Rui took aim, and put the ball in the bottom left corner, tying the match up at 1 goal a piece. Both squads would attempt to add one goal to their scores, and it would take a while for either to get that elusive goal. However, it would come in the 72^nd minute. Aquian midfielder Coelho would be the one to break the tie, with a header off of a corner from fellow midfielder Cabral. Aquia took a 2-1 lead because of it. Fordia would attempt several times to tie the match up, but it was all to no avail. The final whistle blew, and  Aquia won 2-1. The Aquian side would go on to the finals, but who would they play? That would be determined by the match in Hana between Hansaaria and Qasentria.

Despite being in the smallest stadium in the Confederations Cup, the audience’s energy rivaled that of the previous semi final match. The Qasentrians would start off the match, and failed to capitalise off of a beautiful run by striker Robin Aiza. The Hansaarians would stall, before attempting to strike first. A cross from Hansaarian midfielder Joel Sibul was intercepted by Qasentrian defender Wynne Cole, who booted the ball down the pitch, where Sylvain Hayle had nothing but open space between them and Hansaarian keeper Erko Koivu. Hayle having only Koivu between them and another goal, they shot, and Koivu’s fingers brushed the ball as it found its way into the net. In the 19^th minute, the score was Qasentria 1, Hansaaria 0. Hansaaria would strike back a mere 15 minutes later, with a shot from August Ahonen that found the back of the Qasentrian net, tying the match at 1 goal a piece. The whistle blew, and the second half was underway. The half itself was quite underwhelming, at least until Qasentria had a corner kick with 87 minutes on the clock. Qasentria’s manager Son Byung-ki elected to make an unconventional substitution, subbing off keeper Gaëtan Clérisseau with striker Kam Su Keong. Kam came onto the pitch with gloves and an off-coloured kit. Kam was someone who had never played a match in the net. Ever. Kam was present in the box, as Moon Jeong-hui crossed the ball into the box. Kam stuck out his leg, and the ball ricocheted off of it into the net. Son Byung-ki’s unconventional substitution paid massive dividends, as the Qasentrians were ahead of the Hansaarians who had dominated Group B. Kam himself was unconventional on the squad, as he was a recent callup to fill the gap left by Choi Yeong-chul. Despite the new Qasentrian keeper having never played their position before, Hansaaria was unable to capitalise off of it. The final whistle blew, and  Qasentria knocked out  Hansaaria 2-1. The small stadium erupted into a raucous cheer, as this meant that the Qasentrian squad would face Aquia in the finals, a rematch of the final match of group play for the pair.

Tomorrow: Final Match Day

Third place
Fordia	v	Hansaaria
Final
Aquia	v	Qasentria

[Chante™]

CONFEDERATIONS CUP: DAY 4 (3rd PLACE MATCH)

In the final match held in Qasentria for the Confederations Cup, the battle for third place was held between the top two of Group B, Fordia and  Haansaria. The Suitsu Antlers Football Stadium, located right in the heart of Marianne, was packed well above its capacity limit of 40,728. The two teams both wanted to redeem themselves from their losses in the semis. The first half came and went without much commotion, at least until  Joel Sibul of Hansaaria found the back of the Fordian net in the 45+2 minute, putting Hansaaria up 1-0. The Fordian offence found its footing in the second half, mounting attack after attack, putting Hansaaria in a situation they weren’t fully prepared to deal with. It culminated with Fordian striker  Ante Hirtl scoring in the 68th minute with a dribbler of a shot that just squeaked its way into the back of the net. Hirtl wasn’t satisfied with the draw that shined on the scoreboard, and took matters into his own hands. 20 minutes after his first goal, he took a penalty kick, and put it in the top right corner, exactly opposite from where Hansaarian keeper  Erko Koivu was predicting. The final whistle blew, and Fordia took the third place spot from Hansaaria, 2-1.

[Kinoshita!]

CONFEDERATIONS CUP: DAY 4 (FINAL)

Chikara Serican Main Stadium was crowded by both team’s fans

The finals of the Confederations Cup took place in the outskirts of Chikara City, Namimori. The stadium was crammed well beyond the capacity of 53,864, with numerous estimates suggesting that there were over 60,000 fans watching the match in the stadium.


Aquian and Qasentrian captains shake hands before kickoff 

Both sides had seen each other previously in the tournament, and the match finished in a 2-2 draw. Neither squad wanted to see that trophy slip through their fingers, and both came out for blood.  Aquia would strike first, with a Coelho goal past a diving  Gaëtan Clérisseau in the 17^th minute. Qasentria would answer quickly, as Sylvain Hayle found the back of the Aquian net in the 23rd minute. The match was tied at 1-1. However, it wouldn’t remain that way for very long, as Aquia snatched their lead right back in the 42^nd minute, with  Rui finding an opening in the Qasentrian defence, and leading Allessandro for a one touch shot into the Qasentrian goal. At half, the Aquians led the Qasentrians 2-1. After halftime, Son Byung-ki made another strange substitution, once again removing Clérisseau from the pitch, and replacing him with a younger keeper in Xuan Xingxi. However, Xuan wouldn’t have much of an effect on the rest of the match as the Qasentrian attack kept the ball between them for most of the first part of the half.  Robin Aiza would tie the match up in the 64^th minute, with a header off of a cross put into the box by Song Ha-jun. The countless attacks by both sides failed to culminate in another goal once the final whistle blew. This meant that the match would go into extra time. Extra time would consist of two 15 minute halves, and if nobody won after that, it would go to penalty kicks. Qasentria started with the ball to open off the first chunk of time, and Sylvain Hayle wasted no time finding the back of the Aquian net, with a goal in the 94th minute. However, that lead that the Qasentrians had would be incredibly brief, as in the 99^th minute, Cabral passed the ball to midfielder Antônio Fernandes de Paula, who put a strike past the outstretched arms of Xuan. This tied the match up at three goals a piece. Neither team was able to capitalise with the second half of extra time, putting this game into a shootout.


Aquia and Qasentrian fans fell into the stressful situation as the teams had to go under a shootout round.

Each team would alternate shots, starting off with Aquia. Antônio Fernandes de Paula would shoot first, and his shot bounced right off the foot of Xuan, culminating in a miss. Fukui Masami would be the first Qasentrian to shoot, and his shot ricocheted off the crossbar, and after one round of shots, it was 0-0. Next up for Aquia, it was Coelho. Coelho’s shot aimed for the top right corner, but it was too high, and sailed into the stands. For Qasentria, Robin Aiza strode to the line. Aiza shot to the left with the heel of her right foot after she planted her left beyond the ball. Arnaldo Caballero dove to the right way too early, and Aiza’s trick bounced over the line. Qasentria had the lead 1-0 at this point. Rui strode to the line next for Aquia, and his shot was a laser directly aimed at where Xuan was standing. Xuan dove to his left, however, and Rui scored. Sylvain Hayle was next for Qasentria, and they stared down Arnaldo Caballero. They ran up, and blasted a shot that Arnaldo Caballero got a hand on, but that hand wasn’t enough to stop the shot, and it went in the back of the net. After three shots, Qasentria led 2-1. Next to answer the call for Aquia was Allessandro. Allessandro’s shot went left, and Xuan went right. Alessandro’s shot went in. To answer that shot, Qasentria called on defender Liu Guanyu. Liu’s shot had some curve, but it was too much as it went beyond the post. After four shots, it was all tied at 2 goals. Willian would step up for Aquia, and his shot was a slow dribbler that went to the bottom right, but Xuan leaped, and the ball went in underneath his diving body. Qasentria needed to answer right back in order to stay alive, and the man they called upon was midfielder Moon Jeong-hui. Moon strode to the line, ran up, and took the shot. The ball went to the upper right corner, and so did Arnaldo Caballero. Arnaldo Caballero got a hand on the ball, and it bounced back towards Moon, blocking the shot.



Aquia won the penalty shootout 3-2, securing themselves their first ever victory in the tournament. For Qasentria, it was the end of a stellar run that saw the Serican nation take on some of the strongest nations in Fantasia, and go toe to toe with them, or in the words of the Namimorish side of the hosting, “#QasentriaFloppedHa” - which is suddenly rising to the top of Namimorish Twitcher trendings.


Namimori’s official Twitcher accounts twitched about the match

Congratulations to Aquia on their victory in the Confederations Cup!
We look forward to seeing all of these nations and more in Namimori and Qasentria for the FANA World Cup. Stay safe and tuned for the upcoming grand show!