World Cup Stick or Twist

Post by **forestfan** » 02 Jun 2026, 09:53

Along similar lines to Ralfbergs’ English cup games, rules are as follows:

1) Pick a starting team for the group stage, first come first served basis.
You cannot start with one of the eight “favourites” (Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain).

2) If your team fails to negotiate the group stage, you are out.
If your team successfully progresses, you can either stick with that team or switch to their last-32 opponents if nobody else already has that team.
The eight favourites are now in play (should they come through their groups…) and can be switched to if your original team gets through to face them.

3) If your team loses any knockout game you are out, if you win then the previous rule also applies to the next round, i.e. you can stick, or twist if the next opponent is available.

4) The winner is the person with the victorious team in the final - or, failing that, the last (wo)man standing!

Please copy the existing list (once there is one) and add your name alongside your selected team at the end (e.g. “Curacao - blahblah”)

Unclaimed teams can be taken at any time before their first group game kicks off.

Group details here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/schedule

Post by **murf** » 02 Jun 2026, 10:03

Belgium - murf

Post by **Maldini** » 02 Jun 2026, 10:04

Thanks for running.

Belgium - murf

Colombia - Maldini

Post by **zipnolan** » 02 Jun 2026, 10:11

Thanks for running. Not sure how to find a flag emoji.

Belgium - murf

Colombia - Maldini
Norway - zipnolan

Post by **murf** » 02 Jun 2026, 10:30

Flag emojis appear on my Samsung as predictive text. Maybe not there for cheap phones like Apples.

Belgium - murf

Colombia - Maldini

Norway - zipnolan

Post by **forestfan** » 02 Jun 2026, 10:32

Yeah can get them on iPhones too. Not sure if all “non-UN” nations are included though, England and Scotland definitely are.

(Edit: Curacao is there so would be surprised if any other qualifiers aren’t!)

Post by **Jester** » 02 Jun 2026, 10:34

Thanks for running.

Belgium - murf

Colombia - Maldini

Norway - zipnolan

USA - Jester

Post by **blahblah** » 02 Jun 2026, 11:02

Thanks for running.

Belgium - murf

Colombia - Maldini

Norway - zipnolan

USA - Jester
Mexico - blah

Post by **murf** » 02 Jun 2026, 11:14

ENTRANTS (by alphabetical country)

Belgium - murf

Colombia - Maldini

Mexico - blah

Norway - zipnolan

USA - Jester

Post by **forestfan** » 02 Jun 2026, 11:21

Belgium - murf

Colombia - Maldini

Mexico - blah

Norway - zipnolan

Uruguay - forestfan

USA - Jester

Post by **Arabian Knight** » 02 Jun 2026, 12:27

Belgium - murf

Colombia - Maldini

Mexico - blah

Morocco - Arabian Knight

Norway - zipnolan

Uruguay - forestfan

USA - Jester

Post by **thebillfella** » 02 Jun 2026, 13:36

Belgium - murf

Colombia - Maldini

Mexico - blah

Morocco - Arabian Knight

Norway - zipnolan
Switzerland - thebillfella

Uruguay - forestfan

USA - Jester

Post by **Johnners** » 02 Jun 2026, 22:30

Austria - Johnners

Belgium - murf

Colombia - Maldini

Mexico - blah

Morocco - Arabian Knight

Norway - zipnolan

Switzerland - thebillfella

Uruguay - forestfan

USA - Jester

Post by **Oxford NZ** » 03 Jun 2026, 18:38

Austria - Johnners

Belgium - murf

Colombia - Maldini

Mexico - blah

Morocco - Arabian Knight

Norway - zipnolan

Switzerland - thebillfella

Uruguay - forestfan

USA - Jester
New Zealand - Onz

Post by **jimmy ching** » 03 Jun 2026, 18:41

Austria - Johnners

Belgium - murf

Colombia - Maldini
Ecuador - Jimmyching

Mexico - blah

Morocco - Arabian Knight

Norway - zipnolan

Switzerland - thebillfella

Uruguay - forestfan

USA - Jester
New Zealand - Onz

Post by **Oxford NZ** » 03 Jun 2026, 18:45

Austria - Johnners

Belgium - murf

Colombia - Maldini
Ecuador - Jimmyching

Mexico - blah

Morocco - Arabian Knight
New Zealand - Onz

Norway - zipnolan

Switzerland - thebillfella

Uruguay - forestfan

USA - Jester

Post by **Ralfbergs** » 03 Jun 2026, 20:49

Austria - Johnners

Belgium - murf

Canada - Ralfbergs

Colombia - Maldini
Ecuador - Jimmyching

Mexico - blah

Morocco - Arabian Knight
New Zealand - Onz

Norway - zipnolan

Switzerland - thebillfella

Uruguay - forestfan

USA - Jester

Post by **morganb** » 03 Jun 2026, 21:05

Austria - Johnners

Belgium - murf

Canada - Ralfbergs

Colombia - Maldini

Czech Republic - morganb

Ecuador - Jimmyching

Mexico - blah

Morocco - Arabian Knight

New Zealand - Onz

Norway - zipnolan

Switzerland - thebillfella

Uruguay - forestfan

USA - Jester

Post by **GregsEggs** » 03 Jun 2026, 21:26

Austria - Johnners

Belgium - murf

Canada - Ralfbergs

Colombia - Maldini

Czech Republic - morganb

Ecuador - Jimmyching

Japan - GregsEggs

Mexico - blah

Morocco - Arabian Knight

New Zealand - Onz

Norway - zipnolan

Switzerland - thebillfella

Uruguay - forestfan

USA - Jester

Post by **Art Vandelay** » 03 Jun 2026, 21:36

Austria - Johnners

Belgium - murf

Canada - Ralfbergs

Colombia - Maldini

Czech Republic - morganb

Ecuador - Jimmyching

Japan - GregsEggs

Mexico - blah

Morocco - Arabian Knight

New Zealand - Onz

Norway - zipnolan

Scotland - Art Vandelay

Switzerland - thebillfella

Uruguay - forestfan

USA - Jester

Post by **wahine** » 04 Jun 2026, 03:49

Austria - Johnners

Belgium - murf

Canada - Ralfbergs

Colombia - Maldini

Czech Republic - morganb

Ecuador - Jimmyching

Japan - GregsEggs

Mexico - blah

Morocco - Arabian Knight

New Zealand - Onz

Norway - zipnolan

Scotland - Art Vandelay

Sweden - wahine

Switzerland - thebillfella

Uruguay - forestfan

USA - Jester

Post by **murf** » 04 Jun 2026, 10:37

Nice work on the flags folks. Half the countries now 'taken'.

8 taken by prohibition
16 taken by us
24 to go

Post by **forestfan** » 04 Jun 2026, 11:25

murf wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 10:37 Nice work on the flags folks. Half the countries now 'taken'.

8 taken by prohibition
16 taken by us
24 to go

That’s an entire Euros (or ‘82-‘94 World Cup) worth of teams still available!

Post by **TheBigLewandowski** » 05 Jun 2026, 18:07

Austria - Johnners

Belgium - murf

Canada - Ralfbergs

Colombia - Maldini

Czech Republic - morganb

Ecuador - Jimmyching

Japan - GregsEggs

Mexico - blah

Morocco - Arabian Knight

New Zealand - Onz

Norway - zipnolan

Paraguay - TheBigLewandowski

Scotland - Art Vandelay

Sweden - wahine

Switzerland - thebillfella

Uruguay - forestfan

USA - Jester

Post by **forestfan** » 06 Jun 2026, 12:10

Still available: Algeria, Australia, Bosnia, Cape Verde, Croatia, Curacao, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Panama, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan.

Post by **Jester** » 06 Jun 2026, 13:56

Can I have a second team? It was a tough choice between two and the other is still available....
Maybe MrsJ would like to play?!!

Post by **forestfan** » 06 Jun 2026, 14:25

Jester wrote: 06 Jun 2026, 13:56 Can I have a second team? It was a tough choice between two and the other is still available....
Maybe MrsJ would like to play?!!

Might have to ask VAR on that one…

If there’s teams free closer to kick-off then sure she’d be welcome

Post by **Jester** » 06 Jun 2026, 14:35

She’s on standby!

Post by **murf** » 06 Jun 2026, 14:54

forestfan wrote:
Jester wrote: 06 Jun 2026, 13:56 Can I have a second team? It was a tough choice between two and the other is still available....
Maybe MrsJ would like to play?!!
Might have to ask VAR on that one…

If there’s teams free closer to kick-off then sure she’d be welcome

Only issue with this (not saying you shouldn't allow it) is that it reduces chances for switching later. If someone's second/WAG's team, say, Haiti draw Spain in last 32 and switch. So when your team meets Spain in last 16 then you can't switch and (probably) go out to a WAG.

Post by **forestfan** » 06 Jun 2026, 14:58

murf wrote: 06 Jun 2026, 14:54
forestfan wrote:
Jester wrote: 06 Jun 2026, 13:56 Can I have a second team? It was a tough choice between two and the other is still available....
Maybe MrsJ would like to play?!!
Might have to ask VAR on that one…

If there’s teams free closer to kick-off then sure she’d be welcome
Only issue with this (not saying you shouldn't allow it) is that it reduces chances for switching later. If someone's second/WAG's team, say, Haiti draw Spain in last 32 and switch. So when your team meets Spain in last 16 then you can't switch and (probably) go out to a WAG.

Yeah I did think that might be an issue - “free” teams (beyond the 8 top sides) aren’t necessarily a bad thing, unlike a straightforward sweepstake where you want to “sell” all the teams.

I guess it would probably prompt a notmurf appearance, too

FISO