The rules for the 16th edition remain the same as those for the previous edition.
1 important date to note: 26 July is the deadline for playing your 4 qualifying matches

The list of the 16 qualifiers will therefore be published on Monday 27 July (a supplementary list of four federations ranked 17th to 20th will also be published, and the four federations on this list will be placed on a waiting list in the event that any of the federations ranked 1st to 16th do not wish to enter the final phase draw.

Any federation that has played, or even simply scheduled, more than four matches by 26 July will not be eligible for qualification,......nor will any federation that has played fewer than four matches but has scheduled a match to be played after 26 July, as this scheduling prevents the manual scheduling of matches for the second phase. There will be no exceptions to this rule.

To put it plainly, if you wish to take part in the second phase of the competition, do not schedule any matches beyond 26 July and wait patiently for the manual scheduling; otherwise, you will not be included in the list of qualified federations.

I would like to remind you that the Federation module still contains a few residual bugs and that, unfortunately, we have no choice but to accept them and sometimes suffer the consequences in terms of the rules.

Finally, I would like to remind you that the competition’s prize money is reserved solely for participants who actually take part in the second phase, according to a scale that remains unchanged from the edition that has just ended, namely:
3M to all qualifiers present in the final draw + 1M per victory in the second phase + prizes for those who reach the podium, namely: 12 M to the winner, 5 M to the runner-up and 3 M to the winner of the third-place play-off).

You have 8 days left – up to and including Sunday 26 July – to play your maximum of 4 matches, in order to be ranked amongst the top 16 in the first phase.

Here is the current provisional ranking of the 16 potential qualifiers:

1 Spain 12 pts 11-0 (4 matches)
2 South Africa 12 pts 9-0 (4 matches)
ex Argentina 12 pts 9-0 (4 matches)
4 Japan 9 pts 10-0 (3 matches)
5 France 9 pts 9-0 (3 matches)
6 Costa Rica 9 pts 10-2 (4 matches)
7 Russia 9 pts 7-0 (3 matches)
8 Slovakia 9 pts 6-0 (3 matches)
9 Uruguay 9 pts 6-2 (4 matches)
10 Germany 9 pts 4-0 (3 matches)
11 Iceland 9 pts 4-2 (4 matches)
12 Turkey 9 pts 4-3 (4 matches)
13 Puerto Rico 8 pts 6-4 (4 matches)
14 England 7 pts 8-0 (3 matches)
15 North Macedonia 7 pts 7-3 (3 matches)
16 Wales 6 pts 7-0 (2 matches)

Not included in the rankings as they have exceeded the maximum of 4 matches: Australia, Switzerland, Scotland, the Netherlands, Georgia, Trinidad and Tobago, Samoa.

It is worth noting that Spain and Argentina occupy the top two places: … a sign of things to come for the World Cup (the real one!)

A quick note regarding the final standings.
The United States, who currently have 7 points, will have their three lost matches (against China, Mexico and Tunisia) forfeited.
Reason: Fielding two players from the same club
A. McIntosh
Johnson

Furthermore, when you win a match by walkover, for example:
#match?mid=6871507
You must let me know, as the French-language programme awards 0 points rather than 3 points to the winning federation.
Federations League rules: for the league table, wins by walkover are counted as 3 points and 1–0 on goal difference.

The first phase of the competition is now over.
Here is the league table, which includes only those federations that have not played or scheduled more than four matches and are not taking part in a parallel competition.

To take part in the second knockout phase, you must not have scheduled a match in the coming days (otherwise it will be impossible to schedule your next match manually and you risk exceeding the limit of 8 matches for the season).

Managers wishing to take part must confirm here, in the comments below this post, their intention to participate and their acceptance of the rules.
Deadline: Wednesday 29 July at 12 noon.
I have added four federations to the waiting list in case any of the first 16 federations withdraw
(NB: to be eligible for selection from the waiting list, federations must also confirm here, before Wednesday at 12 noon, that they wish to take part).

Matches that resulted in a walkover or were declared wins by default are converted to a 1–0 victory.

Where two federations are tied, I have drawn lots to decide between them.

1 Spain 12 pts 11–0
2 Russia 12 pts 11–0
3 South Africa 12 pts 9–0
4 Slovakia 12 pts 9–0
5 Argentina 12 pts 9–0
6 Germany 12 pts 8–1
7 France 10 pts 10-1
8 Wales 10 pts 8-0
9 Costa Rica 9 pts 10-2
10 Fiji 9 pts 9-5
11 Uruguay 9 pts 6-2
12 Iceland 9 pts 4-2
13 Turkey 9 pts 4-3
14 Mali 8 pts 8-3
15 Puerto Rico 8 pts 8-4
16 North Macedonia 7 pts 7-3
On the waiting list:
Chile – Uzbekistan – Burkina Faso – Israel

Iceland: OK, terms accepted.

Russia OK. Terms accepted

France, terms and conditions read and accepted

President of Slovakia: rules read and accepted

Turkey – OK
Terms and conditions read and accepted

Hello Costa Rica – I have read and accepted the rules.

PS: As I’ve only recently returned to CR, are there still restrictions on the number of players per agreement and on developing players with a coefficient of 1 or less?

Cryprus
Terms read and accepted

zerebart: Bonjour Costa-Rica règlement lu et accepté

PS ayant repris le CR il y a peu y a t'il toujours des conditions sur le nombre de joueurs par entente et sur les joueurs en progression vs coef 1 ou moins?

No, nothing has changed, but that isn’t in the competition rules – it’s in the game’s general rules – and applies just as much to federations that do not take part in the Federation League.

Dr lucky: Cryprus
Terms read and accepted

Cyprus hasn’t qualified!

Oh sorry
I didn't read the previous message

Mali – OK, accepted

Wales: OK
Rules accepted

North Macedonia – OK, resolution accepted.

Uruguay OK
Terms and conditions read and accepted

Slovakia. OK. Terms and conditions read and accepted

South Africa, terms and conditions read and accepted

Spain – OK, I’ve read and accepted the terms and conditions!

Hello
Albania, OK
Terms and conditions read and agreed to.
Provided there’s space available, of course 👋

Fiji – read and accepted!

Chile, terms and conditions read and accepted

Argentina, read and approved.

I’m confirming that I’ll be taking part.

Puerto Rico. I’m fine with the rules.

The registration period has closed.
As Germany’s head coach has chosen not to take part for personal reasons, Chile will replace Germany.

Here is the competition draw:
Spain (1) v Chile (16)
Costa Rica (8) v Fiji (9)
Argentina (5) v Turkey (12)
Slovakia (4) v Mali (13)
South Africa (3) v Puerto Rico (14)
France (6) v Iceland (11)
Wales (7) v Uruguay (10)
Russia (2) v North Macedonia (15)
The matches will take place on Sunday 2 August

All managers must submit their list of 22 players below.
Please note that the format of the submission is flexible (it is possible, but not compulsory, to include the player’s link and position).
The list must include, as a minimum: the player’s first name and surname, their club and their affiliation (if applicable), along with the number of players per affiliation.
You may submit a list of fewer than 22 players if you wish.
To allow sufficient time for verification, the deadline for submitting your list is Saturday 1 August at 12 noon.

Reminder:

• Players who have not fully completed their training may not be included.
• You may not select more than one player per club or more than five players per partnership (including sister partnerships).
• You will not be able to amend your squad list once the competition has started (which is why it is recommended, though not compulsory, to include two goalkeepers).
• The presence (even on the bench without coming on as a substitute) of an ineligible player will result in a forfeit.

Very important:
I would like to remind you – particularly those who are not familiar with this competition – that matches are scheduled manually and that, unlike in the first phase, team selections are not automatic; you must make them manually once your match has been created.
Please note that there is a bug (which may have been fixed, I’m not sure) which has, in the past, meant that last-minute team selections (made less than an hour before the match) have resulted in players failing to turn up, so please do make your team selections in good time; otherwise, you risk forfeiting the match.

Prize money will be paid out at the end of the competition. The amounts are the same as last season’s.

France

Argentina's 22-man squad

Apologies for the poor quality – I’m posting this live from the beach, so I don’t have a computer:

GAC – YASHIN – Chamiaou – OVNI
GAC – YASHIN – Sisco-09 – Sans Entente
DF – GAGLOEV – SM Caen – LV
DF - LOMAKIN - Gesou FC - DP
DF - POZDNYAKOV - Samsara - BEL
DF - SHMAROV - Athletic Club Sud Sainton - UE
DF - OSOKIN - Arejo Moun Pais - Sans Entente
DF - GLUSKOV - Vesontio Azur - ECo
MD - KIBARDIN - Lokomotiv CCCP - RTG
MD - SABIRZYANOV - FC Brest 29200 - LFP
MF - BONDAREV - Olympique Lyonnais - hVs
MF - SASIN - CSKA Midgar - CP
FW - ARSHAVIN - Steven Gerard FC - No Club
FW - ARSHAVIN - Tonio - Cercle
FW - ARSHAVIN - Olympique Lyonnais - TVF
MO - SHMAROV - Les Demons 333 - Cercle
MO - KARASILNICHENKO - RC War Roak - No Club
MO - ZAVAROV - Enzo - CP
AT - PASHKEVICH - Breizhile - No Agreement
AT - ISMAILOV - FC Valentin - CP
AT - GERASIMENKO - AS St Galmier - CP
AT - MYZGYN - KAIDO - LFP

OVNI 1
LV 1
DP 1
BEL 1
UE 1
ECo1
RTG 1
LFP 2
hVS 1
CP 4
Cercle 2
TVF 1
Sans Entente 5

Here is the list for URUGUAY

That’s it for Wales

Spain’s list

Here is the list of Slovakia’s 22 players

Change for Slovakia following a refusal to be selected: Removal of SERECIN (No agreement)
Addition of CIPRYS – SOS Mes 2 seins FC – KVF

22 MALIAN PLAYERS

Turkey

Players and contracts

Position Player Contract

GAC Silva Torino Fleurus Belgium
BV Blasquez Hightech FC BV
LR Figueroa Fortaleza LR
DFL Medina FC Lyon L7C
DFL Pena Sans Deck CP
DFC Velazquez Dede No contract
DFC Dominguez Istra FC Cercle
DFC Crevetto Unelles FC LV
DFC Wirth Tartempion H
MD Koscina Ajax Facile Les Mouettes
MD Dubo AFU Kirikou AFU
MD Ricardo Cerezo Nawre CP
MO Bizama SC Toulon Var Cercle
MO Aguero The Goat LR
MO Opazo Moi-même CP
MO Gainza FC Prototypiste Fanche Compte Investi Immo
MO Curimilla EU Kimoa Football EU
MO Pezoa Cambridge Quantum Minions No affiliation
AS Saez CS Sedan Ardennes CN
AS Bruno Campos THKS Fourc@de RTG
AT Mena Helios Toulon LFP
AT Bariga Laspa Team No agreement
AT Carrizo Laveb BBQ BBQ

Number of players per agreement

Agreement Number of players

CP 3
LR 2
Cercle 2
No agreement 3
Belgium 1
BV 1
L7C 1
LV 1
H 1
Les Mouettes 1
AFU 1
Fanche Compte Investi Immo 1
EU 1
CN 1
RTG 1
LFP 1
BBQ 1

Hello from Costa Rica

And that’s it for Puerto Rico

All that remains is for Fiji to submit their squad list.
Their head coach has informed me of a personal issue, but he will do his best to submit the list by the deadline.
If this is not the case, the Costa Rica v Fiji match will be declared a forfeit.

Here’s the squad for Fiji. It’s going to be good after all!

Tomorrow, Sunday 2 August, is the round of 16.
Don’t forget your match notices.

myforsans: Demain dimanche 2 août 1/8 de finale.
N'oubliez pas vos convocations.

It’s a shame there are still some oversights. Just to remind you, you have to do this manually; otherwise, the players won’t turn up and the match will be forfeited!

The Round of 16 matches took place yesterday.
Here is a brief summary

South Africa v Puerto Rico 6–0
#match?mid=6904570
A one-sided match that was played almost entirely with 11 against 10 following the almost immediate sending-off of a Puerto Rican player. The South Africans scored goal after goal, leaving no hope for the Puerto Ricans, who never gave up but were unable to pose any threat.

Slovakia v Mali 2–0
#match?mid=6904567
The Slovaks quickly proved very clinical, taking a 2–0 lead by the 20th minute. The Malians did not give up, but despite numerous substitutions and tactical changes, the score remained unchanged.

France v Iceland 4–0
#match?mid=6904572
Another one-sided match in which the French created chance after chance, scoring a goal every twenty minutes with clockwork regularity.

Wales v Uruguay 1–2
#match?mid=6904573
A fairly even match, though Uruguay largely dominated and eventually scored the winning goal with 15 minutes to go.

Argentina v Turkey 2–0
#match?mid=6904566
The Turks went on the attack early on, but this was short-lived and the rest of the match was dominated by Argentina, who qualified quite comfortably thanks to a brace from Batistuta in the 35th and 62nd minutes.

Costa Rica v Fiji 2–1
#match?mid=6904564
Fiji’s defence was kept busy throughout the first half, but in a dramatic turn of events, it was Fiji who scored just before half-time from their first chance. The Costa Ricans started the second half with the same intent as the first, but this time they finally showed their clinical edge, scoring two quick goals in four minutes, and the score remained unchanged.

Spain v Chile – Chile forfeit
#match?mid=6904559
The Spanish were ready and waiting for the Chileans, but they failed to turn up for kick-off.

Russia v North Macedonia 0–0
The Macedonians put up a fine fight against the defending champions. And at the end of a fairly tight match with few chances, it was the penalty shoot-out that decided the outcome between the two sides.

The quarter-final fixtures scheduled for Thursday 13th will therefore be as follows:

Spain v Costa Rica
Argentina v Slovakia
South Africa v France
Uruguay v Russia

No phone, not available. Good luck to France – you’ve got to do better than you did in the World Cup. 👀

myforsans: Les matchs des 1/8 de finales se sont déroulés hier.
En voici un bref compte-rendu

Afrique du Sud - Porto Rico 6-0
#match?mid=6904570
Match à sens unique qui s'est déroulé quasiment entièrement à 11 contre 10 après l'expulsion quasi immédiate d'un joueur porto-ricain, les sud africains ont enchaîné les buts en ne laissant aucun espoir aux porto ricains qui n'ont jamais abdiqué mais sans pouvoir se montrer dangereux.

Slovaquie - Mali 2-0
https://www.virtuafoot.com/...

A slight mistake with the date – surely it’s Thursday the 6th?