Poolmaster Blog: May 2010

Teams are being “fancied,” mullets are being greased, referees are getting cut for failing fitness tests, and the magic spray bottles are locked and loaded. It’s World Cup Time!!!!

Hello and welcome to the 3^rd World Cup Challenge. We have 2 weeks until kickoff in Soccer City, but I wanted to get this entry form in your grubby little soccer hands as soon as possible so you can do your research and because Mrs. Poolmaster is expecting our third little Gilberto Silva anytime now.

Before explaining the new Challenge rules, a brief summary of the World Cup format for the uninitiated: 32 countries are lumped into 8 groups of 4. Each country plays the other 3 in their group. Best 2 countries in each group advance to round 2. Round 2 is a plain old single-elimination tournament between the 16 remaining countries. That’s it.

For the World Cup Challenge: you will rank all 32 countries from 1 (best) to 32 (worst). The goal in group stage is for your best ranked teams (low numbers) to qualify for the 2^nd round. We sum your rankings of the 16 countries that qualify for round 2 – and the lowest point total is our leader.

Now, the best (lowest score) 16 players scored from group stage of the challenge qualify for round 2. Each player gets to pick 1 country in a draft. Then if your country wins the world cup, you win! The player with the lowest point total gets to pick first. Your order of preference for picking countries in this draft will be the same 1-32 ranking from above.

Entry fee is $5 US or CAN. First place gets 67%, second place 33%. Please have your picks in by June 11, when Mexico is due to crush South Africa. Pass along to friends, enter multiple times yourself, recruit your 5 year old son to plunk down his piggy bank savings on Ivory Coast, etc...

Now, I’m sure you’ll have a blast deciding between Paraguay and Slovenia for that 24^th ranking, but in case you need a little assistance, as a rough guide here are the current FIFA world rankings for the qualified teams:

1	Brazil	20	Australia
2	Spain	21	Nigeria
3	Portugal	24	Switzerland
4	Netherlands	25	Slovenia
5	Italy	27	Ivory Coast
6	Germany	30	Algeria
7	Argentina	31	Paraguay
8	England	32	Ghana
9	France	34	Slovakia
13	Greece	36	Denmark
14	USA	38	Honduras
15	Serbia	45	Japan
16	Uruguay	47	South Korea
17	Mexico	78	New Zealand
18	Chile	83	South Africa
19	Cameroon	105	North Korea