It's that time of year again! Now that CiboTap's well underway, it's time to go round the other confederations' qualifiers. Next up, it's the EMUFA.

This year, it's going to be slightly different. It will follow the same style as CiboTap; being a joint competition. The main part will be to decide the five national teams to play in the FMF World Cup later this year, with the other part being the return of the EMU Championships two years after the inaugural tournament.

Over the next few days, a format will be created combining both competitions and a list of eligible teams posted. Craitland will be eligible for the EMU side of it, even though they qualify automatically for the World Cup as holders.

Hopefully this change of format will benefit the regional confederation's qualifying campaign!

Hamland is in this aren't we?

Yeah. All Keltia and Corum nations are (inc. Craitland)

If Taeland's still going, they're in it too...

They are part of Hamland, but they can still play independently. Means I have 2 teams to support. (And my old school rival has one too)

Well, I remember they had a separate team last year; so if nothing's changed, they still have one now

Okay, here's a basic kinda plan thing

The EMUFA-affiliated nations' teams will be drawn into four groups of however-many-numbers. The four group winners and the best two runners-up will qualify for the FMF World Cup finals later this year. The group winners will also go through to play in EMU 2009, to join hosts and already World Cup-qualified Craitland. The five teams will play each other once in a group, with the national team topping the group after all games have been played winning the EMU Championship.

Currently, the sixteen eligible nations are (in alphabetical order):
Bobalania
Bosworth
Col
Hamland
Incognita
Interland
New Vaduz
Nova England
Nova English Korea
Ocia, East
Ocia, West
Passas
Sarasovia
Ségon
Taeland
Uantir

This number could possibly change within the coming week or so, however, and the positions of ex-EMUFA nations which still actually have active players (ie. Irídia, Jamzinia and the Reindeer Herders) are still uncertain.

I am hoping to get this qualifying (and following EMU Championship) off to a start pretty soon and will probably announce the group draw and match dates this coming weekend (to make sure no new nations come-in to spoil the nice square numbers we currently have ).

If there are any questions, just ask away and I'll do my best to answer them!

Ségon unfortunately won't have a team. It'd be like fallout 3 having a football pitch in the middle of the map.

It's fine for nations to play their "home" games on neutral pitches. Plus, Ségon's kind of a replacement for the old NSV team, which still has a number of professional players

That's ok. They can wear gas masks on pitch.

The draw will take place tomorrow morning/afternoon-y time. The sixteen teams will not be seeded and it will be a totally random draw of four groups of four teams each.

The three semi-ex-teams will be randomly drawn into the first three groups afterwards and given points deductions (Irídia and Jamzinia will start on -3, and the Reindeer Herders on -5 due to their removals and previous MNal statuses).

Fixture dates will also be released soon after the draw as well.

Then all the stuff with the group winners going through to EMU '09 with Craitland will happen after this has all finished

The draw has taken place (via numbered and folded pieces of paper, and closed eyes) and here are the groups for the EMUFA qualifying:

Group 1
Bobalania
Incognita
East Ocia
West Ocia
Jamzinia

Group 2
Hamland
Interland
Nova English Korea
Taeland
Reindeer Herders

Group 3
New Vaduz
Passas
Sarasovia
Uantir
Irídia

Group 4
Bosworth
Col
Nova England
Ségon

Fixtures will be up soon

And here they are:

Incognita 1-1 West Ocia
Jamzinia 2-0 East Ocia



Interland 2-0 Taeland
Nova English Korea 1-0 Reindeer Herders


New Vaduz 0-0 Uantir
Passas 1-1 Sarasovia



Bosworth 0-1 Ségon
Col 0-2 Nova England

Ocia has one team! The ones from the east defected to the worker's paradeise.

Should have said before. Too late now

Although you're both fully-independent nations, so should have a team each...