- BGG rank
- BGG #11,451
- BGG rating
- 6.4
World Cup Tournament Football
1993
Rules assistance for World Cup Tournament Football
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–10 players
- 60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.6/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for World Cup Tournament Football
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
World Cup Tournament Football is a board game released in 1993 for 2–10 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Harry Rowland and Peter Grosse.
About the game
This is really a card game disguised in a rather large box. The object of the game is to get your team through the qualifying for the (soccer) World Cup, and hopefully win. The game has a board which depicts a a bunch of soccer fields - just placeholders for the cards played in the tournament: from 16 fields for the first elimination round and the 8 fields for the round of 16, up to the one field used for the finals. There is also a deck of cards for each of the teams involved in the game with two sets of numbers printed on the card depicting the number of goals scored and the number of penalties given to that team. Finally there are counters depicting the 32 teams in the tournament. Each player starts the game with five random cards and the team counters are randomly distributed to each of the players (showing which team each player will 'manage'). Each team is rated either as 0, 1, or 2 - this is the 'bonus' number of goals that team will score in each match it plays. Each player in turn can play a card onto any soccer field. On the preliminary matches (fields), the cards are placed face-up (maximum of 3 cards), on any other field, the card is placed face-down. Once all the fields are full, the matches are resolved with the winner of the match going on to the next. Once the preliminary matches are resolved and the teams determined for the next round, those cards are flipped over and the results determined. This is done all the way to the finals. A player can determine where his team will end up playing each subsequent match and play cards face-down to try to get his team to win, but if your team is upset early - all those face-down cards that you played are now going to help some other team and not yours.
Designers
Publishers
- Lookout Games
- Australian Design Group
Questions and answers
World Cup Tournament Football supports 2–10 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for World Cup Tournament Football is 60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists World Cup Tournament Football for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
World Cup Tournament Football has a complexity rating of 1.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
World Cup Tournament Football belongs to these categories: Card Game, Bluffing, and Sports. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed World Cup Tournament Football and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of World Cup Tournament Football are: Harry Rowland and Peter Grosse. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists World Cup Tournament Football as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.