The knockout stage of the Slopfest 2026 Intermicronational Haxball World Cup has begun, with three matches already having been completed and two semi-finalists prepared to face-off. Most notably, the dramatic playoff round match between Minaki and the Independent Team ends in controversy over what has been called a "VAR intervention".
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Mahuset v Tymbarc
The first game, held on 28 July, was the quarter-final between Mahuset and Tymbarc. Despite expectations of a close contest, Tymbarc defeated Mahuset with a comfortable score of 5-2. Mahuset had some good chances to score themselves, but the game was largely dominated by Tymbarc.
Full match replay available here.
Minaki v Independent Team
The next match to occur, on 29 July, was the playoff fixture between Minaki and the Independent Team. The winner of the match would earn a place in the quarter-final against Brennonia. Both teams had a similar performance in their respective group stages, so a close game was expected.
Both teams played passionately in an exciting game, with the Independent Team seemingly stronger but Minaki equalising to prevent them from leading for too long. The two sides also had numerous missed chances on goal. At the second minute and forty-eighth second, Minaki scored a late goal to make the score 4-3. However, the most notable and dramatic moment of the match came a few seconds later. The Independent Team, needing a equaliser to prevent themselves from elimination, managed to push the ball into Minaki's net. However, the game ended as soon as they managed to do this and the goal was not counted. The Independent Team were eliminated in a devastating manner.
Soon after the game, the Independent Team protested the result. They criticised tournament organiser Hasan Çakar, who had been observing and recording the match, for having accepted the result as official and believed that a rematch should have been held. The Federation described the tournament's recognition of the result as a "VAR intervention" and an "officiating failure". Çakar responded that he was simply accepting the result set by HaxBall's game mechanics. Minaki has said that recordings of the match show that the ball had not crossed the goal line while the match was still ongoing, only doing so after the game had ended.
The Independent Team agreed to have the matter brought to a neutral arbiter. The Brennonian government later took the role of deliberating the issue, as the match had been virtually hosted in Brennonian territory, and appointed Emiel van der Huijsen to serve as the arbiter. Preparations have been made to address the issue through arbitration.
Minaki's dramatic victory was widely celebrated in the micronation, being considered its first knockout stage victory in any sort of competitive event and probably the country's greatest competitive achievement so far.
Full match replay available here.
Brennonia v Minaki
Following their victory over the Independent Team, Minaki agreed to play their quarter-final game against co-host Brennonia later the same day.
A rematch of their previous group game, which ended in a 4-0 victory for Brennonia, Minaki had hoped motivation from their previous victory would lead to a victory over Brennonia and the semi-finals awaiting them. However, Brennonia brutally demolished Minaki's dreams with a crushing 10-0 victory (larger than their previous meeting). The ten goals in the game have sent Brennonia to second-place in the tournament's Golden Boot race with a total of twenty-six goals, alongside continuing their streak of not conceding a single goal against an opponent (being the only competitor to do so).
Brennonia is set to face Tymbarc in the second semi-final.
Full match replay available here.
