2014 Quidditch World Cup

The 2014 Quidditch World Cup is an international Quidditch sporting event occurring in 2014. It will be the 427th edition of the World Cup. The Cup takes place in Argentina, in the remote Patagonian Desert.

A disaster erupted when during the opening ceremony, a Selma, Dukuwaqa, Curupira, Sasabonsam, and Inferi attacked the crowd, resulting in 300 casualties. Opening games take place in April, 2014,. So far, Norway, Nigeria, Brazil and USA have been confirmed to pass into the quarterfinals.

Group phase
"​[I aim] to win the World Cup before I die."

- Viktor Krum on why he joined the Bulgarian team in 2014.

The group phase began in 2012. Liechtenstein caused a serious upset in the qualifying stages by winning the group over China, which had been the runners-up in the previous World Cup.

The sixteen contries that qualified are as follows: Brazil, Bulgaria, Chad, Fiji, Germany, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, USA and Wales.

Nigeria and Norway entered the tournament as the two highest-ranked teams in the group phase. It is also the first year that the USA is thought to have a reasonable chance of reaching the final. Moldova, which has consistently produced excellent Quidditch teams and supporters, and the winners of the previous World Cup, failed to qualify this year due to an outbreak of dragon pox at their training camp. This left Moldovan players and supporters "heartbroken".

Much interest has been generated by the return of Seeker Viktor Krum to the Bulgarian National Quidditch team. Krum had retired following the team's narrow defeat in the final against Egypt, in the 2002 Quidditch World Cup. Krum, aged 38, is considered old for a Seeker, but his return has caused quite a buzz, and increased support from those whose own countries have not qualified.

Pre-Cup controversies
Promising to be exciting as ever, the 2014 Quidditch World Cup was not without its controversies, even before opening matches began.

There have been rumours that Haiti was using Inferi to intimidate opposing teams, which were dismissed by the ICWQC as "malicious and baseless". Accusations that Polish Seeker Bonawentura Wójcik was famous Italian Seeker Luciano Volpi Transfigured were only disproven when they attended a press conference together. A further incident occured when Brazilian manager José Barboza insulted the Welsh Chasers by calling them "talentless hags" — Welsh manager Gwenog Jones promptly threatened to "curse the face off" him, and Barboza issued a statement insisting that his original remark had been taken out of context.

Opening Ceremony
For the opening ceremony, the Argentinian Council of Magic planned it to be mascot-themed. Crowds cheered in the stadium on 12 April, 2014 as teams displayed their mascots with pride:


 * Ivory Coast: River Genie
 * Norway: Selma
 * Fiji: Dukuwaqa
 * Brazil: Curupira
 * Nigeria: Sasabonsam
 * Liechtenstein: Augurey
 * Haiti: Inferius

Strangely, Norway brought a Selma instead of the usual troll. Norwegian manager Arnulf Moe explained this by saying that the Selma represented the "steely determination and ferocity of the Norwegian players".



The ceremony went well, with the Ivorian Genies dancing, until disaster struck. The Norwegian Selma and Fijian Dukuwaqa clashed in the small space of the lake. Handlers had to plunge into the waters to contain the mascots, but were hampered by the Brazilian Curupiras, who thought the handlers were harming the Selma and Dukuwaqa. With panic in the stadium and blood flowing both from humans and creatures, the Nigerian Sasabonsams grew crazed and joined the fray. Previous rumors of Haitian Inferi proved true, as they joined in to attack the stampede, devouring those who tripped.

In the end, 300 casualties from shock, broken bones, and bites resulted from the disastrous opening ceremony, one being an infected Sasabonsam bite on Jamaican keeper Kquewanda Bailey. Although the Argentinian Council of Magic has been ashamed by the record number of injuries before the matches even started, one source of pride is the 10,000 Portkeys transported for the ceremony, another record.

Tournament bracket

 * * Disqualified (90 points + illegal capture of the Snitch).

Norway vs. Ivory Coast
On 13 April 2014, Norway played against Ivory Coast, winning 340 to 100. Ivory Coast seemed not up to their usual level, and were easily beaten in two hours by Norway. Norwegian Chaser Lars Lundekvam was twice the target of jinxes from wizards still angry about the disaster at the opening ceremony in the crowds, and the match had to be halted twice as security wizards tried to find out the source of the jinxes. Ivorian Chaser Elodie Dembélé scored 7 of Ivory Coast's 10 goals. In the end, Norwegian Seeker Sigrid Kristoffersen beat Sylvian Boigny to the Snitch in the 128th minute.

Nigeria vs. Fiji
On 14 May 2014, Nigeria played against Fiji, winning 400 to 160. The match started badly for the Fijian side, as the Beaters Quintia Qarase and Narinder Singh lacked the ferocity of their Nigerian counterparts Aliko Okoye and Mercy Ojukwu — the Bludgers inflicted, as a result, serious damage to the Fijian Chasers, who scored only a single goal while Nigeria scored 40. In the 141st minute, Fijian Seeker Joseph Snuka — who had previously been dubbed an egoist by teammates — captured the Snitch, when his team was trailing 400 to 10. This move was met with the bewilderment of commentators, the fury of the Fijian supporters and the jeers of the Nigerians, as the game finished with a bruising defeat to Fiji.

Fijian manager and trainer Hector Bolobolo's only comment after the match was "I'm going to kill him".

Brazil vs. Haiti
The third match, between Brazil and Haiti, took place on 15 May 2014. Brazil won the match 100 to 90, following Haiti's disqualification for illegal capture of the Snitch.

During the early hours of the game, the Brazilian side Chasers Diaz, Alonso and Flores made as many as thirty assaults on the goal hoops; that they scored only ten goals is testimony to Haitian Keeper Lenelle Paraison's agility and courage. Paraison's nose was twice broken during the first sixty minutes, one of them by a Bludger mis-hit by her own teammate, Beater Jean-Baptiste Bloncourt. At the other end of the pitch, star Haitian Chaser Clairvius Hyppolite was responsible for eight of his side's nine goals.

In spite of Brazil's narrow lead in the fourth hour, many felt that the Haitian side was outplaying the Brazilians when Bloncourt hit Haitian Seeker Sylvian Jolicoeur (who was within inches of capturing the Snitch) with one of his poorly-aimed Bludgers, and knocked him out cold. The Snitch then flew up Bloncourt's sleeve — the Beater wrestled the Snitch out of his undergarments and held it up triumphantly, in clear violation of the rules of the game. Haiti was instantly disqualified.

Following the match, Haitian Seeker Jolicoeur was reported to have been making a good recovery, and Beater Bloncourt to be in hiding at an undisclosed location.

USA vs. Jamaica
The fourth match of the tournament was on 16 May 2014, between the United States and Jamaica. The final score of USA 240 to Jamaica 230 was not immediately ruled valid by the ICWQC since there was suspicion of magical interference from someone in the crowd which, according to an amendment to the rules of Quidditch in 1849, would result in their team forfeiting the match, whether or not the team ordered or approved of the magic performed.

Jamaican Keeper Kquewanda Bailey sudden and unexpectedly toppled from her broom shortly before US Chaser Quentin Kowalski scored their ninth goal. The Keeper's fall was hampered by a well-timed Arresto Momentum cast by the referee and, seconds later, US Seeker Darius Smackhammer caught the Snitch ahead of Jamaican counterpart Shanice Higgins, resulting in a narrow victory for the United States.

The timing of Bailey's sudden unconsciousness was so convenient that the ICWQC thoroughly examined the possibility of crowd interference. The crowd's Omnioculars, from all over the stadium, were scrutinised, but no compelling evidence from the American supporters was retrieved. Later that afternoon, it was confirmed that Bailey was suffering from an infected Sasabonsam bite, sustained during the disastrous World Cup opening ceremony. USA, thus, passed into the quarter-finals.

Chad vs. Liechtenstein
Starting from 17 May 2014, the match between Chad and Liechtenstein is the longest yet. Players took a short rest after eleven hours of continuous play, in which both sides displayed their evenly matched power. Each goal was hard won against Beaters showing superb precision and power. The Snitch was within catching range thrice, but thrice the Seekers were bested by well-hit Bludgers. The man of the match on the first day was Liechtenstein Chaser Willi Wenzel, who took two Bludgers to the head but still managed to score the third goal of the match from sixty yards. The score at the end of the first day was 140 to 120 in favor of Chad, who holds a narrow lead at the moment.

Players began to show severe signs of fatigue as the second day of the match, 18 May 2014, limped to a close. The Snitch had literally hovered above Chadian Seeker Jacques Miskine's left eyebrow for five minutes before he noticed it, and even then his reaction was so slow the Snitch was able to escape. Liechtenstein Chaser Otmar Frick was believed to literally have fallen asleep shortly before play was stopped for the evening. Still too close to tell, 260 to 250 in favor of Liechtenstein, the match is turning into a true epic of the World Cup.

Appearances

 * Pottermore