How the Steamer Cup Works
League Setup
- 16 players across 8 teams of 2 (Captain + Steamer).
- Each team drafts 4 countries in a snake draft (32 of 48 World Cup countries get owned).
- Each team designates 2 Golden Booters + 2 Sauce Bosses per country.
- Commissioner: Scott. Communication via the Steamer Challenge group chat.
💰 Stakes
- Entry fee: $20 per player — $40 per team. 16 players × $20 = $320 total pot.
- Winner’s share: The full $320 pot goes to the winning team (2 players, $160 each) for a nice restaurant night out with their spouse or date. Of course you are choosing Helen.
- Loser’s penalty: The last-place team must take their spouse or date to Olive Garden, Applebee’s, or Chili’s within 30 days of the tournament ending. Photo evidence required — posted in the Steamer Challenge group chat. No exceptions, no substitutions.
Country Scoring (per match)
| Win | +3 group · scales in knockouts* |
| Draw | +1 |
| Loss | 0 |
| Clean sheet (no goals conceded) | +1 |
| Goal scored | +2 each |
| Goal conceded | -1 each |
| Own goal | -2 each |
| Save | +0.5 each |
| Corner kick | +0.25 each |
| Foul committed | -0.25 each |
| Yellow card | -1 each |
| Red card | -3 each |
Player Bonuses (stack on top of country)
| Golden Booter scores a goal | +0.5 each |
| Sauce Boss records an assist | +0.25 each |
Golden Booters & Sauce Bosses
For every country your team drafts, you designate 2 Golden Booters (your tagged goal-scorers) and 2 Sauce Bosses (your tagged assist-makers). With 4 countries per team, each team carries 8 Golden Booters and 8 Sauce Bosses at any time.
- Picks are due before each country’s first match kicks off — submitted to Scott in the Steamer Challenge group chat.
- A player CAN be both a Booter and a Boss for the same country. If they score, they earn the +0.5 Booter bonus; if they assist, the +0.25 Boss bonus. Both stack independently.
- Locked for the group stage. Once a country’s first match starts, that country’s lineup is set for the entire group stage.
- Swappable before the knockouts. Before the Round of 32 begins, you may freely re-pick your Booters and Bosses — but only from the rosters of countries that survived the group stage.
- Bridgers Refuge Exception (African countries). For any African country you own (Algeria, Cape Verde, Congo-DR, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia), you can swap your Booters and Bosses at any point during the tournament — including mid-knockouts — as long as you notify Scott in the group chat before kickoff.
Knockout Round Win Points
Win points scale by round. Everything else (goals, cards, Booter / Boss bonuses, wildcards) stays the same at every stage.
| Group Stage | Win = +3 |
| Round of 32 | Win = +3 |
| Round of 16 | Win = +4 |
| Quarterfinals | Win = +6 |
| Semifinals | Win = +8 |
| Final | Win = +10 |
| 3rd-place playoff | not scored |
Draws (+1) and losses (0) are unchanged. In knockouts, if a match goes to penalties, the advancing team gets the round’s full win points.
Penalty Kicks
PKs during regulation or extra time count as goals. A foul in the box that earns a penalty in the 67th minute is just a goal — the country gets +2, and the Booter gets +0.5 if tagged.
Penalty shootouts (best-of-5 after extra time in knockouts) do NOT count as goals. No goal points, no Booter bonus. The winning team gets the match result and advances, but shootout kicks don’t add to anyone’s goal tally.
Tiebreakers (in order)
- Golden Booter goals — tournament total
- Golden Booter goals — knockout rounds only
- Country goals — tournament total
- Country goals — knockout rounds only
The Six Wildcard Rules
🔥 Coop's 'Con un Hombre' Multiplier
That’s my man! That’s right… If you own Uruguay, Paraguay, or Ecuador, go ahead and take Golden Booter premiums for any goal scored in the Group Stage. Pick your Golden Booters, but also know that every man and every goal will earn Golden Booter status during the Group Stage. Lucky you. Only in effect for the Group Stage and turns off for the Knockout Rounds.
🌍 Bridgers African Refuge
Own an African country? Not sure who to pick for your Golden Booter or Sauce Boss? Maybe your Sauce Boss gets injured, and you feel down in the dumps. That’s ok — the Bridgers African Refuge allows you to trade in the old and adopt the new. Swap Booters / Bosses any time during the tournament, including knockout rounds, by notifying the commissioner prior to match kickoff. (Eligible: Algeria, Cape Verde, Congo-DR, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia.)
👗 Stew's Cinderella Guy
Stew's likely traveled to these faraway lands. He rates their food, music, and art significantly higher than their FIFA ranking. If they advance past the group, Stew's Cinderella Guy awards you +10 pts.
💀 Curse of 26
Everyone's favorite on Friday night was #26 himself… who always lived up to expectation. But can the same be said for these World Cup favorites? If Argentina, France, Spain, or England fail to reach the quarterfinals, -5 points for you.
🏠 Host Hospitality
AJ (Mexico), Paulie (Canada), and Colton (USA) carry so much pride in their countries, their militaries, their Presidents (or Prime Ministers, eh) that they are happy to grant you a +5 point bonus if you own these teams and they make the quarterfinals.
🐶 The Brumberg Puppy Premium
We all love an upset. But not as much as Rob and Tiara love a true underDOG. If you own a country that beats an opponent ranked at least 15 spots higher in FIFA rankings, you get a bonus +5 points per match. Rule in effect for the entire tournament. Qualifying matches are tagged with a 🐶 on the Matches tab.
Teams
Golden Booters & Sauce Bosses
Every team’s tagged players for all 4 countries. ⚽ Booter +0.5 per goal · 🎯 Boss +0.25 per assist · ⭐ Both stacks. Locked once each country kicks off (African 🌍 Bridgers teams stay swappable).
Leaderboard
Groups & Countries
Approximate FIFA rankings near draw time (Dec 2025). FIFA top-30 cutoff determines which countries qualify for Stew’s Cinderella Guy wildcard (+10 if they advance past the group stage). The Brumberg Puppy Premium 🐶 is match-dependent — it triggers on any match where the winner is ranked 15+ spots below the loser — so no country carries a permanent puppy tag here.
Recent Matches
Match Stats
Click any match for the full stat line and per-team points breakdown. Tap again to collapse.
Player Stats
Cumulative per-player performance across all played matches. Players who registered any goal, assist, or card appear here. Steamer Cup Points = (goals × +2 country) + (goals × +0.5 Booter bonus if tagged) + (assists × +0.25 Boss bonus if tagged).