2020 Heimdahl'ia World Cup
| 2020 Heimdahl'ia World Cup | |
|---|---|
 The official emblem | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Gladysynthia |
| Dates | April 1st, 2020 - April 22nd, 2020 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in Heimdahl'ia host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Cadair |
| Runners-up |  Constantio |
| Third place |  Zamastan |
| Fourth place |  East Chanchajilla |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 14 |
The 2020 World Cup, also called the 2020 Heimdahl'ia World Cup, was an international football tournament contested by men's national teams and took place between 1 April to 22 April in Heimdahl'ia, Gladysynthia. It was the 42nd World Cup, a worldwide football tournament held once every year. It was the second time the championships had been held in Gladysynthia, the first being the 1985 Danaska World Cup. The 2020 World Cup generated various controversies, including demonstrations, some of which took place even before the tournament started. Tthere were various issues with safety, including the death of eight workers and a fire during construction, breaches into stadiums, an unstable makeshift staircase at the Concustodio Stadium, a monorail collapse, and the collapse of an unfinished overpass in Heimdahl'ia. Furthermore, the 2018 conflict between Zamastan and Gladysynthia held recent memory and raised security concerns. WCO President Jasmin Devillers came under heavy criticism for his endorsement of Gladysynthia's bid, often controversially justifying it by citing the prior World Cup having been held in Emerald, Zamastan.
At an estimated cost of over Z$4.2 billion, the 2020 World Cup was hosted in two stadiums, seeing 32 teams participating in a total of 64 elimination matches. For the first time at a World Cup finals, match officials used goal-line technology, as well as vanishing spray for free kicks. Fan events outside each match gathered a total of 5 million people, and Gladysynthia received 1 million visitors from 202 countries. Cadair won the championship, beating Constantio 2-1 for their fourth title. Zamastan secured a third place victory over East Chanchajilla.
During the tournament, the WCO received significant criticism for the way head injuries are handled during matches. Two incidents in particular attracted the most attention. First, in a group stage match, after Emmirian defender Kaalim Saber received a blow to the head, he lay unconscious. The Emmirian doctor signaled for the player to be substituted, but he returned to the match. The incident drew criticism from professional players' unions and members of the WCO executive board and chairman of its medical committee. Second, in the Final, Constantioan midfielder Chrisae Melson received a blow to the head from a collision in the 14th minute, but returned to the match before collapsing in the 31st minute. During that time, Melson was disoriented and confused, and asked a referee whether the match he was playing in was the World Cup Final.
Teams
Venues
Two stadiums in Heimdahl'ia were renovated for the World Cup. Between 2018 (when Gladysynthia announced as hosts) and 2020, Estadio Concustodio was completed (as construction had begun prior to the bid announcement). During the tournament, Estadio Concustodio hosted the majority of matches.
