Los Lambos 2026 — Launch Pack

Foundation Leadership

A Letter From Christian Slater

To the managers, challengers, former champions, near-miss veterans and future Panthers of Los Lambos:

Gene Hackman believed that soccer belonged to ordinary people. He believed the pressure of selection, the discipline of judgment, the risk of instinct and the burden of living with a decision should not belong only to professionals.

Los Lambos is the purest expression of that belief. It is not a casual diversion. It is a severe test of football intelligence, played out across the greatest tournament on earth.

I accept the responsibility placed before me by Gene and by this Foundation. I accept it with humility, with respect for Paul Lambert, with respect for every manager who has entered this competition, and with full understanding that Los Lambos does not forgive loose thinking.

Prepare carefully. Read the rules. Build with courage. Manage with clarity.

Holling Vincoeur · Head of Compliance

A Word From Compliance

No manager may claim confusion where the rules have spoken. No squad may be entered casually. No formation may be improvised outside the permitted structures. No nationality limit may be treated as decorative during the stage in which it applies. Read it. Respect it. Retain it.

One Squad

Twenty-six players, no more than four from any one competing nation.

One Manager

Maximum one entry per manager. Entry fee: GBP 10.

One Starting XI

A goalkeeper, a Lambo-Compliant Formation, and at least eight nationalities for the group stage.

Two Windows

Up to five changes after the group stage; up to three more after the Round of 16.

One Standard

The rules apply equally to every manager, former champion and future Panther.

Compliance Will Be Watching

Tournament Entry

Lambos Rules of Engagement

1Squad Submission

Each entrant must submit a 26-man squad. A squad may include no more than four players from any one nation competing at World Cup 2026.

2Starting XI · Group Stage

Each entrant must nominate a starting XI for the group stage. The XI must include a goalkeeper and remain in a Lambo-Compliant Formation.

3Lambo-Compliant Formations

Permitted formations: 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 3-4-3 and 5-3-2. No experimental structures. No emotional formations. No legal gray areas.

4Nationality Requirement

The group-stage starting XI must include at least eight different nationalities. Applies to the group stage only; lifted thereafter.

5First Substitution Window

After the group stage, up to five substitutions from the 26-man squad, provided the XI keeps a goalkeeper and a permitted formation. Nationality rules no longer apply.

6Second Substitution Window

After the Round of 16 is complete, up to three further substitutions. Players previously removed may be brought back.

7Entry & Eligibility

Entry costs GBP 10. Maximum one entry per manager. Entrants must be 10 years of age or older.

8Final Authority

The Foundation will interpret and apply the rules. Holling Vincoeur will not be moved by passion, precedent, pleading, or screenshots taken out of context.

Before You Enter

Manager Submission Checklist

Before submission, every manager should be able to answer YES to each item:

Have I named exactly 26 players?

No more than four players from any one World Cup nation?

Have I nominated a clear group-stage starting XI?

Does my starting XI include one goalkeeper?

Is my XI arranged in 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 3-4-3 or 5-3-2?

Does my group-stage XI include at least eight nationalities?

Have I identified my substitutes for future windows?

Have I paid the GBP 10 entry fee?

Am I entering only once?

Am I, or the entrant I assist, aged 10 or older?

Have I accepted that hindsight will not be accepted as evidence?

Compliance Note

Incomplete, non-compliant or ambiguous entries may be returned for clarification or rejected.

Entry Forms

Download the official entry form, complete it, and email it to hollingcompliance@gmail.com — or submit online via the Google entry form.

Download Entry Form

Scoring System

How Points Are Scored

Appearances

+6 in the group stage, rising to +10 in the Final. Sub appearances also score.

Attacking Output

Goals and assists score in every round, with higher rewards as the tournament deepens.

Team Result

Wins and draws score. Losses cost points.

Discipline

Yellow cards and red cards subtract points.

Cleanies

Goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders can earn clean-sheet bonuses.

Pressure Events

Penalty shoot-out saves, scores, wins and losses apply from the Round of 32 onward.

Tournament Honors

Top (or joint-top) goal-scorer and Player of the Tournament each receive +8.

Managerial Standard

The table is the table. The points are the points. Feelings are not a scoring category.

Full Points Table
Scoring Category	Group	R32	R16	QF	SF	Final
Appearance	6	8	8	8	8	10
Sub Appearance	3	5	5	5	5	7
Goals	6	8	8	8	8	10
Assists	3	5	5	5	5	7
Penalty Save (in 120 mins)	4	5	5	5	5	6
Yellow Card	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
Red Card	-4	-4	-4	-4	-4	-4
Win Game (after 90 or 120)	6	8	8	8	8	10
Draw Game (after 90 or 120)	3	5	5	5	5	6
Lose Game (after 90 or 120)	-2	-2	-2	-2	-2	-2
MOTM	5	6	6	6	6	8
GK Cleanie	4	6	6	6	6	8
DEF Cleanie	4	6	6	6	6	8
MID Cleanie	2	4	4	4	4	6
GK concede 3 or more	-2	-2	-2	-2	-2	-2
DEF concede 3 or more	-2	-2	-2	-2	-2	-2
MID concede 3 or more	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
MID team score 3 or more	3	4	4	4	4	6
FWD team score 3 or more	3	4	4	4	4	6
Penalty Shoot-Out Save	—	2	2	2	2	3
Penalty Shoot-Out Score	—	2	2	2	2	3
Penalty Shoot-Out WIN	—	3	3	3	3	5
Penalty Shoot-Out Loss	—	-2	-2	-4	-4	-5

Tournament Honors — One-Off Bonuses

Awarded once, at the end of the tournament. These are not scored at each stage.

+8Top (or Joint Top) Goal-scorer

+8Player of the Tournament

R32 = Round of 32 · R16 = Round of 16 · QF = Quarter Final · SF = Semi Final. Penalty shoot-out scoring applies from the Round of 32 onward.

Manager Control

Formats, Windows & Tactical Responsibility

Lambo-Compliant Formations

4-4-2 4-3-3 4-5-1 3-4-3 5-3-2

Tournament Timeline

Group Stage

Starting XI locked. Goalkeeper required. 8+ nationalities required.

After Group Stage — Window 1 Opens

Up to 5 substitutions. Nationality rule lifted.

Round of 16 Complete — Window 2 Opens

Up to 3 substitutions. Removed players may return.

The Final

Champion confirmed. Pantheon awaits.

After the group stage, nationality requirements are lifted. However, every active XI must always include a goalkeeper and remain in a permitted formation. The squad is the squad. Managers must solve the tournament from within the 26 names they selected.

For Entrants Aged 10+

The Junior Lambo Lab

Word Search

LAMBOSCLEANIESLATERKEEPERHACKMANFORMATIONLAMBERTWORLDPANTHERNERVEGOALJUDGMENTASSISTSOCCER

Trivia & Tiny Tactical Panic

How many players are in a 2026 squad?

How many nationalities in the group-stage XI?

At least 8

Name one Lambo-Compliant Formation.

4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 3-4-3 or 5-3-2

What earns a goalkeeper a Cleanie?

A clean sheet

Jokes From the Dugout

Why did the soccer ball quit school?

It was tired of being kicked out.

Why did the manager bring a pencil?

To draw up a better formation.

A dinosaur who scores in the final?

A goal-asaurus.

Why was the goalkeeper good at school?

He knew how to save his work.

Mini puzzle: 1 GK, 4 defenders, 3 midfielders, 3 forwards — is it Lambo-Compliant? Yes. It's 4-3-3. Warning: correct answers do not guarantee Pantheon entry.

Final Instruction

The 2026 Arena Awaits

Every selection will carry consequence. Every omission may haunt. Every clean sheet, card, goal, assist and penalty moment will matter. Los Lambos 2026 will establish who possesses the sharpest tournament mind, the clearest judgment and the greatest football brain in the field.

Download Entry Form ↓ Submit Online Email Compliance

Prefer to do it all online? Submit your entry via the Google entry form.

The call has been answered. The next chapter begins.

LLKYA