Sometimes a world championship story doesn’t begin at the gaming table, but in your own backyard. For us, that’s exactly how it started – and in the end we could barely believe the result: We are SAGA World Champions 2026!
Seven Years, Four World Cups
The SAGA World Cup has become a fixture in our community. After its debut in England in 2019, it moved to Germany in 2023, Sweden in 2025 – tradition has it that the hosting rights pass to the reigning champion, or to the runner-up if the host nation itself wins the title. And in 2026, the tournament returned to England, this time near Manchester.
Our team this year: Tim, Tristan, Liam – ably supported by his father Ralf – and myself. A real mix in terms of age and experience, but the chemistry was right from the very start.
Preparation in the Garden
To get in the mood, we met up in my garden in Mehrhoog – on one of the hottest days of the year, of all times. Between plenty of cold drinks, we discussed tactics, talked through possible scenarios, and played test games. In hindsight, that turned out to be worth its weight in gold for how we played throughout the tournament.
A Family Holiday with a Tournament Highlight
Since the World Cup was taking place near Manchester, my family and I built our annual holiday around it. After a stop in London, we headed on to a longer stay in the Peak District – in a beautiful cottage, surrounded by picturesque hills we spent a lot of time hiking through. Highly recommended, not least because the Peak District is only about a 40-minute drive from Stockport, where the tournament itself was hosted at the Element Games venue.
The whole event was organised and run by Team England – and they deserve enormous credit for it. From the venue to the schedule to the atmosphere, everything was wonderfully organised, ran smoothly, and felt friendly through and through.Unfortunately, Team England I couldn’t take part, since including them would have brought the field to 17 teams. So, with a touch of wistfulness but true gentlemanly spirit, they stepped back from the active tournament.
The Tournament: 16 Teams, 64 Players, Plenty of Tension
16 teams of four players each took part, with every team playing five games – adding up to an impressive 64 players battling it out over two days.
In our very first game we faced Team England II (Mercian Marauders) head-on: I played my Pagan Rus against Picts. My teammates picked equally varied factions – Tristan fielded the English in the Age of Knights, Liam played the Diadochi in the Age of Antiquity, and Tim played the Mongols. From there we went on to play Austria (Team Austria – Huns) and France (Guillo Team – Anglo-Saxons), before the second day of the tournament kicked off with a game against Hungary (Team Hungary – Scots) and closed out against Poland (Romans – Age of Invasions)
Unfortunately I forgot to make a picte of Armand from Team France.
.I won’t go into detail on every single game here – but one thing is clear: every single match was fair and played in a real spirit of good sportsmanship.
That was true for us as much as for every opponent we faced.Beyond the “sporting” challenge itself, one of the biggest reasons I keep coming back – and I know many others feel the same – is getting to meet so many like-minded people and friends from countries all over, and share a fantastic time together.
As Close as It Gets
This was already my fourth World Cup, and one thing keeps standing out more and more: the gap between teams keeps shrinking every year. Clear-cut results became rarer, and many games were genuinely decided on the very last dice roll – which only added to the tension right up to the end.
In the end, we came out on top with a narrow but well-earned margin of 16 tournament points ahead of France. What a weekend.
Thank You, Team – and a Look Ahead
A huge thank you to my team for this incredible achievement. If we’re given the right to host the next World Cup in Germany in 2028, I really hope we’ll all line up together again – and that the whole German-speaking SAGA community comes together to put on a fantastic event. I’ve already had offers of help and plenty of inspiration from several people, which fills me with confidence already
.Our family holiday was rounded off with two relaxed days in Oxford before we headed back home to Germany.
After the World Cup Comes the Grand Melee
No sooner is the World Cup over than the next highlight is already just around the corner: at the end of September, the Grand Melee takes place right in our village of Mehrhoog – also a team tournament, but played in two-player teams this time. Feel free to check out our website, and if you’d like to stop by as a spectator, you’re more than welcome. It’s well worth it!
Until the next report from the gaming table – Skål and Waes Hail! 🛡️