The recent World Cup’s high scoring and broad appeal inspired a domestic experiment: split active NFL players into eight regional teams and stage a made-up tournament, the “Domestic Cup of American Football,” according to the original piece.
The exercise produced 30-player rosters under a set of position constraints. Offense entries must include two quarterbacks, one running back, three wide receivers, one tight end, six offensive linemen and one additional skill-position playmaker. Defenses are allotted three edge rushers, three defensive tackles, two linebackers and six defensive backs, with a kicker and punter rounding out each roster, according to the project.
Rosters were built to reflect availability in September 2026. The analysis factored in injuries from the 2025 season and projected recovery timelines, and it assumes the NFL regular season would be pushed back a month in this universe to allow the tournament to occur at the start of September, according to the piece. The write-up specifically notes some stars — including Patrick Mahomes, George Kittle and Micah Parsons — could be touch-and-go for the event, while others such as Tyreek Hill would not be available.
Eligibility for each regional roster is determined by where a player played high school football. The project also allowed consideration of free agents expected to sign for 2026 and made 2026 rookies eligible, while excluding players who have signed retirement papers or publicly announced retirements — Joel Bitonio and Drew Dalman are cited as examples.
The country was divided into eight areas — California, the Northeast, the South Atlantic, Florida, the Southeast, the Southwest, Texas and the Midwest — with the author noting regional styles reflect local weather and the influence of nearby college programs, according to the original analysis.
The result is a set of representative 30-man rosters designed to answer which U.S. region could assemble the strongest team in this fictional Domestic Cup of American Football, per the project.
