⚽️🎿🏔️France Carries the League of Mountain Nations into the World Cup Semi-finals 🏔️🎿⚽️
When we created Ready Steady Slope, we were definitely not trying to predict footballing success. We wanted to celebrate some of the world’s greatest skiing and snowboarding destinations through a fast, family-friendly card game packed with mountain spirit.
By coincidence, all five countries hosting the 16 real world resorts featuring in the game also qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
🇫🇷France. 🇨🇭Switzerland. 🇨🇦Canada. 🇦🇹Austria. 🏴Scotland.
For a while, our mountain nations were carving their own path through the tournament. Scotland dropped out in the group stage. Austria were eliminated by Spain. Canada’s brilliant run ended against Morocco. Switzerland battled all the way to the quarter-finals before Argentina finally ended their campaign.
Now only France remain.
One mountain nation.
One semi-final.
One last run at the World Cup.
If the League of Mountain Nations had been decided by ski resorts alone, France would have started as the favourite.
No country in Ready Steady Slope has more mountain firepower.
Chamonix brings mountaineering legend. Alpe d’Huez brings huge pistes, Tour de France drama and high-altitude energy. Val d’Isère and Tignes bring glacier skiing and serious alpine pedigree. La Plagne, Les Arcs and Les Trois Vallées bring scale. Courchevel, Méribel and Val Thorens bring some of the most famous names in world skiing. Avoriaz adds its own snowboard-friendly, cliffside magic.
It is a ridiculously strong hand.
Now France, still unbeaten in the tournament, are playing like it.
Their 2-0 quarter-final win over Morocco ended one of the tournament’s great stories and carried Les Bleus into the semi-finals. Morocco had already knocked out Canada from our mountain league, so there was a little Ready Steady Slope revenge in the air too.
France handled the pressure, kept the run going, and now stand alone as the final mountain nation left in the World Cup. There are still more points up for grabs, and the ultimate prize is still a now, 1-in-4, possibility.
Next up: Spain.
A huge semi-final.
A proper test.
And for our League of Mountain Nations, the final chance to keep the mountain flag flying.
Switzerland: Precision Finally Meets Argentina
Switzerland may only have one resort in Ready Steady Slope, but Verbier carries serious weight.
Steep terrain. Big off-piste lines. Alpine confidence. A resort with proper mountain attitude.
That made Switzerland’s World Cup run feel like a perfect fit for our game. They were organised, calm and difficult to beat. They came through the Round of 16 on penalties against Colombia, showing exactly the kind of nerve you need when the slope turns icy.
Against Argentina, though, the run finally ended.
Switzerland pushed hard, but Argentina won 3-1 after extra time and booked their place in the semi-finals.⚽️
It was a tough ending for the Swiss, but they leave the League of Mountain Nations with heads held high. They reached the quarter-finals, gave us penalty drama, and kept Verbier’s flag flying deep into the tournament.
Swiss precision took them far.
Argentina stopped them before the final ridge.
Farewell Canada: Whistler Still Stands Tall
Canada’s World Cup adventure ended earlier in the knockout rounds, but their campaign gave us plenty to celebrate.
As the only North American country in Ready Steady Slope, Canada carried the Whistler flag.
And what a flag to carry.
Whistler is one of the great ski and snowboard destinations in the world. Huge terrain, deep snow, forest runs, bowls, village energy and an unmistakable mountain identity.
Canada were knocked out by Morocco, but reaching the knockout stages was still a brilliant moment for one of our five mountain nations.
They may be out of the football tournament, but Whistler remains mountain royalty.
Farewell Austria: Alpine Pedigree Never Leaves the Table
Austria’s exit came against Spain, the same side France now face in the semi-finals.
That gives the next match an extra little Ready Steady Slope storyline.
Austria are represented in the game by St. Anton and Mayrhofen, two resorts packed with alpine character.
St. Anton is one of the spiritual homes of skiing, famous for challenging terrain, deep snow and legendary après-ski. Mayrhofen brings energy, variety and the famous Harakiri piste, one of Austria’s steepest groomed runs.
Austria may be out of the World Cup, but in any mountain-themed competition, they always belong near the top table.
Farewell Scotland: Cairngorm Spirit
Scotland’s World Cup ended in the group stage, but Aviemore and the Cairngorms still hold a special place in Ready Steady Slope.
The Scottish mountains may not have the height of the Alps or the scale of Whistler, but they have something just as important: character.
Anyone who has skied or snowboarded in Scotland knows the conditions can change quickly. Wind, snow, sunshine and cloud can all arrive in the same day. When it is good, it is unforgettable.
That spirit belongs in the game.
Not every mountain has to be the biggest. Sometimes it is the one that made you fall in love with winter in the first place.
One Nation Left. One Semi-final to Go.
The League of Mountain Nations began with five countries, now only France remains.
The team carries the weight of Chamonix, Alpe d’Huez, Val d’Isère, Tignes, La Plagne, Val Thorens, Courchevel, Méribel, Avoriaz, Les Arcs and Les Trois Vallées into the semi-finals.
That is a lot of mountain energy behind one team.
Spain will be a serious opponent. They have already knocked out Austria and Belgium, and they arrive with momentum of their own.
But for Ready Steady Slope fans, the storyline is simple.
France are the last mountain nation standing.
Can they reach the final?
Can they take the League of Mountain Nations all the way?
Can the country with the deepest winter ski resort list also become the last one standing on the football pitch?
We will be watching.
Probably with one eye on the match and one eye on the mountain cards.
Mountains Bring People Together
One of the things we love most about skiing ⛷️ and snowboarding 🏂 is that the mountains bring people together.
You can be in a lift queue in France, sharing a gondola in Switzerland, grabbing coffee in Whistler, riding powder in Austria, or watching the weather roll across Aviemore. The flags change, but the feeling is familiar.
That is why these resorts became part of Ready Steady Slope.
The World Cup gives us the drama.
The mountains give us the backdrop.
Ready Steady Slope brings them together on the table.
Good luck, France🇫🇷.
The last mountain nation is still carving.
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