I got some ideas!!

Turns Every 15 minutes.
Bonus point menu similar to Tournament Mode
All countries start with 500 Acres.
No Exploring. Make due with the land you have. If you want more acres, you MUST grab. You want to protect your land? Better buff that defense ASAP.
No Ghost Acres on Landgrabs. What you grab is all you get.
No Alliances.
Protection lasts only 20 turns.

When there are less than 20 countries remaining, a 48-hour timer begins. If no countries are eliminated in those 48 hours, the game ends, and all remaining countries share the victory. If even 1 country is eliminated in that time period, the 48-hour clock resets.

This way, it most definitely feels like you're fighting for that land, and defending hard to keep it. But will also not needlessly drag out a whole set if few countries remain and others are waiting for the new set to begin.