New Finals Structure! (18 Jun 2008)
To the delight of Yooyuball fans across Neopia, the Altador Cup Committee has announced a change to this year's format. Unlike previous years, where the top two teams squared off to determine the tournament champion (and the next two squads fought it out for third place), a seeding process has been put in place so that all four finalists now have a shot at winning the title. Under this new structure, the first and fourth place teams will play for two days to determine one finalist, while the winner between the second and third place squads settles the other. Then, the finalists will face off for another two days to determine the tournament championship. Rather than just sticking to the finals, though, this new format will also be in play for the rest of the tournament's participants. Teams five through eight, nine through twelve, and thirteen through sixteen will now be seeded within their own brackets. "Under the old system," one committee member stated, "once the double round-robin ended, supporters were faced with a choice: they could either jump ship and choose one of the finalists to root for, or stay loyal to their team and go home. Doing things this way will now enable loyal fans to stick by their squad to the very end."