Path to Season 1

01 — SCHEDULE

02 — RATIONALE

Why this order

August is for finalizing the landing page, the signup flow, and the rulebook, and for kicking off early promotion. Registration opens in September, once that's ready — there's no reason to delay collecting interest once it is. No payment is ever collected until the go/no-go decision in December, when we'll know whether at least 56 teams have registered.

03 — COMMIT GATE

The goal is 70 teams. The hard floor is 56.

70 registered teams gives us five full divisions of 14 — that's what we're aiming for. But we don't need to hit the stretch goal to launch: 56 teams, enough for four full divisions, is the hard floor. Reach that by the December decision point and Season 1 goes ahead in January, whatever the exact number ends up being between 56 and 70 (or beyond).

If we're still under 56 in December, Season 1 doesn't get cancelled — it moves. Registration stays open, no payment is collected, and the season simply starts at the next scheduled slot instead: Season 2's dates, March 22 – May 17, 2027. Whatever season launches first becomes "Season 1," so nobody's paid-for season gets shorter or skipped, it just starts a bit later than hoped.

Other signals we also track alongside registration count — an active Discord community, willingness-to-pay indicators, rulebook readiness — are useful inputs to the decision, but the 56-team floor is the one hard gate.

04 — SEASON CALENDAR

4 seasons a year, 9 weeks each.

3 weeks of group stage, then 6 weeks of Championship Playoffs and Relegation Group running side by side. At least 3 weeks off between seasons, with a longer break across June and July. See the full breakdown on League Format.

Season 5 picks the same rhythm back up in January 2028.