🦥13.4. Contenders League: Gateway to Greatness

Overview

The Contenders League is the proving ground for clubs looking to break into the top ranks of Lazy Football. It follows a format very similar to the Champions League, providing ambitious teams with opportunities to earn major rewards and gain recognition. Every stage offers prestige and valuable prizes, making the Contenders League an essential arena for any club aiming to establish itself among the game’s best.

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How to Qualify

• Eligibility: The top 2 clubs from each Division 1 (D1) Regional League at season’s end earn a place in the next Champions League (total 64 clubs).

• Direct League Phase Entry: The 8 highest-ranked clubs (by Club Rating over the past 5 seasons) go directly into the League Phase.

• Qualification Round: The remaining 56 teams play home-and-away qualification matches. Winners move to the League Phase; losers enter the second qualification round of the Contenders League.

• Eligibility: The 3rd and 4th place finishers from each D1 Regional League earn a spot (total 64 clubs).

• Direct League Phase Entry: Top 8 clubs by Club Rating (based on results from the previous 5 seasons) among all teams qualified for the current season’s Contenders League enter directly into the League Phase.

• Qualification Round 1: Clubs ranked 9–64 by Club Rating are paired in home-and-away ties through a fully random draw.

• Qualification Round 2: Winners from the first Contenders League qualification round are drawn against teams eliminated from the Champions League qualification. The winners of these matchups secure a place in the Contenders League League Phase.

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League Phase Structure

• Participants: 36 teams (8 direct, 28 from qualification).

• Fixture Logic: Each team plays 8 matches in the league phase — 2 each against teams ranked 1–9, 10–18, 19–27, and 28–36 by club rating among all teams participating in the current season’s Champions League (4 home, 4 away).

• League Phase Tiebreakers:

  1. Points earned

  2. Goal difference

  3. Goals scored

  4. Number of wins

  5. Fair play ranking (fewest yellow/red cards; 1 red = 2 yellow)

  6. Power11 (lowest sum of top 11 players wins)

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Playoffs & Knockout Rounds

• Top 8: Advance directly to Round of 16.

• Places 9–24: Enter Knockout Playoffs — teams 9–16 are seeded, teams 17–24 are unseeded.

• Playoff Winners: Move to Round of 16.

• From Round of 16 onwards: All draws are fully random.

• Match Rules: All playoff rounds are two-legged except for the final. If aggregate is tied after two legs, extra time and penalties (no away-goal rule).

• 25th–36th: Teams are eliminated after the League Phase, do not continue in the tournament.

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Rewards

Place	Prize (LAZY)	Scout Insights
Winner	5,000,000	1,500
Runner-up	4,000,000	1,200
Semi-final	3,500,000	900
Quarter-final	3,000,000	660
Round of 16	2,500,000	480
Knockout phase play-offs	2,000,000	300
League Phase, 25th–36th	1,500,000	180
Qualification Round 2	1,000,000	120
Qualification Round 1	500,000	50

Bonus Skill Awards

Top performers in the Contenders League earn direct skill bonuses at season’s end, rewarding impactful play in each competition.

Top 5 in Each D1 League – Goals Scored:

1. +20 Shooting

2. +16 Shooting

3. +12 Shooting

4. +8 Shooting

5. +4 Shooting

Top 5 in Each D1 League – Assists:

1. +20 Passing

2. +16 Passing

3. +12 Passing

4. +8 Passing

5. +4 Passing

Top 5 in Each D1 League – Goal Contributors (Goals + Assists):

1. +10 Technique, +10 Pace

2. +8 Technique, +8 Pace

3. +6 Technique, +6 Pace

4. +4 Technique, +4 Pace

5. +2 Technique, +2 Pace

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Champions League: Why It Matters

The Contenders League is where rising clubs can prove their strength on the interregional stage. With its own significant rewards and intense competition, the Contenders League offers every high-performing team a chance to shine, earn valuable prizes, and prepare for a shot at the very top. Winning here puts your club one step closer to elite status and solidifies your place among the game’s best.