Hello, Party Animals!
Based on the feedback and suggestions you previously shared, we have made several adjustments and improvements to the Paws Football Cup tournament plan. We are now sharing the latest version below and welcome everyone to continue sharing your feedback and suggestions.
Please note that all information below is a draft intended to collect community feedback and does not represent the final tournament plan.
Tournament Name: Paws Football Cup (PFC)
Registration Information
How to Register
Registration is open until June 23 at 9:00 PM PDT. Fill out the 2026 Paws Football Cup Registration Form to register for the tournament.
Registration Details:
- Players may freely form teams and register as a team.
- Each team must select one captain, who will be responsible for submitting the team information.
- Each participating team must have at least 4 players and no more than 6 players.
- Teams whose registrations are approved will be notified through Discord or the email address provided by June 26.
- Team names and player nicknames must comply with the community and in-game guidelines. Otherwise, they will need to be changed.
- Players with records of serious violations may not be approved to participate in the tournament.
Important Notes:
- Device restrictions have been removed for this tournament. Players on all platforms may participate.
- Each player may only register with one team. The same device ID will be considered the same player.
- Teams may resubmit the form before the registration deadline to update their information. For the same captain and team, the latest submission will be considered the final valid registration.
- Since the tournament will run over a longer period, we recommend including substitute players when registering.
- If the number of registered teams exceeds the tournament capacity, eligibility will be evaluated based on multiple factors, with registration order serving as a primary consideration.
Tournament Rules
Match Rules
- Tournament-specific settings will be enabled during matches: characters will wake up more quickly, and grabbing will consume significantly more stamina.
- If a match ends in a draw, an additional round will be played, with the first team to score winning the match.
- Each team must confirm its match lineup before the match begins. No substitutions may be made once the match has started.
- If a team does not have enough players, it may either begin the match with fewer players or add AI players. AI difficulty will use the default setting.
Player Conduct
- Players must conduct themselves respectfully and refrain from making inappropriate remarks.
- Any team that fails to appear within 10 minutes of the scheduled match start time will forfeit the match.
- Players may not compete under another player’s identity or allow another person to compete on their behalf.
- Exploiting bugs, unintended mechanics, or any other unauthorized methods to gain a competitive advantage is prohibited.
- Tournament officials may issue penalties for rule violations at their discretion, including warnings, a match loss, or disqualification from the tournament.
Additional Rules
- During the BO1 stage, teams will be grouped by server region whenever possible. If the two teams are located in different regions, the match server will be determined by random draw.
- During BO3 and BO5 matches, the server for the first game will be determined by random draw. The teams will then alternate servers for each subsequent game.
- If a player disconnects due to an issue with their own network or device, the match will continue.
- If a match cannot be completed due to a server issue, lobby crash, or another cause outside the players’ control, a rematch may be requested.
- Tournament officials will determine whether a rematch will be granted based on the circumstances.
- Any dispute regarding a match result or ruling must be reported to tournament staff immediately after the match.
- All rulings made by tournament officials are final. The organizer reserves the right to make the final interpretation of the tournament rules.
- If the tournament cannot proceed as planned due to circumstances beyond the organizer’s control, the organizer reserves the right to adjust the schedule or competition format.
Tournament Schedule
The following schedule is tentative and may be adjusted based on the final number of registered teams and the overall progress of the tournament.
Qualifiers
Friday, July 3, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM PT
- Qualifying matches will be held depending on the final number of registered teams.
- Matches will be played as single-elimination BO1s, with the winners advancing to the Round of 32.
- Depending on the number of participating teams, some teams may receive a bye through a random draw.
Saturday, July 4, 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM PT
- Round of 32
- 5:30 PM-6:30 PM
- BO1 single-elimination matches, with the winners advancing to the Round of 16.
- Round of 16
- Approximately 6:40 PM - 8:30 PM
- Best-of-three (BO3) matches, with the winners advancing to the Quarterfinals.
Knockout Stage (Livestreamed)
Friday, July 10, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM PT
- Quarterfinals
- 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM
- The remaining 8 teams will compete in head-to-head matchups.
- Semifinals
- Semifinal 1: Approximately 6:10 PM - 6:40 PM
- Semifinal 2: Approximately 6:50 PM - 7:20 PM
- All matches will be played as best-of-three (BO3), with the winners advancing to the next round.
Finals (Livestreamed)
Saturday, July 11, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM PT
- Third-Place Match: 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
- Championship Match: Approximately 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
- Both matches will be played as best-of-five (BO5).
Special Showmatch (Livestreamed)
Saturday, July 18, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM or Sunday, July 19, 4:00 AM - 6:00 AM PT
- The Global Region champion will face the China Region champion in a special showmatch.
- The final match time will be determined based on the server regions of both teams.
- The match will be played as a best-of-five (BO5).
- More details about the showmatch will be announced later.
Tournament Prizes
Tournament Winner Rewards
- Champion: 4 cases of collectible cards + Paws Football Cup Championship Trophy
- Runner-Up: 2 cases of collectible cards
- Third Place: 1 case of collectible cards
- Fourth Place: 18 boxes of collectible cards
- 5th-8th Place: Each player on the team will receive 1 official merchandise item of their choice
- Available merchandise options: Any currently available official Party Animals merchandise, excluding limited-edition and special-edition items.
Lucky Draw Rewards
- 20 teams will be selected at random, with each player on those teams receiving 300 Nemo Bucks.
- 10 teams will be selected at random, with each team receiving 3 boxes of collectible cards.
- 5 teams will be selected at random, with each team receiving 6 boxes of collectible cards.
- 1 team will be selected at random to receive 12 boxes of collectible cards.
Lucky Draw Rules
- The Lucky Draw will be conducted publicly among participating teams that did not advance to the Top 8.
- The number of winners may be adjusted based on the final number of participating teams.
- Teams that forfeit or do not actually participate in the tournament will not be eligible for the Lucky Draw.
- Each team may win only once.
- The Lucky Draw will be conducted live during the tournament broadcast.
Important Notes
- “Collectible cards” refers to Shining Soul x Party Animals Collection Trading Cards Vol. 2.
- The Party Animals Archives Series includes a variety of collectible cards, PAWS game cards, and a chance to obtain in-game outfit redemption cards from the Shining Soul x Party Animals collaboration.
- Each case contains 24 boxes, each box contains 16 packs, and each pack contains 6 cards.
- Unless a reward is specifically stated as being awarded to “each player,” it will be awarded on a per-team basis.
- Team rewards will be sent to the team captain, and each team will be responsible for distributing them among its members.
- Collectible card rewards are expected to be distributed within 1 month after the tournament concludes. The championship trophy is expected to be distributed within 3 months after the tournament concludes. If distribution is delayed due to circumstances beyond the organizer’s control, a separate notice will be issued.
Broadcast Schedule
- The Knockout Stage, Finals, and Special Showmatch will be officially livestreamed on July 10, July 11, and either July 18 or July 19, depending on the final showmatch time.
- The tournament will be livestreamed on Twitch.
- In addition to watching the tournament unfold, viewers will also have chances to receive livestream rewards, including random game keys and official merchandise.
The information above reflects the current version of the tournament plan. We welcome everyone to continue sharing feedback and suggestions.
We will further refine the tournament plan based on community feedback. Please refer to the official announcement for the final details.
Thank you for your support, Party Animals! 🏆🐾⚽