Rules

eLeague Tournament Rules

Section I. General Provisions

Article 1. (1) These Rules set out the official regulations of the eLeague tournament (hereinafter referred to as the "Tournament"), which is held within the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.

(2) The Tournament consists of a series of video game competitions. The competitions shall be played using EA SPORTS FC™ 27 (hereinafter referred to as the "Game") on the PlayStation®5 console (hereinafter referred to as the "Supported Platform").

Article 2. The Organizers of the Tournament are the Bulgarian Football Union and the website esports.bg, through "ТЕЗИ" LTD (TEZI LTD), Unified Identification Code (UIC) 208415908, with its registered office and address of management at 131 Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd., Floor 6, Apt./Office 625, Sofia, Bulgaria (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "Organizers").

Article 3. (1) The Organizers reserve the right to supplement and/or amend these Rules.

(2) Any matters not expressly regulated by these Rules shall be resolved by the Organizers. Their decisions shall be final.

Article 4. Unsportsmanlike conduct towards other Participants, the Organizers, or the audience, as well as a lack of knowledge of the Rules, may constitute grounds for removal from the Tournament.

Section II. Qualifiers

Article 5. (1) The qualifiers shall take place on the dates announced by the Organizers on the official Tournament website.

(2) Until the respective slot in the "Club" column has been filled, it shall be marked as "TBA".

(3) The qualifiers shall be conducted under the following conditions:

Match format: 1 vs. 1

Platform: PlayStation™ 5

Game mode: FUT (FIFA Ultimate Team)

Maximum number of Participants: 64

Tournament format: Single elimination

All qualifying tournaments shall be played in FUT (FIFA Ultimate Team) mode.

The qualifiers shall follow a single-elimination format, with matches played in a Best-of-2 format.

The winner shall be the player with the better aggregate score across the two games.

In the event of a tie on aggregate, a third game shall be played with extra time and penalty shootouts enabled. Initially, one half shall be played under the "silver goal" rule.

If the score remains tied, the second half shall also be played, with the "golden goal" rule applying.

If the score remains tied again, extra time and penalty shootouts shall follow.

The winner of each match shall advance to the next round, while the losing player shall be eliminated.

(4) The winner of each qualifier shall be listed by their full name and shall select a club that has not already been selected by the winner of a previous qualifier.

Section III. First Phase

Article 6. (1) The First Phase shall consist of 14 clubs, which shall compete against each other in a single round-robin format.

(2) Each club shall play 13 matches over 13 rounds, with 7 matches taking place in each round.

(3) Each match shall consist of a single game (Best of 1).

All matches shall be played in FUT mode.

The duration of each half shall be 9 minutes.

The difficulty level shall be set to World Class.

Article 7. Three (3) points shall be awarded for a win, one (1) point to each club for a draw, and zero (0) points for a loss.

Article 8. An FC Pro Draft shall be held during this phase, with its conditions to be announced following the conclusion of the qualifiers.

Section IV. Standings

Article 9. (1) The standings in the First Phase shall be determined according to the following criteria, applied in the order listed below:

Higher total number of points earned from all matches played;

Better head-to-head record between clubs with an equal number of points;

Better goal difference across all matches played;

Higher number of goals scored across all matches played;

A playoff match to determine the respective position.

(2) The clubs finishing in first through fourth place shall advance to the Playoffs as seeded teams, while the clubs finishing in fifth through eighth place shall advance as unseeded teams.

Section V. Playoffs

Article 10. (1) The Playoffs shall be conducted in a single-elimination format.

(2) The quarterfinals and semifinals shall be played in a Best-of-3 format, with the first player to win two games advancing.

(3) The winners of the semifinals shall compete in the final to determine first and second place. The final shall be played in a Best-of-5 format, with the first player to win three games declared the winner.

The losing semifinalists shall compete in a third-place match.

Article 11. An FC Pro Draft shall be held during this phase, with its conditions to be announced following the conclusion of the qualifiers.

Article 12. (1) The winner who finishes in first place shall be declared the Bulgarian Champion.

(2) The Bulgarian Champion shall represent the country and their club in the eChampions League and in the qualifiers for the FC Pro World Championship.

Section VI. Prize Pool

Article 13. The total prize pool shall amount to EUR 6,000 (six thousand euros) and shall be distributed as follows:

First place – EUR 3,000;

Second place – EUR 1,500;

Third place – EUR 1,000;

Fourth place – EUR 500.

Section VII. Championship Format

Article 14. The Championship shall be conducted as a single unified competition involving 14 clubs.

No division-based separation according to rating shall apply, including restrictions concerning Icons and Heroes of the type used in other championships.

Section VIII. Match Start Time and Failure to Appear

Article 15. (1) The time specified in the official schedule shall constitute the scheduled start time of the match.

(2) A Participant who is not ready at the scheduled start time shall forfeit the match and be assigned a 0–3 loss.

(3) A Participant who fails to appear on more than one occasion shall be removed from the competition and may be disqualified.

Section IX. Disconnection

Article 16. (1) In the event of a disconnection, the match shall resume with the score reached at the time of the disconnection, and only the remaining in-game time shall be played.

(2) A Participant who fails to restore the connection within 15 minutes or is unable to continue playing shall forfeit the match and be assigned a 0–3 loss. If, at the time of the disconnection, a greater goal difference had already been established against that Participant, that greater goal difference shall apply.

Section X. Code of Conduct

Article 17. (1) Insults, sending messages, and any other actions intended to distract an opponent are prohibited, including when such actions are carried out through third parties.

(2) Intentionally degrading or interfering with one's own or another Participant's connection, as well as intentionally disrupting one's own or another Participant's gameplay, is prohibited.

Section XI. Reporting of Results

Article 18. (1) Immediately following the conclusion of each match, the winner shall be required to submit the result on the Tournament website and attach a photograph or screenshot showing the final score.

(2) The submitted result shall replace the official match reference number.

Section XII. Disputes

Article 19. (1) All disputes shall be referred to the Organizers.

(2) In the event of a dispute concerning a match result, the Organizers may request a recording of the match or a photograph or screenshot of the final screen showing the Participants and the score.

Article 20. A Participant who has proceeded beyond the ready screen shall be deemed to have confirmed and accepted the match settings and shall not be entitled to challenge them subsequently.

Article 21. Any dispute concerning a squad restriction announced by the Organizers must be raised before the beginning of the second half.

A dispute raised after this point may not be considered.

Section XIII. Communication Between Participants

Article 22. All communication between Participants concerning a specific match shall take place through the communication channel designated by the Organizers.