Freedom League USA — Phased Transition Plan (v4)
Phase 1 — January 2026
Final Vegas East Format (Closeout Year)
Structure Overview
- Phase 1 maintains the existing 3 × 14-week session model.
- The established structure of session play, playoffs, regionals, and a Annual Championship remains in place.
- This phase serves as the formal closeout of the Vegas East (VE) model.
Regional Qualification
- 16 teams from the North Division and 16 teams from the South Division qualify for Regional Championships.
- Regional qualification is based on session performance and playoff results under existing Vegas East rules.
Regional Advancement
- Regional Championships produce:
- Top 2 teams from the North
- Top 2 teams from the South
Final Championship Field
The Final Championship consists of 16 total teams:
- 12 teams from prior Vegas East Finalist allocations
- 2 teams advancing from North Regionals
- 2 teams advancing from South Regionals
Prize Pool Structure
- Vegas East prize structure remains unchanged for Phase 1 only.
- Prize money earned during Session 1 is rolled into the Vegas East Closeout Championship.
- Separate championships are held by format:
- (16) 9-Ball teams compete for a $10,000 first-place prize pool
- (16) 8-Ball teams compete for a $10,000 first-place prize pool
- Additional payouts follow existing Vegas East distribution rules.
Transition Objective
- Phase 1 officially ends the Vegas East model.
- This phase acts as a bridge to the session-based payout system introduced in Phase 2.
- While the competitive structure remains familiar, this is the
final year where payouts are escrowed to an annual payout under the Vegas East format.
Forward Alignment
Advancement and earnings are driven entirely by session performance
Beginning in Phase 2:
Prize money shifts from legacy finalist accumulation to guaranteed payouts at the Final Session Championship level
Phase 2 — Session-Based Championships
(Expanded Bracket & Multi-Location Format)
Regional Qualification
- 16 teams from the North Division and 16 teams from the South Division qualify for Regional Championships.
- Qualification is earned through session play and playoffs.
Regional Bracket Structure
- Each Regional Championship (North and South) is structured as follows:
- The 16 qualified teams are split into two groups of 8
- Each group competes in a Single Elimination tournament
- This creates:
- North Regional – Bracket A (8 teams)
- North Regional – Bracket B (8 teams)
- South Regional – Bracket A (8 teams)
- South Regional – Bracket B (8 teams)
Multi-Location Hosting
- Regional brackets may be held at:
- Multiple locations, or
- A single large venue,
depending on: - Number of teams
- Available tables
- Geographic efficiency
- Bracket assignments are determined by the league operator to minimize travel and balance competition.
Advancement to Final Session Championship
- From each Regional:
- Top 2 teams from each 8-team bracket advance
- This yields:
- 4 advancing teams from North
- 4 advancing teams from South
- Total advancing teams:
- 8-Team Final Session Championship
Final Session Championship
- The Final Session Championship consists of 8 teams
- All teams are guaranteed prize money
- Seeding is based on:
- Regional bracket finish
- Tiebreaker rules as defined by the league
Prize Pool Structure
- Final Session Championship payouts:
- Are guaranteed for all 8 teams
- Scale with:
- Total league participation
- Team performance
Phase 3 — 2027+ (Second-Chance Events Added)
Second-Chance Eligibility
- Teams that do not advance to the Final Session Championship from Regional play are eligible for Second-Chance events.
- Each region contributes:
- 12 non-advancing teams, plus
- 4 wildcard entries
- This produces:
- 16-Team North Second-Chance Championship
- 16-Team South Second-Chance Championship
Wildcard Allocation
- Wildcards are awarded based on criteria established annually by the league operator, which may include:
- Strength of schedule
- Session performance
- Playoff performance
- Sportsmanship and compliance
- Wildcards are not transferable and do not bypass Regional qualification requirements.
Prize Pool Hierarchy
- The lowest Final Session Championship payout shall always exceed the highest Second-Chance Championship payout.
- This ensures:
- Final Session Championship advancement retains priority and value
- Second-Chance events remain competitive without diminishing Final Session Championship prestige
Prize Pool Growth
- Prize pools for both Final Session Championship and Second-Chance Championships:
- Expand proportionally with total league participation
- May increase annually based on league growth, sponsorships, and event revenues.
Competitive Integrity
- Second-Chance Championships do not award Final Session Championship advancement.
- Results are tracked for rankings, recognition, and future seeding considerations.
As Freedom League USA continues to grow, our long-term goal is for each state to operate its own regional tournaments and session-ending championship events. From there, qualifying teams from each state will eventually advance to larger multi-state championships, creating an even greater level of competition and opportunity across the entire league.
Until each state has enough divisions and teams to support its own complete tournament structure, regional events and prize pools will be scaled according to division size and participation. This allows us to expand responsibly while keeping payouts fair, sustainable, and proportional to the number of teams supporting each area.