Following a loss of ranked status for its first 2025 event due to non-compliance with Valve’s regulations, YaLLa has made necessary changes to its competitive circuit.
The organizers of YaLLa Compass have revised their 2025-2026 tournament structure to align with Valve’s updated requirements for event operations. These adjustments come in response to Valve’s decision to strip YaLLa Compass Winter Contenders of its ranked status earlier this month. The decision followed concerns regarding how the tournament was classified and how invitations were handled, as it was labeled an “open qualifier” despite being invite-only and excluding certain eligible teams through non-transparent filtering methods—practices that contradict the rules for top-tier competitions.
Despite the loss of ranking, the ongoing Winter series will proceed as planned but without official Valve recognition. Moving forward, all upcoming YaLLa events in 2025 will adhere to the newly established rules, ensuring their compliance in both structure and participant selection.
The upcoming Compass LAN tournaments set for Doha, Qatar (April 16-20), and Dubai, UAE (November 19-23) will maintain their tier-one designation as standalone competitions. Each event will feature a closed qualifier leading up to the main stage, but key modifications have been made to the invitation process. The Doha qualifier will now host 12 teams instead of the previously planned 16, and teams that competed in the now-unranked Winter event will no longer receive direct invites. Instead, invitations will be determined solely based on Valve’s Regional Standings (VRS). Meanwhile, the Dubai qualifier will expand from 12 to 16 teams, with the majority being selected through VRS rather than through previous YaLLa tournaments, reflecting a shift toward Valve’s standardized ranking system.
Additionally, YaLLa’s Contenders events, scheduled for May and August, have been reclassified as tier-two competitions. These events will retain their existing format but will undergo similar modifications to their invitation policies to ensure compliance. While officially categorized as tier two, these tournaments will continue to provide an opportunity for qualification into the Dubai event, as the winners of each Contenders tournament will secure a spot in the Dubai closed qualifier. This adjustment is in accordance with Valve’s rulebook, specifically section 3.2.1, which states: “Licensee may additionally invite to the Closed Qualifier any Rosters who won a Tier 2 event in the preceding 6 months.”
By implementing these changes, YaLLa aims to preserve the integrity of its circuit while remaining within Valve’s framework, ensuring that all its future competitions meet the standards required for ranked status.
