The Altador Cup is Neopia's largest annual sporting competition. Each year, 18 teams from across the planet play Yooyuball against each other in the Altador Colosseum in the hopes of taking away the coveted Altador Cup. Over the years, several flash previews have been released, such as this preview from the first Altador Cup, this fan-focused preview from the third Altador Cup, and this preview from the fifth Altador Cup.
The first Altador Cup began on the 3rd of June, 2006 (Year 8), not long after the conclusion of the Altador Plot. It lasted until the 6th of July. In this first year, Shenkuu and Moltara did not compete due to the lands having not been discovered. The format of this cup was slightly different to subsequent ones. Teams were randomly allocated opponents during the first round, and then a knockout system began until a winner was decided. After each round, if a user's team was knocked out, they had the opportunity to join one of the remaining teams. The final standings were:
This was also the first Altador Cup to feature a Staff Competition, with no other staff tourneys until ACV. Users could place bets on which staff members would be eventual winner. The final standings for the staff competition were:
Users who correctly guessed one of the top three received a Neopoint bonus and the Altador Cup - Staff Tourney avatar.
Another exclusive feature to the first year of the Altador Cup was the ability to vote for awards given out to teams and players. If users voted for a winning nominee, they were awarded Neopoints. The winners of the categories were:
After the Cup, trophies were awarded based on which team users chose to support in the finals:
All users were awarded the Altador Cup site theme and the Altador Cup avatar.
A prize shop was also released, with the following items inside:
Players who joined either the Haunted Woods team or the Darigan Citadel team from the beginning of the Cup were awarded the respective books shown below.
The second Altador Cup began on the 1st of June, 2007 (Year 9), and lasted until the 9th of July. This tournament introduced the double round robin format that had been rolled out in subsequent Cups. In addition, this Cup also introduced the side games of Slushie Slinger and Make Some Noise for those who had difficulty with the main Yooyuball game. This tournament saw the introduction of the Shenkuu team, and the Kreludor team sat out to keep teams even. The final standings were:
During the finals, users from the teams who did not reach the top four during the double round robin could choose to lend their support to any of the finalists. This did not affect their final trophy.
Upon signing up for a team, users were awarded an exclusive wearable background themed around their team.
After the Cup, prizes and trophies were awarded based on participation. In addition, if users did not already possess them, they were awarded the Altador Cup site theme and the Altador Cup avatar.
The Neopets team decided the player awards given out during this year. They were:
The third Altador Cup began on the 17th of June, 2008 (Year 10), and lasted until the 21st of July. This year saw the return of Kreludor, however Kiko Lake sat out of the competition. In this year, the look of the Yooyuball game was remodelled to give players on the field a more individual appearance. The final standings were:
Unlike in previous years, all teams took part in the finals after the double round robin. The round robin sorted teams into brackets of four, and then during finals these brackets would play each other, allowing teams to jump a maximum of four positions during finals.
When users signed up for a team, they received a wearable background themed around the team they had chosen. This was a different item to the one awarded during the previous Cup.
In addition, a Neovision contest themed around the Altador Cup was released. Although this contest was billed to have exclusive prizes, these were not awarded and users received normal Neovision trophies upon the later cancellation of all Neovision features.
After the cup, prizes and trophies were awarded. Once again, if users did not already possess them, they were awarded the Altador Cup site theme, the Altador Cup avatar and the Altador Cup Player avatar (if they qualified for it).
The fourth Altador Cup began on the 2nd of June, 2009 (Year 11), and lasted until the 7th of July. This Cup saw the return of Kiko Lake, but in order to even up the teams, Brightvale sat out. This Cup saw the introduction of the Shootout Showdown game, and the NC Challenge which came with it. The final standings were:
When signing up to a team, users were awarded a wearable background themed around their chosen team (the same one from the Altador Cup III), and a Yooyu Key Quest token.
After the plot, users were awarded prizes and trophies. Users who took part in the NC Challenge received exclusive NC items. In addition, if users did not already possess them, they were awarded the Altador Cup site theme, the Altador Cup avatar and the Altador Cup Player avatar (if they qualified for it).
The fifth Altador Cup began on the 27th of May, 2010 (Year 12), and lasted until the 6th of July. This Cup saw the introduction of Team Moltara; however, unlike in previous years, the format was changed to accommodate eighteen teams, meaning no team sat out. This Cup was also the second to feature a NC Challenge. The final standings were:
This was the second tournament to feature a staff competition. 16 staff members participated in a knockout tournament, with the final results being:
For the purposes of the staff tournament, Meridell and Maraqua did not compete.
Upon signing up for a team, users were awarded with a wearable background themed around their team (the same one from the Altador Cup III). In addition, players that had taken part in several Altador Cups were awarded with loyalty prizes. The Altador Cup Through the Ages book for those who had participated in at least 1 Cup previously, the Altador Cup Colosseum Archway for 2 Cups, the Altador Cup Colosseum Interior Background for 3 Cups, and the Altador Cup V Competition Torch for participating in all 4 previous Cups.
After the plot, users were awarded prizes and trophies. Users who took part in the NC Challenge received exclusive NC items. In addition, if users did not already possess them, they were awarded the Altador Cup site theme and the Altador Cup Player avatar (if they qualified for it). The Altador Cup avatar that was given out in previous years was confirmed by TNT to be retired during this season and was not available in the prize shop.
The sixth Altador Cup began on the 1st of June 2011 (Year 13), and lasted until the 9th of July. This Cup changed the play style of Yooyuball to be keyboard-based rather than the previous mouse-based system. Achievements were removed, and the NC Challenge was remodelled into a VIP pass system. The final standings were:
This was the third tournament to feature a staff competition. However, the format was changed so that staff members did not actively play each other. Instead, users selected dream teams from the 18 staff members, and were awarded points based on their play the previous week. Prizes were then awarded based on points earned.
Upon signing up for a team, users were awarded with special wearable frame items themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses for playing in previous Cups (from the ACV) returned, with the addition of Yooyu Garden Pond for those who had participated in all 5 previous Cups.
After the plot, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament).
The seventh Altador Cup had play beginning on the 1st of June 2012 (Year 14), and lasted until the 24th of June. This Cup included a minor update to Yooyuball (a variation on mouse control was added to the game), and small graphical updates to Shootout Showdown. The major change in this year came from the radical alterations to the tournament structure. The double round robin was scrapped, replaced instead with a bracket based system.
At the beginning of the Cup, the 18 teams were randomly sorted into three brackets (named Alabriss, Minitheus, and Vaeolus). For the next six days, teams then played other teams from within their brackets (playing one randomly assigned team twice). At the end of the six days, points were awarded to teams based on their ranking within the brackets. The Cup consisted of 4 rounds in this method, with later rounds being worth more points than others. It is still unclear how exactly bracket standings were determined, but it is known that results of daily matches were not used.
At the end of round 4, there was a rest day on the 25th of June. This was followed by a tie breaker day to decide 2nd/3rd place, as those teams were tied in points. However, teams lower down the standings table did not play a tie breaker match. This meant that for the first time in Altador Cup history, the final standings included ties. The final standings were:
This Cup kept the format of both previous NC Areas and Staff Tournaments. Each awarded separate prizes from the main Cup.
Upon signing up for a team, users once again received the wearable frame themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses from ACV returned, with the addition of the Discarded Yooyuball Gear Foreground for those who had participated in 6 Cups.
After the Cup, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament) based on participation.
The eighth Altador Cup began on May 31st, 2013 (Year 15), and lasted until July 1st. It kept the majority of the bracket format from the previous year. An extra round of brackets was added to bring the total to 5. Within each bracket, the total days of play were shortened from 6 to 5. The major change this year was the inclusion of numerical scores in the daily results, rather than the Win/Loss/Draw of previous years. A number of other changes were originally listed in the rules page when the Cup launched, but they ultimately did not happen and were eventually removed from the rules page mid-Cup. Again, because non-podium ties were not played, this year's final standings included ties.
The format of both the staff tournament and NC Area were largely unchanged, with the NC Area taking place in the Techo Fanatic's Museum rather than the stadium itself.
Upon signing up for a team, users were once again awarded a wearable frame themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses from the ACV returned, with the addition of the View of Altador Background for those who participated in 7 Cups. This item was later awarded through the prize shop, making it the only non-exclusive loyalty reward so far.
After the Cup, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament) based on participation.
The ninth Altador Cup began on June 2nd, 2014 (Year 16), and lasted until July 2nd. It kept the majority of the bracket format from the previous year. The most significant change was a reduction in the caps on maximum score sends. Again, because non-podium ties were not played, this year's final standings included ties.
The format of both the staff tournament and NC Area were largely unchanged, with the NC Area taking place in the Altador city at large rather than the stadium itself.
Upon signing up for a team, users were once again awarded a wearable frame themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses from the ACV returned, with the addition of the Altador Cup Bunting for those who participated in 8 Cups.
After the Cup, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament) based on participation.
The tenth Altador Cup began on June 1st, 2015 (Year 17), and lasted until July 3rd. It kept the exact format of the previous year, with teams even facing each other with the same schedule. Although non-podium ties were not officially played, an unannounced tie breaker between Krawk Island and Meridell was put in place by TNT which meant that there were no official ties in the results.
The format of both the staff tournament and NC Area were largely unchanged, with the NC Area taking place in the past of the Altador cup.
Upon signing up for a team, users were once again awarded a wearable frame themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses from the ACV returned, with the addition of the History of the Altador Cup Book (Limited Edition) for those who participated in 9 Cups.
After the Cup, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament) based on participation.
The eleventh Altador Cup began on June 1st, 2016 (Year 18), and lasted until July 1st. It kept a similar format to the previous year, with the exception that the final bracket was altered to put similarly placed teams near each other. Once again, non-podium tie breakers were not played, resulting in some of the standings being tied.
The format of both the staff tournament and NC Area were largely unchanged, with the NC Area taking place in the backstage parts of the Altador cup.
Upon signing up for a team, users were once again awarded a wearable frame themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses from the ACV returned, with the addition of the AC Themed Luxury Lounge for those who participated in 10 Cups.
After the Cup, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament) based on participation.
The twelfth Altador Cup began on June 1st, 2017 (Year 19), and lasted until June 25th. It changed the format to a single round robin followed by a finals bracket similar to those from the bracket system of the previous year.
The format of both the staff tournament and NC Area were largely unchanged, with the NC Area taking inspiration from the winners of the previous Altador cup.
Upon signing up for a team, users were once again awarded a wearable frame themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses from the ACV returned, with the addition of the Mysterious Vibrant Collectable Scarab for those who participated in 11 Cups.
After the Cup, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament) based on participation.
The thirteenth Altador Cup began on June 4th, 2018 (Year 20), and lasted until June 30th. It kept the format of the previous year.
The format of both the staff tournament and NC Area were largely unchanged, with the NC Area taking inspiration from the council members of Altador.
Upon signing up for a team, users were once again awarded a wearable frame themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses from the ACV returned, with the addition of the Plushie Yooyu for those who participated in 12 Cups.
After the Cup, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament) based on participation.
The fourteenth Altador Cup began on June 4th, 2019 (Year 21), and lasted until July 7th (though competitive play ended on June 30th). It kept the format of the previous year.
The format of both the staff tournament and NC Area were largely unchanged, with the NC Area taking inspiration from the culture of Altador.
Upon signing up for a team, users were once again awarded a wearable frame themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses from the ACV returned, with the addition of the Legends of Altador Cup - Autographed Copy for those who participated in 13 Cups.
After the Cup, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament) based on participation.
The fifteenth Altador Cup began on June 2nd, 2020 (Year 22), and lasted until July 3rd (though competitive play ended on June 27th). It kept the format of the previous year, however the standings were scored differently in that only finals bracket performance was reflected in final placing.
The format of both the staff tournament and NC Area were largely unchanged, with the NC Area taking taking place in the Cup's VIP area.
Upon signing up for a team, users were once again awarded a wearable frame themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses from the ACV returned, with the addition of the Altador Cup Dream Parade Background for those who participated in 14 Cups.
After the Cup, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament) based on participation.
The sixteenth Altador Cup began on June 7th, 2021 (Year 23), and lasted until July 8th (though competitive play ended on July 2nd). It kept the format of the previous year, however again the scoring for final standings was changed so that only the raw point total for teams in the final bracket was used (making both brackets themselves and the round robin irrelevant in terms of score). The major change this year was a switch to html5 games following the end of flash.
The format of both the staff tournament and NC Area were largely unchanged, with the NC Area taking taking place on Altador's shore.
Upon signing up for a team, users were once again awarded a wearable frame themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses from the ACV returned, with the addition of the The Great Golden Slushie for those who participated in 15 Cups.
After the Cup, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament) based on participation.
The seventeenth Altador Cup began on June 6th, 2022 (Year 24), and lasted until July 8th (though competitive play ended on July 1st). It kept the format of the previous year, however brackets for the final round were locked. Modified captchas returned for this year, along with a mobile conversion for the rest of the Cup's pages.
The format of both the staff tournament and NC Area were largely unchanged, with the NC Area taking taking place on a blimp above the tournament.
Upon signing up for a team, users were once again awarded a wearable frame themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses from the ACV returned, with the addition of the Front Row at the Altador Cup Background for those who participated in 16 Cups.
After the Cup, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament) based on participation.
The eighteenth Altador Cup began on June 6th, 2023 (Year 25), and lasted until July 7th (though competitive play ended on July 1st). It kept the format of the previous year.
The format of both the staff tournament and NC Area were largely unchanged, with the NC Area again taking taking place on a blimp above the tournament.
Upon signing up for a team, users were once again awarded a wearable frame themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses from the ACV returned, with the addition of the Altador Cup Neon Sign for those who participated in 17 Cups.
After the Cup, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament) based on participation.
The nineteenth Altador Cup began on July 31st, 2024 (Year 26), and lasted until September 7th (though competitive play ended on August 31st). It introduced a nineteenth team, Dacardia, and as a result a number of rolling bye days were introduced during the Cup.
The format of the staff tournament, but there was no NC area available.
Upon signing up for a team, users were once again awarded a wearable frame themed around their team. The loyalty bonuses from the ACV returned, with the addition of the Autographed Techo Fanatic Poster for those who participated in 18 Cups.
After the Cup, users were awarded prizes and trophies (separate from the staff tournament) based on participation.
Below are all of the avatars that have been awarded in connection to the Altador Cup over the years.
Altador Cup
Awarded for participating in the Altador Cup.
Released: August 4, 2006
Altador Cup Player / Guide
Achieve rank one in the yearly Altador Cup, and then visit one of the four game play pages (Yooyuball, Slushie Slinger, Make Some Noise, or Shootout Showdown) to receive the avatar.
Released: June 17, 2008
Altador Cup - Staff Tourney
Awarded for correctly guessing in the Altador Cup Staff Tournament in 2006.
Released: August 4, 2006
Altador Cup Staff Tournament / Guide
Submit a vote in the yearly TNT AC Staff Tournament. (See: old image.)
Released: June 10, 2010
This page was written by Herdy and last updated on September 8, 2024.
