Teams only play both days if they make it to the finals! No more playing into the wee hours—just great competition and a fair shot for everyone.

The 8-Ball Tri-Annual Tournament has officially expanded into a two-day event. Due to our continued growth, we found that even with split days and contained brackets, trying to fit everything into one day led to matches running late into the early morning hours compromising performance and enjoyment. That’s not the experience you deserve—and it’s certainly not how champions should be decided.

Your passion and participation have helped us grow beyond what we ever imagined at this stage. Our current league size has surpassed what it was when all of Maricopa County operated under a single consolidated league. As we continue to grow, so must our approach. After thoughtful planning, we’ve restructured the format to ensure a smoother, more enjoyable tournament for everyone.

And guess what? We’re on track to earn a 4th 8-Ball slot! As we prepare for the Summer Tri-Annual, we’re already making the necessary adjustments in anticipation of reaching this milestone!

As the league continues to grow, so does our commitment. With each tournament, we evolve—we’ll continue to fine-tune and make thoughtful adjustments to improve the tournament experience for our players. As always, thank you for your support, flexibility and most importantly, being a part of this journey and helping us shape the future of The Valley APA league.

To ensure fair play and avoid late-night matches, here’s how the new structure will work:

📅 DAY 1 - Saturday

• Doors open at 8:00 AM

• Player meeting at 8:40 AM; Matches start immediately after meeting (possible some teams have a 1st round bye)

• Winner’s bracket plays 2 rounds; half the field will be done at approximately 3pm and the other half at 6pm

• Finalists return Sunday – 12 teams

• Loser’s bracket plays 3 rounds; last matches start at 9PM

• Finalists return Sunday – 6 Teams

📅 DAY 2 - Sunday

• Doors open at 8:00 AM

• Final round - finalist's play 1 match

• Winner’s side final bracket starts at 9:00 AM – 6 winners advance to the World Qualifier

• Loser’s side final bracket starts at 1:00 PM – 3 winners advance to the World Qualifier

*The 9-Ball Tri-Annual format will remain the same - 1 day