2026 Altador Cup Tournament

Looking on the Bright Side: How to Set a Shining Example

After a clean 2nd place finish in Altador Cup XIX, Team Brightvale was eager to put their intellect to good use again the following year - but with the continued spread of the Grey Curse, their plans came to naught. Fortunately, their attitudes remained bright, and they concocted a new stratagem that not only would keep their minds alert and their skills sharp, but would clear up Brightvale's reputation: practice with the Roo Island Yooyuball team!

Gordo Gunnels and "Squeaky" Tressif made the arrangements, and the two teams' Grey Year alliance began. At first, their idea seemed to backfire when certain members of both teams didn't take their scrimmages seriously, but things quickly took a turn for the fun when the harmless pranks of Roo Island yielded unexpected benefits.

The two teams' alliance continued into Year 28, with everyone consistently practicing together and learning all of each others' quirks - but in some ways, that worked against them. Their plays became predictable: Brightvale couldn't outsmart Roo Island, and Roo Island's tricks proved ineffective against their cerebral scrimmage partners. Soon, the predictability of playing against the same team over and over again began to leak in their playstyles. This presented a whole new problem for Brightvale: now they knew an opponent too well, and had nearly forgotten how other teams operated!

Fortunately, this was remedied by another team's request - one that had caught wind of Brightvale's "tactical reformation" and sought their expertise on cleaning up their act.

What do Team Brightvale and Team Shenkuu have in common? A couple of players with a reputation for foul play. To help put his team on the podium, Team Shenkuu's Larchy Phu requested the help of Team Brightvale to turn things around. They accepted, and soon Shenkuu was brought into the fold of their alliance with Team Roo Island! All sides ended up getting a whole lot more than they bargained for in the process, and that doesn't just mean Roo Island's pranks. Sparks of all kinds flew between the three teams, and rumour has it that a few roster shakeups might be in the works - but Team Brightvale doesn't deal in rumours, just knowledge, and they know one thing for sure: they're stronger as a team than ever before, and they're cleaning up the competition one alliance at a time!

Ready to Rock and Roll!

Despite their steely demeanours, it's a well-known secret that Team Darigan Citadel is one of the most caring and compassionate teams in the Cup, and so it came as no surprise when they stepped up and passed out much-needed supplies to Meridell and others during the spread of the Grey Curse. Yet this normally high-scoring team has also recently tasted what it's like to come in below 10th place; paired with the cancellation of last year, the team's morale has taken a bit of a hit. Many fans were worried when it became clear that the team members were making fewer and fewer appearances in public. Luckily, all worries were quelled when the team's captain, Layton Vickles, announced that they would be throwing a music festival!

The team didn't just organise the event. They gathered, bought, and built everything they couldn't get donated to the festival, including the very stages placed around the Citadel for all sorts of bands to perform on. The roster lineup was impressive. Many indie bands from around Neopia signed up, including Vickles's band with his two significant others, HISS. But the headliner that brought out the big crowds was the punk rock, all-girls band, the Twisted Roses!

"My partners and I have actually opened for them before, so that was our in, but we for sure only scored them for the festival because their keyboardist, Hellebore, has a thing for Kep," Vickles explained as he semi-successfully dodged Yooyuball strikes from Kep Bonnefie, the team's Left Defender.

The main performances took place in front of the Citadel's castle, and Neopians from all over came to cheer on the many different kinds of bands that played. Yet it was one band in particular that blew everyone away: Team Darigan Citadel, joining their captain on stage! The harmony between the team members was clear for all to see, and as they rocked on, their smiles only grew. By the end of the set, the team seemed like they were ready to take on the world. With this sort of exhilaration racing through their veins, they've most certainly gotten their mojo back and are ready for anything this year's Altador Cup can throw at them!

Howling for Victory and Running With a New Pack!

Despite it being dubbed the Grey Year, the previous year wasn't all doom and gloom - the denizens of the woods' spirits were uplifted not only by their usual Halloween celebrations, but by the reveal that there were new friends hiding in the hollows: Varwolves had come to Neopia! Team Haunted Woods was as excited by this news as everyone else, as it meant they could introduce the joys of Yooyuball to all new friends. They quickly put out an invitation for any curious Varwolves to come watch their practices, and soon enough the team had a whole new crowd of fans - one of whom now works with the team regularly!

Though Inola Barick, their new watergirl, was nervous at being asked to help out at first, Team Haunted Woods did what they did best: accepted the Varwolf with all her peculiarities, just as they did when Crade Talvos painted himself Wraith and made the jump from waterboy to star defender. The Haunted Woods is home to creatures of all shapes, sizes, appendage numbers, and dispositions, and their Yooyuball Team exemplifies and celebrates those differences like no other - especially when others are scared of what makes someone so special!

Crade spent a lot of time with their new teammate in particular, as he could relate to her fears of letting down the team. He took care to teach her the ins and outs of the team's routine (and how to understand "Brains" Mortigan's different intonations of the word "Brrrrraaaaaiiinnnsss"), while Krell Vitor and Zo Junior taught her how to catch, throw, and take care of the Yooyuballs. Fanetti reportedly makes sure she gets to and from practice sessions safely, guarding their new teammate against the less friendly horrors of the Haunted Woods - such as the strange, unfamiliar tentacle monster with big yellow eyes that frightened Fanetti and Inola on their way to practice one day.

"It's not an unusual story here, unfortunately," Krell Vitor said of the incident. "But it's not very common for tentacle monsters to show up in this neck of the woods. Or at all, really. Come to think of it, until recently, I'd never seen one at all. Makes a Kyrii wonder..."

Whatever the creature that scared Inola and Fanetti was, the team has come together to protect each other against it. They all go to and from practice as a group, keeping their many eyes out for each other. That odd bump in the night seems to have passed, though, and whatever it wanted, it has managed to make Team Haunted Woods closer and more guarded than ever before - which is fortunate for a team so focused on defence!

Yo-ho, Yo-ho, a Petpet's Life For Me!

It's been known for a while now that part of Team Krawk Island's training regimen consists of them spending weeks out at sea, battling the weather and ocean conditions to help them prepare for the unexpected during their matches. Even so, none of the team could be prepared for an accident that nearly cost them their left defender for the upcoming season: when Nitri Cassale fell off a stepladder in the cook's quarters, trying to get some ingredients kept on a high shelf.

"I don't know why we keep the blasted stuff all the way up there in the first place, me bein' so squat and all, but Cap'n Hale runs a tight ship," she complained. She continued on to say that his ship is so tight, she was lucky he was willing to bring on another crew member to help her out: her new Petpet, a mutant Dragoyle named Scurvy.

"Ain't she the cutest?" Cassale mused as Scurvy fluttered clumsily around her. "Apparently she was abandoned by her old owner ‘cause she flies funny and she be missin' an eye, but I don't see how you couldn't love a little beast like her. Anyway, Cap'n Bluebeard took her in before entrustin' her to me, and yeah, I do means that Bluebeard. I won't say nothin' else about her so as not to ruin any reputations, but she really was a blessin' out at sea, comin' along when she did."

From how Cassale tells it, Bluebeard happened upon their ship, the Crooked Crokabek, shortly after she was injured. Captain Garven Hale informed the dreaded pirate of Cassale's injury, and Bluebeard offered her condolences. She then proceeded to shove right past Hale and barge into Cassale's quarters. After a long conversation that Cassale refuses to disclose the details of, Bluebeard "very politely" requested that Team Krawk Island take on a new crew member to help the Moehog reach those high places (and help keep her tendency to injure herself in check).

It's not just Cassale that Scruvy helps. According to Zayle Sufhaux, she's also a fair hand at loading the ship's cannons, and Feldon "Dinksy" Collibridge has sung the little Petpet's praises for helping her spot oncoming ships - and Yooyuballs! "She's become an asset during training," said Garven Hale, and he even continued on to say that he's noticed tangible improvement in the entire team's abilities and morale ever since adding Cassale's new friend to their roster.

"We all helps each other out," the stout Moehog said of her new Petpet companion. "She gets the stuff I can't reach and helps the team practice, and we gives her all the love she deserves and didn't get before. I even cook her up some special treats to make her scales extra shiny! We're the perfect pair o' misfits, she and I, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Stealing Hearts and Giving Back

Disappointment battered the Lost Desert Yooyuball Team like a sandstorm when they heard that the Altador Cup had been cancelled in Year 27, but they weren't ready to lay their plans of victory to rest. While they took some time to enjoy themselves and pursue other interests, they all still made time for each other and for Yooyuball practice. For the most part, things went smoothly... until the team found themselves entombed in a mystery when their equipment was "stolen" by the Desert Scarabs. In truth, Luvea Trivon lent out their equipment in secret. Upon discovering this, Team Lost Desert invited the Desert Scarabs to join their practices.

With their quick-thinking and their unmatched agility and cunning, the Desert Scarabs took to Yooyuball like Gebs to sand. It wasn't long before word got out that they were joining Team Lost Desert during their practices, and soon those practices evolved into exhibition matches that anyone could watch (or join!) for free. Since then, the Lost Desert's Yooyuball team has exploded in popularity, and some days hundreds of Neopets will show up to watch their practices!

One side benefit of their newfound popularity is that donations have started pouring in from all over the desert. Team Lost Desert no longer has to rely on the secret fundraising that initially forged their connection to the Desert Scarabs - but they have never forgotten the kindness of their friends, and have indeed made efforts to pay it forward.

"I can see how much Yooyuball helped the Desert Scarabs," team captain Leera Heggle said. "They really seem to feel a sense of belonging now. I've noticed it in some of the Neopets that join in on our exhibition games, too. And that's why we've decided to put the unprecedented amount of donations we've received toward opening a foundation that will make Yooyuball more accessible for everyone."

Since his statement, Heggle and his team's foundation has helped to provide funding for a children's Yooyuball league, has sponsored a program to provide healthy snacks and sports drinks to registered Yooyuball teams, and has purchased and donated equipment to smaller, more casual leagues. "It's just the beginning," Heggle promised as he handed out water bottles to a gaggle of excited young Neopets. "Our foundation is small right now, but if we can grow it... Maybe we can help Neopia as a whole, too."

Team Lost Desert has reportedly taken the first steps in achieving that ambition by donating equipment to the training camps run by their colleagues in Shenkuu and Terror Mountain - but they've made sure to spring for new equipment for themselves too, and are using it and their experience in playing with all sorts of volunteers to bring the heat to the Altador Cup competition this year!

Old Friends and New Beginnings

Despite the Grey Curse hitting Meridell first, the team still managed to take home a 4th place win during Altador Cup XIX, and they planned to do the same the following year to prove their resilience. Unfortunately, the Cup was cancelled during what is now known as the Grey Year, and though disappointment washed over Meridell's Yooyuball team like a flood over the Marrow fields, there was a sense of relief in not having to train extensively when their homeland needed them.

It wasn't just Meridell that needed them, though. Hard times fell on numerous other lands and Yooyuball teams, including the one from Roo Island. After suffering an injury at practice, Clutch Billaban started worrying that he was getting "too old" for Yooyuball. Ethel Boortz, the elderly Ixi on Team Meridell famed for her toughness on the field, decided to show him that wasn't the case, and invited him to live with her while he recovered and rehabilitated from his injury. Naturally, her team was completely behind her on this decision, and welcomed Clutch with open arms (or feet, in Yoris Obbles' case).

According to team captain "Wizard" Windelle, one of the reasons that Team Meridell so often places in the single-digits is thanks to Ethel herself. "We don't take our youth for granted, and Ethel makes sure of it. She leads us in our warm-ups and exercises, teaching us how to be kind to our bodies even as they start to change with age."

"We ‘old fogies' just can't push ourselves like we used to," Ethel added as she led her team (and Clutch) through some of the exercises Windelle mentioned, "but we can find ways to work with our bodies instead of against them. We have to be kind to ourselves if we want to live long, happy lives, after all!"

Where that kindness to oneself fails, Ethel Boortz is there to make up for it. But who takes care of the caretaker? Ethel herself has admitted that, despite finding workarounds for her age and "not pushing herself", she's slowing down. Furthermore, she has lived alone for many years now, a widow with no children or grandchildren of her own to keep her company. And while her teammates stop by often to check in on her, she has admitted the time spent with Clutch has been the happiest she's been in years. Clutch reportedly feels the same, and thus has made the decision to split his time between Roo Island and Meridell, with the majority of his time spent living with Ethel in Meridell.

Under Ethel's guidance and leadership, Team Meridell has grown even more tight-knit, and seems to have woven a new friend into the fold! All of them, including Clutch, are looking as fit and spry as ever, and with the care and attention they're taking to their own bodies as they age, their future looks long, bright, and promising.

It's no Mystery: We're Here for a Good Time!

Team Mystery Island has always been known for their hospitality and their ever-open invitation for other Yooyuball teams to come train with them. They never turn down a guest, and never shy away from friendly competition - and even bring that friendly competition to other teams! Last year, Teams Mystery Island and Dacardia teamed up for a whirlwind tour on a giant flying Yooyuball pitch, in which they challenged teams from every land to a few just-for-fun games. When the tour ended, though, Team Mystery Island was exhausted, and resolved to spend the next few weeks catching up on some much-needed rest and relaxation. Naturally, this meant it was time to hit the beach!

A lazy day of lying in the sun was not in the forecast for Team Mystery Island, however. Nearly the moment they'd spread out their towels and blown up a beach ball, an impromptu game of "beach Yooyuball" started up, with Tulay throwing the first pass and careening toward a makeshift goalpost of two palm trees. It wasn't long before they were once again swept away in the tides of competitive spirit - nor before they were joined by perhaps the most competitive Yooyuball player in all of Neopia.

Lor Benneveldt was the first one to spot the bright yellow eyes of Elon Hughlis watching them from the waves when he dove into the ocean to catch one of Selmon Woulf's "overly-enthusiastic" passes. "Long time no see!" he greeted the tentacled Acara, who had been absent from Team Maraqua when Mystery Island and Dacardia had visited them on their flying Yooyu. It was that memory that prompted Lor and the rest of his team to invite Hughlis to join them in their casual game of beach Yooyuball... to reportedly "frustrating" results.

"He swam circles around us," Lor Benneveldt said later, while Tulay Ada had some more colourful words to describe the game. While not a direct quote, she expressed her unhappiness with Elon's attitude, and how he left them all laid out on the sand with only the parting words, "Wow, you couldn't even beat me on my own. Maybe you should hang up your jerseys and make this vacation permanent, since you don't stand a chance against a five-man team."

"His attitude may have been awful, but he did remind us of something with that ‘vacation' remark," Volgoth commented when asked about Hughlis's words, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "We were supposed to be resting, but all we ended up doing was playing Yooyuball. Hughlis may take the game too seriously, but we did, too. Perhaps we've... forgotten how to relax, a little. Yooyuball is meant to be fun, but not if it's exhausting us."

Shortly thereafter, the team agreed to take a real vacation from Yooyuball. Their next beach day, they left the ball at home, and when Vela Binal stood up and suggested a race to see who could get to the snack cart fastest, he was quickly forced into a folding beach chair by captain Volgoth's strong arms. Hopefully they've found the right balance between training and relaxing, and they'll put their rest time to good use to bring home gold!

Silly Blumaroos, Tricks Are For Kids!

Teams Roo Island and Brightvale grew closer over the course of the Grey Year, each team learning from one another and adding new tricks to their arsenals. Where Brightvale was serious, Roo Island was lighthearted; where Roo Island was carefree, Brightvale was studious; soon, they learned how to incorporate each others' philosophies into their own, and both teams achieved a balance that took their skills to a whole new level!

That balance was threatened, however, when temporary tragedy struck Team Roo Island: during practice with a Clockwork Yooyu, Clutch Billaban suffered a career-threatening injury when attempting to catch a pass from Usul teammate Fenny Vail. The pass went wide and he tripped on his tail to catch it, but missed, and the Yooyu exploded midair. While it wasn't close enough to do major damage, the blowback caught Billaban off guard and he couldn't react fast enough. As a result, he was thrown into the goalpost and suffered a broken wing and sprained foot. It was assured he would make a full recovery, but to do so, the Pteri (who reportedly began to claim he was "getting too old for Yooyuball) took a sabbatical to rest, recuperate, and recover in Meridell.

While he was away recovering, Team Roo Island was eventually able to rally and get back to the fun and games they were known for - however, there was one exception: Vail believed herself responsible for Billaban's injury. "This is because I don't take Yooyuball seriously enough," she lamented to her teammates. While they reassured her that what happened was an accident and that she wasn't to blame, Vail's performance on the pitch steadily began to decline, until her guilt culminated in a letter of resignation.

Fortunately, "Squeaky" Tressif pulled Vail aside and gave her some words of encouragement. His time with Team Brightvale and guilt at their once-dirty tactics gave him a unique perspective on what she was feeling. "He knows what it's like to run away from a problem," Vail said of the talk she and Tressif had. "And how important it is to face your mistakes. I know it wasn't my fault Clutch got hurt, but I need to be there for him when he comes back - just like Squeaky tried to help his old teammates."

Though Vail still has "off-days," as she calls them, she continues to work hard to support her teammates, and was the first one to welcome Clutch Billaban back to the team when he was medically cleared to compete again. He, too, assured her that it wasn't her fault, and that his time with Meridell had taught him how to take better care of his aging body: all the same, Vail greeted him with a hug, an apology, and the best Blumaroo Biscuits the Roo Island Bakery has to offer.

A Snowstorm on the Horizon: Turning Terror Into Triumph

Tremors ran through the Yooyuball Community when the story broke that Osielle Lidel of Team Terror Mountain was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease in Year 27. The first to find out were Teams Dacardia and Mystery Island when they visited Terror Mountain on their giant flying Yooyu, intent on playing some games to make sure the "Happy" stayed in "Happy Valley" even in the grey times Neopia was facing.

It was Lidel himself who admitted the fact to the two visiting teams, despite initial hesitation. Terror Mountain team captain Prytariel supported his decision to tell them, and reasserted to their friends on the other teams that this didn't mean Terror Mountain was out of the running in the next Altador Cup. Winning wasn't their only plan, though.

Rinok Fitel announced to their new friends that they planned to open up a sports camp in the following month that would run in the Yooyuball off-season. "It's meant to help other Neopets who are living with disabilities," he explained. Though the Mystery Island and Dacardian Yooyuball teams were meant to depart a few days after their visit to Terror Mountain, they ended up staying an extra two weeks to help out with any last-minute preparations the camp needed, and to participate in some of the workshops. Lor Benneveldt even shared a few personal stories about adapting to land-based sports as a Neopet without legs, which inspired the campers - some of whom could relate!

The camp, called "Camp Honeysnow," was opened on-schedule and has been running for a few months now (though it is temporarily closed until the end of the Altador Cup). It is located on the border of Happy Valley and the Ice Caves, with Team Terror Mountain as its coordinators, and friends from other teams, including Xana DiLanche of Team Shenkuu (who had founded a Yooyuball training camp two years prior) as consultants and guest mentors. Programs include but are not limited to: tips and tricks to catching Yooyuballs without sight or hearing, sign language and braille study workshops (that Osielle Lidel and Evrem Guilako participate in alongside campers), para-skating and -skiing lessons, adaptive arts, crafts, and cooking classes, and even mobility aid-bedazzling sessions! Sports and hobbies of all kinds are taught and supported - not just Yooyuball.

"And the buzz honey and oat cookies we serve in the cafeteria are to die for," Minae Mitora added as she handed out some of said cookies, which she baked herself. "They're packed full of protein and fibre! Great for breakfast on game days. Make sure you tell everyone! ...Um, about the camp. Not the cookies. But you can tell them about the cookies too."

Team Terror Mountain plans to re-open the camp once the Altador Cup ends, setting aside two weeks every two months to welcome campers new and old and help them find strength in themselves and in their community. As for the Altador Cup itself, they plan to storm back onto the scene stronger and more motivated than ever before!

A Viral New Approach to Victory

It was a tough blow to take last year when Team Virtupets ended their partnership with their longtime training advisor, a Dimensional Koi known as V2_4ever, after a disastrous practice session had Goltron Mk I go haywire and attack his own teammates. Virtupets has always incorporated the latest tech into their team tactics, so for a while, they were at a loss without it - but soon enough they found their footing again (mechanical or otherwise).

"See? We don't need all that fancy software to be great," Keetra Deile told her team, pointing to the latest data she and XL Striker 3.8 had compiled from their practice sessions since V2_4ever had disappeared. "Sure, it helped us prepare for some crazy scenarios, but we started to be able to spot the patterns in the sims, then replicate and exploit them. I've seen a 5.7% increase in Weldar's speed since we started training without them, and Sela's focus is sharper than ever with her 96.9% success rate when passing."

This isn't to say they ceased all tech-related operations, though. It took some time to sort the software that helped them out against the kind that performed for them, but now that they have, Team Virtupets feels better than ever before, and the online buzz is that they're one of the favourites in this year's tournament. However, there are still some bugs to work out... such as replacing the equipment that was stolen from their server room recently.

"We just don't know what happened," Keetra explained. "We decided to convert our server room into a multi-purpose facility, but when Weldar, XL and I went to clear it out and donate some of our unused servers, we realised that half our hardware was missing! All that was left was a strange puddle of water and what appeared to be a bit of pale green slime. Our security footage was all erased, and expertly - no traces left behind at all - so we don't have any real leads."

They have their suspicions, though, as of particular note amongst their stolen goods was some experimental cloning technology that Sela Pretore scoffed over. "Yeah, V had it in his head that the best way for us to get better at Yooyuball was to let him clone us," she explained when asked about it. She, Deile, and Weldar Xupenfarb all expressed discomfort with the idea, but Xupenfarb did add, "He had a point that it would be easier to find our weaknesses if we literally faced ourselves on the pitch. Don't think it was worth giving our DNA up for, though, so I'm glad we didn't."

While this theft struck a blow to Team Virtupets, it did also remind them that sometimes it is necessary to incorporate a bit of technology into their training after all - especially when it comes to security. "Technology has a time and place," Deile said. "We need to find the right balance of when it helps us and when it holds us back. But we all know it's not the programs that make us - whether we're organic or mechanic. It's our passion and dedication to what we do!"