Sorare Pro 2024: Your Journey, Rewarded.
MORE INFO: Product Roadmap Transition to August | Sorare Pro 2024 FAQ
We are thrilled to announce our most ambitious Sorare Pro gameplay update yet: This August, we’re launching a clear path for progression through a division structure that is more rewarding in a big way!
Why is Sorare Pro gameplay entering a new era?
With unprecedented growth in 2021, our gameplay was not quite ready to scale with our community.
While protecting our core notion of card scarcity and utility, we introduced more competitions (e.g. thresholds and capped modes) so that more Managers could experience the joy of playing with Sorare Pro cards and winning rewards.
This approach worked initially, but it was not scalable. We have a competition structure where paths for progression are unclear and rewards are not exciting enough.
Sorare Pro soon enters a new era by launching gameplay where these needs are answered. Here are our Sorare Pro 2024 gameplay principles:
- More exciting rewards: Your success deserves to be celebrated. Master the game, dominate the leaderboard, and you will be rewarded with top-end cash prizes and/or star player cards.
- Intuitive competition hierarchy: Implement a simplified competition structure that helps onboard new Managers, and more accurately reflects real-world football — including placing higher value on star players and top performers.
- Crystal clear progression: Create gameplay where Managers know their next move. Where they can climb tiers – and now divisions (more on that below) – and be rewarded as they progress.
Read on to learn more about how we are going to deliver on the above.
Sorare Pro Gameplay in 2024: Your Journey, Rewarded.
More exciting competitions and rewards
Following a series of successful competition iterations (including the Premier League Winter Competition), we will move to an In-Season and Classic Season structure in August heading into the 2024-25 football season.
- In-Season cards are player cards from the ongoing season (2024/25)
- Classic Season cards are player cards from previous seasons
Our new competition structure will have In-Season competitions and Classic Season competitions. Unlike our current competition structure, the In-Season and Classic Season format allows us to be more flexible and ambitious to increase our reward payouts in a healthy way.
Let’s look at how we are making Sorare more rewarding with a special focus on bringing the thrill of winning star player cards and top prize pools to Sorare gameplay.
More cash rewards
Thanks to the above, we’re increasing our cash prizes throughout April, May, June, and July (compared to the same period last year), with potential further increases from August onward. This will come by means of our simplified competitions reward pools as well as large-scale, limited-duration Special Weekly competitions. Stay sharp and don’t sleep on these competitions!
How the two formats work
In-Season competitions require Managers to use cards from the ongoing season (2024/25). In these competitions, Managers can win cash prizes.
In Classic Season competitions, Managers can use cards from any season. In these competitions, Managers can win In-Season Cards.
For Sorare and our community, In-Season and Classic Season competitions introduce a healthy and sustainable utility cycle that is simple and easy to understand.
- Play with Classic Season cards to win In-Season Cards (plus cash for podium finishes)
- Play with primarily In-Season Cards to win cash
Further, Classic Season competitions will also reward cash prizes for the podium finishers and help you transition faster to In-Season competitions.
Scouting DNA
Maintaining previous season card utility is a unique and essential part of Sorare gameplay DNA. With this in mind, we are also allowing the following Classic Season Cards within In-Season competitions:
🟡 1 Classic Season card allowed
🔴 1 Classic Season card allowed
🔵 2 Classic Season cards allowed
⚫ 2 Classic Season cards allowed
With these eligibility rules, Managers are still rewarded for scouting the next star. Your favourite Classic Season Cards have a slot in both season formats (In-Season and Classic).
This two-format approach allows us to maintain long-term card utility for our Managers while giving us more flexibility to maintain and eventually increase weekly payouts alongside our growth.
Simplified competition hierarchy: Rise to the top
Now, let’s move to our next principle: Simplify!
With the new In-Season and Classic Season model, we are excited to present our new competition structure starting August 2024. The below structure simplifies the Manager journey, and introduces a format that all football fans can relate to.
New Managers can begin and compete in the leagues they know best. It’s a cleaner structure that also gives more space to special events, challenges, and competitions that closely follow the football calendar.
Moving from regional-based competitions to tier-based competitions is a more logical game balance system. It allows us to better match leagues that are at a similar level of competition.
This format still rewards the scouting DNA that is a key part of Sorare and our community. Player cards can be scouted in Contender competitions and move up the competition ladder as the player’s career progresses. Managers can now celebrate when one of their player cards gets a big summer transfer and moves up to a higher competition tier. In the past, this type of progress in a player’s career was not always celebrated.
Staying loyal to our community’s DNA, a special mention to the Under-23 competition that continues for a fifth season on Sorare. We heard from our community: scouting is fun, and the U23 competition rewards Managers for tracking the next big talents.
How do we determine our competition tiers?
The allocation of leagues within each competition is updated once a year and communicated two months before the start of the European season in August. Please note, clubs and league tiers are not expected to change significantly year to year.
To determine where each covered league is allocated, we use a combination of Opta Rankings for top-performing clubs in each league, activity on Sorare, and our partnership with clubs and leagues.
For the 2024/25 season, here is where each league lands:
When do these competitions open?
At least 10 licensed teams within a competition must participate for the competition to be officially opened. In August, U23 opens when any other competition opens.
From August onward, mid-Game Weeks and league breaks will be complemented with exciting Special Weekly formats. Find out more in our transition blog.
How are rewards shared across competition tiers?
We will share a more detailed breakdown of our prize pools across competitions by the end of February.
Here is an example how card rewards will increase for Challenger and Contender Classic Competitions.
Divisions: Promotion and relegation
We’ve simplified and revamped our rewards structure. Now let’s look at how Managers have a clearer path for progression.
We’re excited to announce the introduction of Sorare Divisions! Within each competition, Managers will battle it out on the leaderboards. The division structure will bring the joys and heartbreak of promotion and relegation for all Sorare Managers. Gaining promotion to each division unlocks access to better rewards, and, of course, club prestige.
With Divisions – Sorare is your journey, rewarded.
(Note that in the above graphic these are not the final number of divisions, just a representation.)
How does it work?
Every Game Week, Managers are up for promotion or relegation for each team they have created.
Managers who place toward the top and bottom of the leaderboard experience the highs and lows of the football division structure. As your team rises through divisions, the competition heats up.
Here is an example of the promotion and relegation breakdown for Limited competitions:
- Division 1: Bottom 50 percent relegated
- Division 2: Top 20 percent are promoted, bottom 30 percent are relegated
- Division 3: Top 25 percent are promoted, bottom 25 percent are relegated
With a division structure, you compete against Managers of a similar level and there is something to play for every Game Week.
Divisions: Shooting for the stars
The division structure in place will lead to fair separation in team quality across divisions. Each division presents new and hot competition on the leaderboard. Further, each division unlocks access to bigger rewards; prize pools across the division structure are crafted to reward Managers as they progress up the divisions. You will want to shoot for the stars!
Managers will begin at the bottom division and compete against other Managers and teams of a similar level.
With this division structure, Capped Modes will no longer be permanent but will feature in our Special Weekly competitions (more on this below).
New scarcity rules
To ease progression across scarcities, we are also introducing new card scarcity eligibility rules across competitions.
All card scarcities (Pro Cards: Limited, Rare, Super Rare, and Unique) are eligible for competitions below their scarcity. For example, a Premier League Super Rare player card is eligible for Super Rare, Rare, and Limited competitions where that player card meets competition eligibility.
Scarcity bonuses won’t apply when a card is used in a scarcity competition below its scarcity.
While a Manager is building toward a new scarcity by either winning or collecting new cards, they can use their small number of higher-scarcity cards in lower-scarcity competitions to continue their progress.
Multi-entry
Having reviewed the multi-entry concept for the Premier League Winter Competition, we’re confident it’s a positive introduction to all Sorare competitions.
With the option to submit up to three teams into the same competition, Managers can go deeper into the leagues and clubs they are passionate about. It’s a new opportunity to strategise and live the experience of climbing divisions more than once with different strategies.
With a much cleaner competition structure, multi-entry also allows us to maintain card utility with fewer competitions.
Once live, Managers can enter up to three teams every Game Week for each competition within each scarcity.
For example, in any given Game Week, you can have two Bundesliga teams in Limited Division 4, and another in Limited Division 1. They all progress and compete for rewards independently. (For further info, read more in our FAQ guide.)
A New Era for Special Weeklies
With over 300 licensed clubs, the Sorare football calendar is busy. There are countless competitions and rewards for us to surprise and delight our community.
With our new competition structure, mid-Game Weeks (Tues-Fri) will also be complemented with Special Weekly formats including Capped Modes, new eligibility rules, and fun events built around the football calendar.
Just like our Winter Special competition, these Special Weeklies will sometimes offer big cash prizes! Keep your eyes peeled for a very special MLS Special Weekly in April (more shared in our transition blog).
Wow, that’s a lot. How are we getting there?
In our commitment to give Managers the needed time to evolve their strategies to this new structure, we will fully transition to our new gameplay in August 2024, when the new European season starts.
We have put a huge amount of care into our transition period to honour our existing community and give them the needed time to adapt their strategies. Through iterations and testing, a transition period ensures a successful launch at the start of the European season.
Please read our Product Roadmap Update for information on our transition to August, including changes coming to our gameplay on March 29, an update on K-League coverage, and more.
So, let’s recap what Sorare Pro 2024 delivers:
- More exciting rewards: We are increasing cash rewards thanks to a new In-Season and Classic Season format.
- Clear competition structure: We are implementing simplified competition structure with divisions that more accurately reflect real-world football. Star players will be stars.
- Crystal clear progression: We are streamlining gameplay so Managers clearly know their next move, and where they can climb divisions and be rewarded as they progress.
This is a big update! Can you tell me more?
If you’d like to learn more behind the reasons for our decisions, tune into our Pitch-side chat between Nicolas (CEO), Guy (Product Manager) and Dan (Community) going live on Sorare YouTube later today (Wednesday, Feb. 7).
On top of this, to help our community unpack everything, the Sorare team will be very active on our community channels over the coming days. We will keep a live FAQ updated to answer your most important questions and follow up with additional details in a future product update.
Nicolas (CEO), Guy (Product Manager), and our community team (Dan & Momo) will also take part in community podcasts and forums over the coming weeks to answer your biggest questions.
A huge thank you for your continued support and feedback. We’re more excited than ever for the future of Sorare, and we can’t wait to follow your journey to the top!