Yeah, I'm OK with that aspect of it. Football does the same thing; you have a main championship that runs every week for months and months, plus some tournaments on the side. Having a season opening mega-tournament before the championship proper gets underway seems a perfectly reasonable thing for a sport to do.

What is NOT reasonable is when Wakka walks in and says "Alright boys, we've been seeded! Two wins, and we're the champions!" The Besaid Aurochs - who have never won a game ever and presumably only qualify for this tournament because there are literally only like... 8 populated areas in Spira - got seeded. Go. to. hell.