Have you read the game rules?
A fundamental part of Top Eleven is that at the end of each season, if you finish in position 1-8, you level-up and lose 20% in the process (the equivalent of 1 star rating). The only exception to this is if you finish in position 9-14 then usually you stay on the same level and lose no stars. But it is possible to level-up even if you finish below 8th if there aren't enough teams to make up a league in the next level.
You expected an answer from a mod, there you have it.
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