Group Tournaments

A group tournament is a competition where entrants play head-to-head fixtures over successive rounds. Results rank entrants, where draws are resolved using tiebreakers. The rankings represent an accurate placement of entrant skill at the conclusion of the final round.

Round-Robin

Entrants play each other an equal number of times in a round-robin tournament. It is a common format that can be found in both sports and esports. For example, the Rocket League Championship Series uses a single round-robin for league play and the NFL uses double round-robin for divisional play.

Swiss

A Swiss tournament pairs entrants together every round according to current standings.

Due to pairing, a Swiss tournament requires less fixtures than a round-robin.

The suggested minimum number of rounds is log₂(number of entrants). Swiss Triangle calculates the minimum number of rounds and visualizes the Swiss format.

Pairing Rules

TK

Offshoots

CSGO Majors Entrants: 4–64

Examples: Super Swiss Royale, ELEAGUE Major 2017

Pros

  • Entrants are guaranteed a number of fixtures.
  • Entrants are not immediately eliminated upon a loss.
  • Entrants are rewarded for consistent results.
  • A well selected prioritized list of tiebreakers results in an accurate final ranking.

Cons

  • (Round-robin) The total number of rounds increases as the number of entrants increase. _ This can be mitigated by splitting entrants into smaller groups (See the 2018 FIFA World Cup)._ A poor selection of tiebreakers leads to a poor ranking of entrants. * (Swiss) A poor selection of tiebreakers results in poor pairings.
  • Entrant(s) that leave early give another entrant(s) a free fixture win. Multiple disqualifications skew standings and pairings.
  • Entrants lose interest in fixtures that do not affect standings.

Learn More