POOL & FINALS SEEDING
4 POOLS – QUARTERFINAL SEEDING
Top 2 teams from each pool progress to the Quarterfinals.
QF1: A1 vs B2
QF2: C1 vs D2
QF3: B1 vs A2
QF4: D1 vs C2
Pre-Tournament Seeding
Pool A: #1 Best Team
Pool B: #2
Pool D: #3
Pool C: #4
If results follow seeding:
SF1: #1 vs #4
SF2: #2 vs #3
This ensures the two strongest teams (#1 and #2) cannot meet until the Gold Medal Match.
3 POOLS – QUARTERFINAL SEEDING
The top 2 teams from each pool qualify automatically, plus the two highest-ranked 3rd-place teams.
The two additional qualifiers are:
Wild Card 1: Highest-ranked 3rd-place team
Wild Card 2: Second-highest-ranked 3rd-place team
Quarterfinals
QF1: A1 vs Wild Card 2
QF2: C1 vs B2
QF3: B1 vs Wild Card 1
QF4: A2 vs C2
Pre-Tournament Seeding
Pool A: #1 Best Team
Pool B: #2 Best Team
Pool C: #3 Best Team, if applicable
This separates the two strongest teams so that, assuming they win their pools and continue winning, they cannot meet until the Gold Medal Match.
Wild Card Ranking – Equal Pool Sizes
If all pools contain the same number of teams:
1. Total Wins
2. Overall Point Differential
3. Point Differential vs 1st-place team in their own pool
4. Point Differential vs 2nd-place team in their own pool
5. Coin Flip
Wild Card Ranking – Unequal Pool Sizes
If the pools contain different numbers of teams:
1. Win Percentage
2. Points Won Percentage
3. Point Differential vs 1st-place team in their own pool
4. Point Differential vs 2nd-place team in their own pool
5. Coin Flip
Points Won Percentage = Points Scored ÷ (Points Scored + Points Conceded) × 100
Point Differential = Points Scored − Points Conceded
Same-Pool Rematches
A team should not play a team from its own pool in the Quarterfinals.
If the Wild Card placement creates a same-pool rematch, adjust the Wild Card opponent while maintaining the intended bracket separation.
2 POOLS – QUARTERFINAL SEEDING
Top 4 teams from each pool progress to the Quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals
QF1: A1 vs B4
QF2: B2 vs A3
QF3: B1 vs A4
QF4: A2 vs B3
Pre-Tournament Seeding
Pool A: #1 Best Team
Pool B: #2 Best Team
This places the two strongest teams on opposite sides of the knockout bracket.
Assuming both win their pools:
A1 → QF1 → SF1
B1 → QF3 → SF2
Therefore, the two strongest teams cannot meet until the Gold Medal Match.
2 POOLS – SEMIFINAL SEEDING
No Quarterfinals
Top 2 teams from each pool progress directly to the Semifinals.
Semifinals
SF1: A1 vs B2
SF2: B1 vs A2
Pre-Tournament Seeding
Pool A: #1 Best Team
Pool B: #2 Best Team
SF1 Winner vs SF2 Winner → Gold Medal Match
SF1 Loser vs SF2 Loser → Bronze Medal Match
This ensures that if the two strongest teams win their respective pools, they cannot meet until the Gold Medal Match.
5 POOLS – ROUND OF 16
The top 3 teams from each pool qualify automatically.
This provides 15 automatic qualifiers:
A1–A3, B1–B3, C1–C3, D1–D3 and E1–E3
The highest-ranked 4th-place team becomes Wild Card 1, creating the 16th qualifier.
Round of 16
R16-1: A1 vs E3
R16-2: E1 vs B3
R16-3: C1 vs A3
R16-4: B2 vs D2
R16-5: B1 vs C3
R16-6: A2 vs E2
R16-7: D1 vs Wild Card 1
R16-8: C2 vs D3
Quarterfinal Progression
QF1: Winner R16-1 vs Winner R16-2
QF2: Winner R16-3 vs Winner R16-4
QF3: Winner R16-5 vs Winner R16-6
QF4: Winner R16-7 vs Winner R16-8
Semifinal Progression
SF1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF2
SF2: Winner QF3 vs Winner QF4
Medal Matches
Gold Medal: Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2
Bronze Medal: Loser SF1 vs Loser SF2
Pre-Tournament Seeding
Pool A: #1 Best Team
Pool B: #2 Best Team
Pool D: #3 Best Team
Pool C: #4 Best Team
If results follow seeding:
SF1: #1 vs #4
SF2: #2 vs #3
Potential Gold Medal Match: #1 vs #2
This gives the four strongest teams the maximum possible separation. The top four cannot meet before the Semifinals, while #1 and #2 cannot meet until the Gold Medal Match.
Wild Card 1 Ranking – Equal Pool Sizes
1. Total Wins
2. Overall Point Differential
3. Point Differential vs 1st-place team in their own pool
4. Point Differential vs 2nd-place team in their own pool
5. Coin Flip
Wild Card 1 Ranking – Unequal Pool Sizes
1. Win Percentage
2. Points Won Percentage
3. Point Differential vs 1st-place team in their own pool
4. Point Differential vs 2nd-place team in their own pool
5. Coin Flip
Points Won Percentage = Points Scored ÷ (Points Scored + Points Conceded) × 100
Point Differential = Points Scored − Points Conceded
Same-Pool Rematches
Teams should not face a team from their own pool in the Round of 16.
If Wild Card 1 creates a same-pool matchup, move the Wild Card to an appropriate matchup against a team from another pool while preserving the positions of the principal seeded teams.
GENERAL KNOCKOUT RULE
Once the initial knockout bracket has been established, follow the arrows through the remainder of the bracket. Do not re-seed after each round.
Round of 16 → Quarterfinals → Semifinals → Gold/Bronze Medal Matches
INTERNAL POOL RANKINGS
POOL RANKINGS
1. Total Wins
2. Head-to-Head
3. Overall Point Differential
4. Head-to-Head Point Differential
5. Point Differential vs Next-Highest Ranked Team