Wondering how to implement the renowned Swiss bracket tournament format used in top esports events like Counter-Strike Majors and League of Legends Worlds? Let us walk you through the process using Toornament.com in our latest guide.
Understanding the Swiss Bracket Format
The Swiss bracket format is designed to match participants based on their performance, allowing them to compete against others of similar skill levels. Unlike single elimination tournaments, where one loss can eliminate a player, the Swiss system ensures all participants continue competing throughout the event.
Participants with at least 3 wins advance to the next stage, while those with 3 losses are eliminated. Decisive matches are often played in a best-of-three format.
Here is a visual representation of the Swiss bracket format from a recent CS2 Major tournament:
Illustration created by Thebrainypole on Reddit
Implementing the Swiss Bracket on Toornament.com
To demonstrate, we recreated the CS2 Major tournament from March 2024 on Toornament.com. You can view the tournament’s public page here.
1. Creating and Configuring the Tournament
Start by creating your tournament on Toornament.com and then proceed to configure the Swiss bracket stage by selecting the “Duel > Swiss System” format in the “Structure” section. Make sure to set the pairing method to Manual and points distribution to 1 for a win, 0 for a draw, and loss.
2. Placing Participants in the Swiss Bracket
Once the stages are created, you can place participants in the first round from the “Placement” section.
3. Setting Up the First Round
Edit your Swiss bracket stage to configure the first round. Define the match format and enter the initial seeding numbers for each participant.
4. Entering Scores for the First Round
After configuring the first round, enter the match results from the “Matches” section and update the ranking accordingly.
5. Managing Subsequent Rounds
Repeat the process for each subsequent round, adjusting match formats as necessary. Enter scores for each match and update the rankings.
6. Streamlining the Tournament
As you progress through the rounds, you can reduce the number of matches by eliminating teams no longer needed in the stage.
7. Finalizing the Tournament
Complete the tournament by organizing the Playoff stage, distributing qualified participants, entering match scores, and finalizing the rankings.
Congratulations on successfully managing your tournament in the style of top esports events like CS2 Majors and League of Legends Worlds! Feel free to test the format and reach out if you have any questions.