The ESL continues to update the format of its tournaments and in 2025 will introduce changes to the team seeding system. In particular, ESL will return the seeding system first tested at the IEM Katowice Major 2019, which allows teams to independently evaluate their opponents.

This system will be used in the Swiss format chosen for the ESL Pro League 2025, replacing the traditional group stage formats. The tournament will be divided into three stages: Stage 1, Stage 2, and the playoffs, which will introduce new seeding rules.

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The essence of Team Selected Seeding

In the first and second stages of the Swiss tournament, teams will be able to rank their opponents based on their skill level. Each team will evaluate its 15 opponents, and initial rankings will be created based on these evaluations. Ratings that deviate significantly from the overall results of other teams will be disqualified to avoid possible manipulation attempts.

Live Ratings

After the initial ratings are created, teams will be assigned points based on a system similar to the ELO rating. In each round of the Swiss format, the seeding will be updated according to the results of the matches. Teams will compete with each other based on the updated rankings, and repeat matches in one stage will be excluded.

This system will help to better reflect the current form of the team. For example, if the team with the latest ranking defeats the leader, its ranking will increase significantly.

Application of seeding for the ESL Pro League 2025

Team Selected Seeding will be used to create the starting ranking and form the matches for the first and second stages of the tournament. The rankings will be updated after each round of the Swiss system, and for the playoffs, the seeding will be based on the results of the second stage and the updated rankings to resolve possible ties.

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What will change in other ESL tournaments

As for other events, such as ESL Pro Tour Championship and Masters, the seeding system will remain almost unchanged. The only important change will be the use of Global Valve Regional Standings instead of ESL World Ranking to determine the initial seeding of teams before the tournament.

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Source: ESL