What is Seeding?
Seeding ranks teams before the tournament. The #1 seed is the strongest team, #2 is second strongest, etc. This ranking determines bracket placement.
Why Seeding Matters
Without seeding, top teams might meet in round 1 (bad luck of the draw). With seeding, #1 and #2 can only meet in the final. It creates more competitive matches throughout.
How to Rank Teams
Use objective criteria: last season's finish, current league position, or head-to-head record. For casual tournaments, go by experience or enter teams randomly.
Bracket Placement Rules
Standard placement ensures balanced quarters. In 16-team bracket: 1v16, 8v9, 5v12, 4v13, 6v11, 3v14, 7v10, 2v15. Seeds 1 and 2 are in opposite halves.
TournaCore applies this automatically when you generate brackets with seeding enabled.
Seeding with Groups
For groups + knockout, use "pots". Put top seeds in Pot 1, next tier in Pot 2, etc. Draw one team from each pot per group. This spreads strength evenly.