Qualifying Rounds
Format: Qualifying will consist of 8 rounds of group matchplay, with each round featuring 2 games, totaling 16 games.
Group Structure: Players will compete in 4-player or 3-player groups.
4-Player Groups: IFPA scoring (7/5/3/1).
3-Player Groups: IFPA scoring (7/4/1).
Pairing & Arena Assignment: Balanced pairing, random playing order, and balanced arena assignment will be used.

Tiebreakers

Key Situations:
For critical scenarios such as earning a bye, advancing to the finals, or progressing within the finals, tiebreakers will be resolved using a randomly selected arena via Matchplay. This can include banned games.

All Other Situations:
Ties for seeding and less critical places will be resolved automatically, based on the number of 1st and 2nd place finishes.
Example: If a machine is banned in the finals and 3rd and 4th seeds in the group are tied, the pick goes to the player with the greater number of 1st-place finishes, followed by 2nd-place finishes.

Finals Structure
Player Count Over 32
Top 16:

Player Count Over 24:
Top 12 Players Advance: The top 4 receive a bye in the first round.

Top 12 Finals Breakdown:

Quarterfinals:
Group Q1: Seeds 5, 8, 9, and 12.
Group Q2: Seeds 6, 7, 10, and 11.
Top 2 players from each group advance to the semifinals.

Semifinals:
Group S1: Seeds 1, 4, and top 2 qualifiers from QF
Group S2: Seeds 2, 3, and top 2 qualifiers from QF
The top 2 players from each group advance to the finals.

Player Count 24 or Fewer:
Top 8 Players Advance: No byes are given.

Top 8 Finals Breakdown:

Semifinals:
Group S1: Seeds 1, 4, 5, and 8.
Group S2: Seeds 2, 3, 6, and 7.
The top 2 players from each group advance to the finals.

Finals:
The top 2 players from each semifinal group compete in the final round.

Game Selection & Banning

Quarterfinals:
Top 2 seeds in each group may select games but cannot ban games.

Semifinals:
Top 2 seeds in each group may choose or ban games. A maximum of 2 games can be banned per group.
Once a game is selected or banned, it is unavailable for the remainder of the competition/
If a machine is banned, the next highest seed in the group gains the choice.

Sudden-Death Tiebreakers
In the event of a tie during finals progression (e.g., advancing to the next round or determining the winner), a sudden-death match will be played on a randomly selected machine.
Software: The finals will be managed using Matchplay software.

Final Standings:
Final standings are determined by the round in which a player is eliminated.

Players eliminated in the same round are ranked against one another based on their performance in that specific round, using Matchplay points.

Scores are not cumulative across multiple rounds of the finals. Each round is treated independently.
Example: If two players are eliminated in the semifinals, their ranking will be based on the Matchplay points earned during the semifinal round only.

For players who advance to the final round, their standings will be based on their Matchplay scores in the finals
If there is a tie in the finals e.g. for podium finishes see key situation tiebreaker rules.