Below, you will find a short description of the tournament mode:
Pool play
During pool play, teams will be assigned to four groups of three teams each. They will play a round robin, i.e. each team will face every other team in its group once. Group winners directly qualify for the quarterfinals. Second and third place finishers can still qualify for the quarterfinals in a play-in round. Teams will be awarded three points for a win, one point for a tie and no points for a loss. Group placement will be determined by (in descending order)
- points
- direct comparison
- goal difference
- goals scored
- fewest goals conceded
- coin toss
Play-In
Second and third place finishers will play each other in the play-in round. Winners will advance to the quarterfinals. Losers will play for places 9-12 in the Lower Bracket.
Lower Bracket
Teams will compete for places 9-12 in the Lower Bracket. Each team will play once against every other team. The tie break procedure is identical to the one outlined above.
Quarterfinals
In the quarterfinals, teams will qualify for the upper or mid bracket. The group winners will face the winners of the play-in games. The winners of the quarterfinal games will play the semifinals, the third place game and the final in the Upper Bracket. Losing teams will play for places 5-8 in the Mid Bracket.
Mid Bracket
The quarterfinal losers will play each other. The losers of these games will compete for 7th place, the winners for 5 th place.
Upper Bracket
The quarterfinal winners will play for a place in the final. The losers of the semifinal games will compete for 3rd place. The winners will advance to the final and play for the tournament title.
Tie after game time
In case of a tie in play-in, quarterfinal, mid bracket and upper bracket games, a shoot-out will determine the winner.
