Elite League and PGL Wallachia according to the swiss system: how this format works in Dota 2

Two big tournaments are about to start: EliteLeague and PGL Wallachia: Season 1, which will be held according to the swiss system, but many people do not know how this format works. What is it?

The swiss tournament system is a system that allows you to determine the best teams in a shorter period of time than the usual round robin system. For example, a team will never meet its opponent on the battlefield for the second time, which reduces the number of matches played by several times.

The battles begin with the first stage, consisting of five rounds, where 16 teams take part, which will soon be divided into pairs. Teams with a 1-0 record play teams with the same statistics, 2-0 teams play with 2-0 teams, 2-1 teams play with 2-1 teams, and so on. After three wins, a team enters the playoffs, and after three losses, it is eliminated.

Rounds:

1. The 16 teams are randomly paired and play against each other in a best-of-3 format, where the teams finish the match with points for a win (1-0) or a loss (0-1).
2. The teams are again divided into pairs, but into two groups of 8 teams: the winners and the losers.
3. In the third round, the teams are eliminated. Four teams with a 2-0 record are paired. The winners advance to the playoffs, while the losers advance to the fourth round. Four more teams, if they win, but with a negative score of 0-2, also advance to round 4, while the losers leave the battlefield. The remaining 8 teams with a 1-1 record play matches and move on. 
4. Here, 6 teams with a score of 2-1 play, the winners get a slot in the playoffs, and the losers advance to the fifth round. In the same round, 6 teams with 1-2 statistics meet. The winners advance to the fifth round, the losers go home. 
5. In the fifth round, the 6 teams that tied with a score of 2-2 fight for the last chance to win a place in the playoffs. The losers leave the tournament. 

One of the first major tournaments to use the swiss system was The Kyiv Major in 2017. However, during the group stage, no one left the tournament and the format served only as a means of determining the pairs for the playoffs. The following year, The Bucharest Major 2018 took place, where all series in the group stage were played in the best-of-1 format, where teams had virtually no room for error, as they could be eliminated after losing three games in a row and leave with nothing. But at ESL One Germany 2020, the organizers used the classic swiss system.

Earlier, Cyberscore.live reported that the organizers of the EliteLeague gave direct invites to the tournament to some teams, and the organizers of PGL Wallachia 2024: Season 1 followed suit.