Tie-breaks: how places are split on equal points

Esports: head-to-head first

In Dota 2, CS2, Valorant, League of Legends and Brawl Stars, the team that won the direct match ranks higher on equal points. With three or more tied teams, only wins in matches between them count, and map difference across the whole table comes after that.

In the illustration four teams have two points each. Dire Wolves and Radiant Dawn won two matches within that group, and Dire Wolves are higher because they beat Radiant Dawn. Roshan Pit ranks above Mid or Feed for the same reason.

Tennis: ITF rules

In a tennis group stage, a tie between two players is decided by their head-to-head. With three or more tied, head-to-head no longer decides anything: the percentage of sets won across all group matches counts, then the percentage of games. If two are still level after that, head-to-head decides between them again. For a tie-break tournament you can switch tennis to “Simple score” and play to 7 or 10 points without changing the sport.

Table tennis: ITTF and national rules

A group of players level on points is sorted only by the matches inside that group: points, then game ratio, then point ratio. When the game ratio decides a place, it is shown as a small chip above the points — like the ratio column in a paper protocol.

Volleyball: wins first

Under FIVB rules, a volleyball place is decided by the number of wins, with ranking points second. Then come the set ratio, the point ratio, and only after that the results of matches between the tied teams. So a team with four wins ranks above a team with three, even with fewer points.

Shared places

If participants are equal on every criterion, they share a place, as in official results: “1, 2, 2, 4”. Alphabetical order only sorts rows in the table, never the place number. Places are shared the same way in individual team-chess standings and in padel Americano.

Your own ranking order

The sport's standard does not suit everyone: amateur league rules often say something else, for example “on equal wins, head-to-head decides”. The organizer can set that order.

1. Open “Format & rules” in the tournament and find the “Ranking order” block below the points scheme.
2. Choose “Custom order”: the sport's standard becomes the starting list of criteria.
3. Reorder criteria with the arrows or drag a row with the mouse. The cross removes a criterion, the “+” buttons below the list add missing ones.

Criteria apply top to bottom: the next one decides only when the previous ones are tied. The set depends on the sport and the way the score is entered: ranking points, wins, head-to-head, set difference and ratio, game, point or goal difference and ratio, scored and conceded, and the Sonneborn–Berger score in chess. If participants are equal on every criterion, the higher seed ranks higher. The table and the Standings tab update right after saving.

A custom order works in round robin and in the group stage of “Groups + …” formats. The Swiss system and the league phase use their own format rules and have no such setting. Once the first match of the second stage is played, the group order is locked: group places have already sent participants further. The “Standard” button brings back the sport's rules.

What about chess?

In chess, players level on points are split by the Sonneborn–Berger score. It is covered in detail in the chess tournament article.