ESL announce seeding change for 2025

ESL has announced changes to their tournament seeding system for 2025, introducing a more team-influenced approach to their competitive structure. This update comes as part of the organization's broader changes to the ESL Pro Tour format.

The new system brings back two key features that were first tested at IEM Chicago in 2018 and later successfully implemented at the IEM Katowice Major in 2019: Team Selected Seeding and Live Ratings. These changes will particularly impact the ESL Pro League, which is transitioning to a Swiss Tournament Format.

Under the Team Selected Seeding system, teams will play an active role in determining initial rankings. Each of the sixteen teams participating in Stage 1 and Stage 2 will rank their fifteen opponents based on perceived skill level. To maintain fairness and prevent potential manipulation, any ranking votes that significantly deviate from the consensus (for example, ranking a widely acknowledged top team as #15) will be discarded.

The Live Ratings system adds to the tournament structure. After the initial seeding is established, teams receive ELO-like points based on their positions. These ratings aren't static - they update after each match during the Swiss rounds. This means a team's tournament performance directly influences their subsequent matchups, though the system prevents teams from facing the same opponent twice.

For the ESL Pro League specifically, the seeding system will work across three stages:

• Stages 1 and 2 will use Team Selected Seeding to establish initial matchups

• During the Swiss rounds, Live Ratings will replace the previously used Buchholz system

• Playoff seeding will be determined by Stage 2 results, with Live Ratings serving as a tiebreaker (for instance, when multiple teams finish with identical records like 3-0)