qualifying rounds
Elimination before finals
Qualifying rounds are preliminary competitions that determine which competitors advance to the main event.
In tournaments, athletes or teams must first survive qualifying rounds before reaching later stages where titles are decided: She dominated the qualifying rounds but struggled in the finals.
The term applies across sports, from Olympic heats to golf tournaments to esports brackets.
Initial preparatory actions
- heatsIncreases temperature
- eliminationsActs of removing
- bracketsMarks setting off text
- seedingsPreliminary competition rankings
group stage · knockout · matchups · fixtures · draw · pool play · time trials · repechage
Sequential forward movement
- eliminationAct of removing entirely
- advancingMoving in forward direction
- promotionRank increase or publicity
- survivalRemaining alive against odds
move up · seed · bracket · breakthrough · cutoff · threshold · making it · going through
Evaluative selection process
- shortlistCulled selection for review
- criteriaStandards for judgment
- eligibilityState of meeting criteria
- evaluationDetermining worth or quality
standards · requirements · filtering · cut · pool · candidates · preliminary · sifting
preliminaries
Initial preparatory actions
- heatsIncreases temperature
- eliminationsActs of removing
- bracketsMarks setting off text
seedings · group stage · knockout · matchups · fixtures · draw · pool play · time trials · repechage · wildcard
progression
Sequential forward movement
- eliminationAct of removing entirely
- advancingMoving in forward direction
- promotionRank increase or publicity
survival · move up · seed · bracket · breakthrough · cutoff · threshold · making it · going through · berth
screening
Evaluative selection process
- shortlistCulled selection for review
- criteriaStandards for judgment
- eligibilityState of meeting criteria
evaluation · standards · requirements · filtering · cut · pool · candidates · preliminary · sifting · threshold
nerves
Tense apprehension
- tensionStretched or strained state
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
strain · urgency · intensity · expectation · stakes · clutch · do-or-die · jitters · composure · focus
- sports tournamentschampionship games, playoff series, elimination rounds, title matches, state finals
- OlympicsOlympics, Olympic Games, Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics, Olympic medal
- Soccergoal, soccer, pass, football, goalkeeper
- competitionscontests, tournaments, match, matches, game
- archeryarrow, bow, bows, arrows, archer
- International SoccerFIFA World Cup, World Cup, UEFA Euro, Copa America, Champions League
qualifying roundsfinals
Concluding tests or matches
final round · championship match · grand final · championship game · title match
qualifying roundschampionship
Competition for top rank
title bout · final showdown · winner-take-all · sudden death
round, qualify, qualified, unqualified, qualification, qualifying, disqualify, qualifications, qualifier