1. Round Robin (Group Stage)

32 teams are placed into 8 groups (A–H).
Each team plays all opponents within their group.

2. Advancement Rules

• 1st Place → Automatically qualifies for Top‑16

• 2nd & 3rd Place → Enter the Play‑In Round

• 4th Place → Eliminated from the tournament

3. Play‑In Round

Cross‑group matchups (A↔H, B↔G, C↔F, D↔E).
Winners advance to fill the remaining slots in the Top‑16 bracket.
Each group winner (GA‑1, GB‑1, etc.) receives one Play‑In winner into their quadrant.

4. Single-Elimination Bracket

Advancing teams compete through the knockout rounds:

• Top‑16

• Top‑8

• Semi‑Finals

• Finals & 3rd Placing