WBSC Softball World Cup Tournament Regulations: New tie-break system starts in Hermosillo
The WBSC Men's Softball World Cup, which is set to open in Hermosillo on Wednesday with Group A play, will become the first Softball World Cup to play under the new Tournament Regulations, which include some important updates.
One of the biggest changes in the Softball World Cup Tournament Regulations 2024 is the implementation of the Team's Quality Balance (TQB) to break ties among multiple teams.
You can find the new WBSC Softball World Cup Tournament Regulations here.
Tie-breaking
The tie-breaking system is probably the most relevant change in the Softball World Cups in 2024, with the implementation of the Team's Quality Balance (TQB), a more comprehensive and fair system that includes both offensive and defensive stats, and also the number of innings played.
The change also contributes to increasing consistency across all WBSC tournaments (baseball events have been using TQB for the last 11 years) and helps prevent competition manipulation.
The TQB is a number, which is the remainder between the runs scored per inning (runs scored / innings played at bat) and the runs allowed per inning (runs allowed / innings playing on defence). The teams tied will be ordered from highest to lowest placing.
According to the tournament regulations, all ties shall be settled in the order of the following list. That is, if criteria (1) does not break the tie, then it is no longer considered the criteria capable of breaking the tie, and the next criteria (2) will be used. This logic continues through the list, in order, until the tie is broken:
1. The team that won the game(s) between the teams tied shall be given the higher position.
2. Team's Quality Balance (TQB) and win-loss records in games between the teams tied.
NOTE: If three or more teams are tied and when criteria 1 does not break a tie, the team with the highest TQB will be placed in the first spot. The TQB is calculated as follows: (runs scored / innings played at bat) – (runs allowed / innings playing on defence). For a three-way tie and when the TQB is needed to break the tie, the TQB will place all three teams from highest to lowest placing.
3. The team that has the best Earned Runs Team's Quality Balance (ER-TQB).
4. Highest batting average in games between the teams tied.
5. A coin toss.
Among the other changes, the new document details how a champion is determined in case the tournament cannot be completed, taking into consideration the different tournament formats and stages.
The doping control section also has some modifications, with a more detailed procedure and set of rules, a more specific set of infractions, fines, and suspensions, and minor changes to the appeal process and notification delivery.