The draw rule and the draw experience are different things. The rule is the sporting logic of the distribution. The experience is how the draw is presented (fast, as a show, or scheduled). You choose them separately.
Random draw
No constraints are applied; teams are distributed entirely at random. It is available in every tournament and is the default method.
Seeded draw
You give certain teams a seeding number. The draw then avoids putting teams of the same seed into the same group, so strong teams do not meet in the first round.
How long does seed protection last?
Only for the initial distribution. For instance, with four groups and four seeded teams, each group receives one seeded team in the first draw. Once teams have played and advanced, being seeded gives no further draw advantage: no new seeded draw is made for a later knockout stage, and the bracket is not redistributed by the original seeding. The pairings are decided by the results on the pitch and the tournament’s advancement rules.
Pot draw
You split teams into pots. The draw then gives every group one team from each pot. This is the method you know from international tournaments.
What is the difference between a pot and a seed?
- Seed
- Marks a single team’s strength. The rule says “teams of the same level must not share a group”.
- Pot
- Clusters teams by level. The rule says “every group gets one team from every cluster”.
In practice a pot draw is the clustered form of seeding logic; it balances the group distribution more strongly.
Who sees the seeding and pot layout?
The seeding and pot layout is a management setting that lives on the Draw page. It does not leak to presentation-draw viewers or to the public page — unless you have switched seeding visibility on in Tournament Settings, viewers see only the process and the result.
Once the draw is official the seeding and pot layout cannot be changed, because they are the inputs of the official draw. To change them you must undo the draw first.
Seeded and pot draws are package-dependent. If your package does not cover them the option appears locked; a random draw is always available.