How does a breaking competition get from a hundred breakers to one winner?
I · Intermediate · The battle · 3 of 8In up to four phases. A pre-selection of solo auditions cuts a large entry down. A pre-qualifier of two-round battles, seeded by ranking, reduces it to 16. The 16 are put in four groups of four for a round robin. The top two of each group then go into a knock-out from the top 8 to the final.
How it works
- Phase 1, pre-selection: an audition of solo performances, in heats of four breakers one after another. It is skipped when the entry is exactly 8, 16, 32, 64 or 128.
- How many go through: 16 from an entry of 17 to 48, 32 from 49 to 96, 64 from 97 to 192 and 128 from a larger entry.
- Exemptions: with more than 64 entered, the best 16 on the world ranking list skip the pre-selection. Only breakers in the top 50 can be exempt.
- Phase 2, pre-qualifier: two-round battles, first against last by ranking: 1 against 32, 2 against 31 and so on.
- A tie after two rounds: the votes decide. If the votes are level too, a third round is danced.
- Phase 3, round robin: the top 16 in four groups of four, seeded so that group A has the 1st, 8th, 9th and 16th. Everyone battles everyone in the group, over two rounds.
- Group ranking: by rounds won, then votes received, then earlier rankings, then a draw.
- Phase 4, knock-out: the top two of each group. The top 8 is best of three. The semi-finals, the battle for third place and the final are three-round battles.
The glossary has the pre-selection, the pre-qualifier, the round robin, the knock-out and the heat.
Tricky cases
Is the round robin always held?
No. It is not compulsory at the two lower series of events, where the knock-out may continue in the best of three format.
In the round robin, can a battle end one round each?
Yes. Battles there have two rounds, and a breaker's ranking in the group is built from rounds won and then votes received.
Does a world-ranked breaker have to audition?
It depends on the size of the entry and the ranking. With more than 64 entered, the best 16 who are also in the world top 50 go straight to the pre-qualifier.
A breaker who reached the top 8 is injured before it starts. Who takes the place?
The next breaker in the ranking of the same round robin group. Once the knock-out has begun, nobody is replaced.
Why the rule exists
An open entry can run to hundreds, and a full battle for everyone would take days. Auditions thin the field quickly. The round robin then gives the best 16 three battles each, so that one bad round does not send a favourite home, before the knock-out takes over.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World and continental championships, World Series | All four phases, with the Olympic format from the top 16 | BRRM 3.4.2; BRRM 3.4.3 |
| International Series and Challenge Series | The round robin may be replaced by best of three knock-outs | BRRM 5.1.3 |
| Groups with a breaker missing | Battles in a group of three have three rounds, and in a group of two, four | BRRM Appendix I |
From the rule book
World DanceSport Federation, Breaking Rules and Regulations Manual, version 4 (January 2023), sections 3.4, 5.1.1 to 5.1.4 and Appendix I. Checked 14 October 2026. This version has been superseded; check the current manual. Official document: WDSF Breaking Rules and Regulations Manual (PDF).