How do we decide how tough a tournament is?
Published Oct 1, 2026 · by TourneyMagic
Every team's rating comes from games that were actually played: who they played, whether they won, and by how much. Beating a strong team counts for more than beating a weak one, and a close loss to a top team can still move you up.
Teams play at lots of different events and meet each other along the way. Those games link everything onto one scale, so a field in one town can be compared with a field two hours away.
A tournament's strength is simply the teams signed up for it. That's how TourneyMagic shows which fields near you will challenge your team, and which won't.
No fees, no sponsorships, no self-reported records. Early in a season, when teams have played only a few games, ratings lean on last season's results until new ones come in. Ratings update every week.
The full method: how field ratings work