Clasificatorios

Clasificatorios is a term used to describe rounds, matches, or stages whose main function is to determine which participants, teams, or entities advance to the next phase of a competition or process. The concept is widely used in sports but also appears in educational and recruitment settings.

In sports, the clasificatorios or “qualifying rounds” decide which competitors proceed to the main event or tournament. They can be organized as knockout eliminations, group stages, or a combination of both. Formats may involve home-and-away legs, single matches, or neutral venues, and can be regional, national, or continental, depending on the sport and organizing body. Examples include World Cup or continental championship qualifiers, regional tournaments, and preliminary rounds for major events in tennis and other sports. The criteria for advancement typically depend on wins and losses, points, goal difference, or ranking, with specific tie-break rules applied as needed.

In education and recruitment, clasificatorios often refer to examinations or assessment processes used to place applicants into courses, programs, or levels, or to select a limited number of candidates for admission. These evaluations aim to determine readiness, prerequisites, or potential to succeed in a particular track, sometimes supplementing prior qualifications or grades.

Terminology and rules vary across disciplines and organizations, but the core idea remains: clasificatorios are preliminary stages designed to filter a larger pool of contestants into a smaller, qualifying group for the next phase.

See also: clasificación, fase de clasificación, rondas clasificatorias, pruebas de clasificación.