diff --git a/multiplayer-todo.md b/multiplayer-todo.md
index 6255f9f2..716fbced 100644
--- a/multiplayer-todo.md
+++ b/multiplayer-todo.md
@@ -1197,7 +1197,7 @@ the local/CI/community transport, not a silent production fallback.
 | 8.17 `[D:8.14,8.16]` | **IN PROGRESS.** Pure Go proposal policy sends a 10-second response window to every selected human, requires unanimous acceptance, applies exact decline/timeout cooldowns and ranked escalation | `server/domain/proposal.go` and adversarial fixtures cover partial/unanimous response, expiry, replay/conflict and ranked six-player/cooldown rules; casual 6→2 composition, queue precedence and allocation integration remain |
 | 8.18 `[D:8.5,8.14,8.17]` | **IN PROGRESS.** Go store layer defines PostgreSQL SERIALIZABLE whole-transaction retries and queue candidate/proposal claim SQL using `FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED` plus durable uniqueness/revision fences | `server/store/serializable.go` and tests cover retry classification and claim-boundary invariants; live PostgreSQL adapter/row decoding, Redis candidate index/repair, worker-failure and concurrent two-matcher integration tests remain |
 | 8.19 `[D:8.18]` | **IN PROGRESS.** Pure Go casual lineup requires 2–6 humans with at least one per team, fills missing slots with explicit bots, permits kickoff-only bot-slot backfill and assigns no backfill penalty/rating update | `server/domain/casual.go` covers both-team minimum, bot shape, live-play rejection and zero-penalty backfill; queue candidate selection, opt-in 10 s backfill proposals, reconnect/leave penalties and live integration remain |
-| 8.20 `[D:8.18]` | Ranked policy: exactly six verified solo humans, no bots/backfill, only `ArenaRegistry.random`; define initial no-show, proposal timeout and reconnect/abandon transitions | Ranked rejects parties/bots/backfill/elevated arenas; every pre-live failure returns five innocent players with original precedence and applies no rating |
+| 8.20 `[D:8.18]` | **IN PROGRESS.** Pure Go ranked admission requires six unique verified solo humans, rejects bots/backfill/parties, and allows only random-enabled non-elevated arenas | `server/domain/ranked.go` covers count, identity, party, bot/backfill and arena eligibility rejection; `ArenaRegistry` integration, proposal/allocation wiring and innocent-ticket restoration remain |
 | 8.21 `[D:8.5,8.20]` | **IN PROGRESS.** Pure Go rating core implements canonical Glicko-2, daily inactivity, ranked 1/3 and casual 1/N human-opponent weights, and deterministic opponent ordering | `server/domain/rating.go` has canonical/inactivity/weight/invalid-input fixtures; PostgreSQL snapshot locking, draws/OT/abandons, seasons and concurrent result transaction tests remain |
 | 8.22 `[D:8.21]` | **IN PROGRESS.** Pure Go ranked profile exposes the first ten games as provisional and keeps casual ratings outside the API | `RankedIsProvisional` covers the 0–9/10 boundary; authoritative tier derivation and UI remain |
 | 8.23 `[D:8.21]` | **IN PROGRESS.** Pure Go ranked-only season rollover compresses 25% toward 1500, clamps RD to 200–350, preserves volatility/history and is idempotent by season ID | `ApplySeasonRollover` covers compression, floor/cap and duplicate replay; PostgreSQL transaction locking and 12-week scheduler remain |
diff --git a/server/domain/ranked.go b/server/domain/ranked.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c0ae29b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/domain/ranked.go
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+package domain
+
+import "fmt"
+
+type RankedParticipant struct {
+	PlayerID   string
+	SteamID    string
+	PartyID    string
+	IsBot      bool
+	IsBackfill bool
+}
+
+type RankedArena struct {
+	RandomEnabled bool
+	ElevatedGoals bool
+}
+
+func ValidateRankedAdmission(participants []RankedParticipant, arena RankedArena) error {
+	if len(participants) != 6 || !arena.RandomEnabled || arena.ElevatedGoals {
+		return fmt.Errorf("ranked admission requirements not met")
+	}
+	seenPlayers := make(map[string]bool, len(participants))
+	seenSteam := make(map[string]bool, len(participants))
+	for _, participant := range participants {
+		if participant.PlayerID == "" || participant.SteamID == "" || participant.PartyID != "" || participant.IsBot || participant.IsBackfill || seenPlayers[participant.PlayerID] || seenSteam[participant.SteamID] {
+			return fmt.Errorf("ranked requires six unique verified solo humans")
+		}
+		seenPlayers[participant.PlayerID] = true
+		seenSteam[participant.SteamID] = true
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/server/domain/ranked_test.go b/server/domain/ranked_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0f483122
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/domain/ranked_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+package domain
+
+import "testing"
+
+func rankedParticipants() []RankedParticipant {
+	result := make([]RankedParticipant, 6)
+	for i := range result {
+		result[i] = RankedParticipant{PlayerID: string(rune('a' + i)), SteamID: string(rune('A' + i))}
+	}
+	return result
+}
+
+func TestRankedAdmissionRequiresSixUniqueVerifiedSoloHumansAndEligibleArena(t *testing.T) {
+	if err := ValidateRankedAdmission(rankedParticipants(), RankedArena{RandomEnabled: true}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	cases := []struct {
+		name string
+		edit func([]RankedParticipant, *RankedArena)
+	}{
+		{"five players", func(p []RankedParticipant, _ *RankedArena) { p[5].PlayerID = "" }},
+		{"party", func(p []RankedParticipant, _ *RankedArena) { p[0].PartyID = "party-1" }},
+		{"bot", func(p []RankedParticipant, _ *RankedArena) { p[0].IsBot = true }},
+		{"backfill", func(p []RankedParticipant, _ *RankedArena) { p[0].IsBackfill = true }},
+		{"duplicate identity", func(p []RankedParticipant, _ *RankedArena) { p[1].SteamID = p[0].SteamID }},
+		{"random disabled", func(_ []RankedParticipant, a *RankedArena) { a.RandomEnabled = false }},
+		{"elevated arena", func(_ []RankedParticipant, a *RankedArena) { a.ElevatedGoals = true }},
+	}
+	for _, test := range cases {
+		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			participants := rankedParticipants()
+			arena := RankedArena{RandomEnabled: true}
+			test.edit(participants, &arena)
+			if err := ValidateRankedAdmission(participants, arena); err == nil {
+				t.Fatal("invalid ranked admission accepted")
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}