The format you choose decides how many matches you need, how long the day runs, how fair the result feels and how many players go home after one game. This guide explains the five formats organisers use most, with the match count for each so you can plan courts and time.
The formats at a glance
- Single elimination: lose once and you are out. Needs n−1 matches. Fastest, least forgiving.
- Double elimination: you are out after two losses. Needs between 2n−2 and 2n−1 matches. Fairer, but longer and harder to schedule.
- Round robin: everyone plays everyone. Needs n(n−1)/2 matches. Fairest, but grows very quickly.
- Pool play then knockout: small round-robin groups feed a single elimination bracket. The most common format for medium and large events.
- Swiss system: a fixed number of rounds where you meet players with a similar record. Used in chess and card games, and rarely in combat sports.
Single elimination
Players are paired in a bracket and the loser of each match is out. The winner is the last player standing. With 16 players you need 15 matches over four rounds.
- Choose it when: you have many entrants, limited time or courts, or a spectator event where every match matters.
- Watch out for: half the field plays only one match, and a strong player can be knocked out early by a bad draw. Seeding the best players apart helps. If the number of players is not a power of two (8, 16, 32), some players receive a bye in round one. See how to create a single elimination bracket.
Double elimination
Players move to a losers' bracket after a first defeat and are only out after a second. The winner of the losers' bracket then meets the winner of the winners' bracket in the final. Many events let the winners' bracket champion lose once in the final and play again (a "bracket reset"), which is why the total can be 2n−2 or 2n−1 matches.
- Choose it when: you want a fairer result than single elimination but cannot afford a full round robin, for example in esports or a club championship.
- Watch out for: it takes roughly twice as many matches as single elimination, the schedule is harder to explain, and players in the losers' bracket may wait a long time between games.
Round robin
Every player or team plays every other player once, and the winner is decided on points or record. The number of matches is n(n−1)/2: 28 for eight players, 120 for sixteen.
- Choose it when: the group is small (usually up to six or eight), you want everyone to get several matches, or you are running a league or training event.
- Watch out for: large groups need far too many matches. You also need clear tie-break rules, such as head to head, points difference or points scored. Agree them before the event. For a detailed comparison, read round robin vs single elimination.
Pool play followed by a knockout
Players are split into small groups, each group plays a round robin, and the top finishers go into a single elimination bracket. Four pools of four give 24 pool matches, and eight qualifiers then need 7 more knockout matches.
- Choose it when: you have a medium or large field and want everyone to play at least a few matches before the knockout drama begins.
- Watch out for: deciding how many qualify from each pool, how ties are broken, and how pool winners are placed in the bracket so they do not meet too early.
Swiss system
Everyone plays a fixed number of rounds, and in each round you are paired with someone who has a similar score. Nobody is eliminated. The number of rounds is often around the base-2 logarithm of the number of players, rounded up, so five or six rounds for 32 players.
- Choose it when: you have a big field, want every player to play every round and do not need a knockout, as in chess or card tournaments.
- Watch out for: the pairing rules are more complex, so it is best run with software. It is less common in combat sports, which usually prefer elimination or a repechage.
Match counts by field size
- 8 players: single elimination 7, double elimination 14 or 15, round robin 28.
- 16 players: single elimination 15, double elimination 30 or 31, round robin 120.
- 32 players: single elimination 31, double elimination 62 or 63, round robin 496.
Multiply the match count by the time per match, then divide by the number of courts or mats you have, to estimate how long the day will take. Allow time for breaks and delays.
A quick way to choose
- Fewer than 8 players, everyone should play several matches: round robin.
- 8 to 16 players and a clear winner by the end of the day: single elimination, or pool play and a knockout if you have time.
- More than 16 players and limited courts: single elimination, or pools plus a knockout.
- You want a second chance for players: double elimination, or a repechage in combat sports where the beaten finalists' opponents get a path to bronze.
- A big field where nobody should go home early: Swiss.
Tell players the format before the day
Whatever you choose, publish the format, the tie-break rules and the schedule before the event. Most complaints at tournaments come from players who did not know how winners would be decided.
Build your bracket
ScoreBracket generates single elimination brackets, round-robin groups and combined group-plus-knockout formats, with seeding and byes handled for you. The other formats described above are general guidance for planning your event. See the full feature list to check what is supported.