Single-Elimination Bracket

A single-elimination tournament (also known as a knockout tournament or the sudden-death tournament) is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match (or round or game) is eliminated from the tournament. Conversely, the winners move to the next rounds until only one winner is left.

The round indicates how far the competitor has advanced in a single elimination bracket. Rounds are referred to by their power of two. During larger draws, the round of 64, or 64's, is referred to as the round with 64 players remaining. A round of 32, or 32's, is the next round with 32 participants remaining in the bracket. Round of 16, also known as the sweet 16, is the round in which 16 people remain. It is most commonly known as the Quarterfinals, or the Quarters, when only eight teams remain. As a result of that round, the winners advance to the semis, where only four competitors remain. Often called the finals or championship match, the final round pits the two winners against each other.

A 3rd place playoff is often held in single elimination brackets, where the two semi-final losers compete for 3rd place. The loser of both semi-final matches may receive 3rd place in tournaments with a limited amount of time.

Some participants receive a bye in the first round of a single elimination bracket where there isn't a power of two. The Bye allows them to advance to the next round without having to play and risk being eliminated.

Especially in single elimination brackets, seeding plays a considerable role in determining the final standings. A poorly seeded draw could result in the top two competitors in a division meeting in the first round. It would have been unfair to eliminate the second-best competitor who should have placed second.

As a reward for their previous performance, the highest-ranked players get byes based on their seeding. The lower-ranked players can have several rounds of byes before facing a ranked opponent in some pro events. The same can be accomplished through a qualifier draw.

Single elimination brackets are often seeded according to a ranking to ensure that the better teams play weaker teams in the first round, followed by better teams facing off in the final round.

As a general rule, the top player plays the worst player, followed by the second-best player playing the second-worst player, etc. Some tournaments customize seeding to avoid repeating the same players in subsequent rounds in sports, where rankings change more slowly.

Find out more about other Bracket Types:

• March Madness 2024 Bracket
• Single Elimination Bracket
• Double-Elimination Bracket
• March Madness Bracket
• Round-Robin Bracket
• Group Stage Bracket
• Voting Bracket
• Prediction Bracket
• Bracket with Images