Tournament formats compared: league, knockout, groups

A league plays every team against every other and ranks them in a table, a knockout sends the winner of each game on, a cup plays groups and then a knockout, and a best-of series settles two teams on wins. All four run on Score My Match, with the tables and the bracket worked out for you.

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Useful for office tournaments and tournament organisers.

Try it here

Change a result. See what a league does with it.

Change one result
TeamPWDLGDForPts
Rovers3111+264
Falcons3111034
Lions3111-234
Tigers3030033

Three teams on 4 points. Try a different result and watch the order.

Rovers are above Falcons on goal difference (+2 to 0).

Falcons are above Lions on goal difference (0 to -2).

GD = goal difference. For = goals scored. Pts = points. Only finished games count.

Four fictional teams, real league rules. Change a result to see why positions move.

5 points

In short

  • A league ranks everybodyEvery team plays every other and a table decides. The fairest, and the longest.
  • A cup plays groups firstSmall leagues first, then the top teams from each go into a knockout.
  • A knockout is the shortestWinners go on and losers go home, in one fewer game than there are teams.
  • Best of N settles twoTwo teams play until one reaches the wins it needs. Good for a rivalry or a final.
  • All four run hereChoose League, Cup, Knockout or Best of N, and the tables and bracket are worked out for you.
How each decides a winner

Four formats

Your teamsLeague:everyone plays allCup:groups firstKnockout:win or go homeBest of N:two teamsA tableranks themGroup tables,then a bracketA bracket tothe finalFirst to thewins needed
  1. Your teams to League: everyone plays all
  2. Your teams to Cup: groups first
  3. Your teams to Knockout: win or go home
  4. Your teams to Best of N: two teams
  5. League: everyone plays all to A table ranks them
  6. Cup: groups first to Group tables, then a bracket
  7. Knockout: win or go home to A bracket to the final
  8. Best of N: two teams to First to the wins needed
  • A league plays every team against every other, once or home and away, and ranks them in a table. The fairest format, and the longest: six teams play fifteen games.
  • A cup plays small leagues first, the groups, and sends the top teams from each into a knockout. Everybody gets a few games, and the day still ends in a final.
  • A knockout sends the winner of each game on and the loser home. The shortest, one fewer game than there are teams, and the harshest.
  • A best-of series is two teams playing until one reaches the wins it needs. Good for a rivalry, or a final.
One series page

Run any of them

Choose the shape on the series page. Score My Match lists the fixtures and works out the tables, the bracket and the running score as each game finishes.

  • League: up to ten teams, once or home and away. Under After the league, choose Table decides, or send the top two to a final with Top 2, final or the top four to semi-finals with Top 4, semis.
  • Cup: choose how many Groups and how many go Through from each.
  • Knockout: up to 32 teams. Each tie is one game, or a best of three or five, with a Third-place game if you want one.
  • Best of N: two teams, over three, five or seven games.

Each default is how the sport is usually organised, and each can be changed. When the table cannot separate two teams for a place in the knockout, the organiser settles it with Place a team.

Need to know

Questions people ask

About tournament formats.

Which format is fairest?

A league: every team plays every other, so one bad game does not end anybody’s day.

Which takes the fewest games?

A knockout, one fewer than the number of teams. A league of six needs fifteen games; a knockout of six needs five.

Can I run a knockout here?

Yes. Choose Knockout for up to 32 teams, each tie one game or a best of three or five. A league can also end in a final or semi-finals.

What else it does for you

Keep exploring

Try it on your next match

Create a series

A league, a cup, a knockout or a best-of series, with the tables and bracket worked out.

Create a series