Groups + Knockout
Mini round robins feed a clean playoff bracket. Seed smart, finish fast.
Core flow
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Group stage
Split teams into groups of 3–4 (avoid 5s unless required). Everyone plays everyone in their group.
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Advance top teams
Typically top 2 per group advance to playoffs. Works cleanly when that yields 4, 8, or 16 teams.
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Knockout bracket
Single elimination seeded A1 vs B2, B1 vs A2, etc., until a champion (optional 3rd-place match).
How we seed
- Build groups Auto split into 3–4 team groups; 5 only when unavoidable.
- Group matches Round robin inside each group; notes show “Group A”, “Group B”, etc.
- Qualifiers Top 2 per group are expected; if total qualifiers ≠ 4/8/16, you can set knockout pairings manually.
- Bracket Seeds as A1 vs B2 and B1 vs A2 (mirror pattern scales for 4+ groups).
Match counts
Group of 3: 3 matches
Group of 4: 6 matches
Group of 5: 10 matches (avoid if you can)
Knockout with K teams = K − 1 matches (add +1 if you run a 3rd-place match).
Time planning
Estimate event time ≈ (total matches ÷ courts) × minutes per match. If it runs long, trim group sizes or qualifying slots, or shorten game format.
6 teams
2 groups of 3
Top 2 → 4-team KO
Group: 6 matches · KO: 3 (optional +1)
8 teams
2 groups of 4
Top 2 → 4-team KO
Group: 12 matches · KO: 3 (optional +1)
12 teams
4 groups of 3
Top 2 → 8-team KO
Group: 12 matches · KO: 7 (optional +1)
16 teams
4 groups of 4
Top 2 → 8-team KO
Group: 24 matches · KO: 7 (optional +1)