In the diagram, Team 1 is the highest seeded team and Team 12 is the lowest seeded team.
The seeding determines the starting position in the bracket.
With 12 teams, teams 1-4 only play in the second round. Among the remaining teams, the highest and lowest seeded teams face each other in the first round.
How does a double elimination tournament work?
This format consists of a winners bracket and a losers bracket. Teams that lose in the winners bracket get a second chance through the losers bracket.
If the team that has won all matches in the winners rounds loses in the final, an extra final is played. In the explanation below, this is indicated with (+1).
Tournament structure
The bracket includes multiple rounds in which teams progress through the winners or losers bracket towards the final.
- Winner bracket matches: 11
- Loser bracket matches: 10
- Total matches: 22 (+1)
- Total rounds: 8 (+1)
- Final matches: 1 (+1)
Double elimination with 12 teams
When the number of teams is not a power of two, some teams may receive a bye or be placed differently in the first round.
This ensures that the tournament runs correctly regardless of the number of participating teams.
FAQ
How many matches are played?
The number of matches depends on the number of teams and the progression of the tournament.
In a double elimination tournament, each team plays at least two matches.
In the above bracket, the winner plays at least 5 and at most 9 matches.
How many rounds are needed?
The number of rounds in the tournament depends on the number of teams and the structure of the bracket.
In the above bracket for 12 teams, there are 8 phases (plus possibly an extra final).
Double elimination brackets by number of teams
View a bracket directly for: