Double elimination bracket
Make a double elimination bracket for 3 to 64 players, pairs or teams: a winners bracket, a losers bracket, and a grand final with an optional reset. Seed them or draw at random, tap each winner to move them on, then print it. Free, with no sign-up.
14 or 15 matches over 3 winners rounds, 4 losers rounds and the grand final.
Leave it empty for Player 1, Player 2 and so on. Up to 64. Names stay on this device.
Running the tournament for real?
Give it its own page: the date, the venue, the format and the fee, and a sign-up for players, pairs or teams with a place limit and a waitlist. Make the draw from the entries, type scores as you go, and every player sees their next match on their phone. Free to make and publish. Its draws are single elimination, a round robin or pools then a playoff; for double elimination, keep using this bracket.
Make a tournament pageHow the two brackets fit together
- The winners bracket
- The usual knockout. Each round halves the field until one player is left who hasn’t lost, and goes through to the grand final.
- The losers bracket
- Each first loss drops in here. Its rounds alternate: losers bracket players play each other, then the winners face the players just knocked down from the winners bracket. A second loss is out.
- The grand final
- The two champions meet. If the losers bracket side wins, the other side now has its first loss too, so a reset match decides the title.
How many matches it takes
| Entrants | Double elimination | Single elimination |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 6 or 7 with a reset | 3 |
| 6 | 10 or 11 with a reset | 5 |
| 8 | 14 or 15 with a reset | 7 |
| 12 | 22 or 23 with a reset | 11 |
| 16 | 30 or 31 with a reset | 15 |
| 24 | 46 or 47 with a reset | 23 |
| 32 | 62 or 63 with a reset | 31 |
| 64 | 126 or 127 with a reset | 63 |
Need a plain knockout? Use the bracket maker. Rather have everyone play everyone? Make a round robin schedule. Running cornhole? The cornhole bracket starts on teams.
Questions
How does a double elimination bracket work?
Everyone starts in the winners bracket. Lose once and you drop into the losers bracket; lose again and you’re out. The winner of the losers bracket meets the winner of the winners bracket in the grand final.
What is a bracket reset in the grand final?
The winners bracket champion has not lost yet. If the losers bracket champion wins the grand final, both sides now have one loss, so a second final decides it. That second match is the reset. Turn it off to play one final only.
How many games are in a double elimination tournament?
Twice the entrants minus two, plus one if the final is reset. 8 players play 14 or 15 matches, 16 play 30 or 31, and 32 play 62 or 63. A single elimination bracket is one fewer than the entrants: 15 matches for 16 players.
What if the number of players isn’t 8, 16 or 32?
The bracket grows to the next size up and the top seeds get byes into the second round. Anything from 3 to 64 players, pairs or teams works.
Double or single elimination: which should I pick?
Double elimination when you have the time: everyone plays at least twice and one bad game doesn’t end the day. Single elimination when you are short of courts or time, since it takes about half the matches.
Is it free? Do I need an account?
It’s free and needs no account. The bracket is made in your browser and the names you type are not sent anywhere; this browser keeps your bracket so a reload doesn’t lose it.