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Single elimination

Lose once, you're out. Single elimination is the simplest tournament format there is — and the one that gives a final all its tension.

How it works

Players (or teams) are paired up; the loser of each match is out, the winner moves on. The bracket shrinks by half every round until only two are left for the final. For N entrants, it takes exactly N−1 matches — quick to run, easy to follow.

The Leaguer version

Rather than starting straight on a dry bracket, Leaguer first plays a pool stage so nobody's day ends after a single match, then sends qualifiers into a knockout bracket that updates itself with every result.