Brackets / Double elimination / 4 teams
4-team double elimination bracket
6 games, or 7 if the team from the losers bracket wins the first grand final. Every team plays in round 1.
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The shape of a 4-team bracket
4 fills a 4-slot bracket exactly, so round 1 is a full set of 2 games: 1 v 4 and 2 v 3. Nobody gets a free pass, and every later round halves the field: 2, 1 games.
If the favourites win
In a favourites-win run seed 2 comes through the losers bracket (2 games) to meet seed 1 in game 6.
| Seed | Opponents if favourites win (game) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4 (G1), 2 (G3), 2 (G6) |
| 2 | 3 (G2), 1 (G3), 3 (G5), 1 (G6) |
| 3 | 2 (G2), 4 (G4), 2 (G5) |
| 4 | 1 (G1), 3 (G4) |
How many games each team plays
The fewest games a team can play is 2: two losses and out. The most is 5, for a team that loses once in the winners bracket, then wins every losers-bracket game and both grand finals.
How long it takes
6 games at 30 minutes is 3 h of court time. No round has more than 2 games, so extra courts beyond that sit idle; the replayed final is not counted.
| Courts | Clock time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3 h |
| 2 | 2 h 30 min |
| 4 | 2 h 30 min |
Every game in order
| Game | Round | Team A | Team B |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Winners round 1 | Seed 1 | Seed 4 |
| G2 | Winners round 1 | Seed 2 | Seed 3 |
| G3 | Winners final | Winner of G1 | Winner of G2 |
| G4 | Losers round 1 | Loser of G1 | Loser of G2 |
| G5 | Losers final | Winner of G4 | Loser of G3 |
| G6 | Grand final | Winner of G3 | Winner of G5 |
| G7 | Grand final reset (if needed) | Winners-bracket team | Losers-bracket team |
Questions
How many games are in a 4-team double elimination bracket?
6. If the grand final needs a second game, 7.
How many rounds does a 4-team double elimination bracket have?
2 rounds in the winners bracket, plus 2 losers rounds and the grand final.
Are there byes with 4 teams?
No. 4 fills a bracket of 4 exactly.
Can a team lose twice and still win a 4-team double elimination?
No. A second loss ends a team's run. The only champion who has lost once is the team that came up through the losers bracket.
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