Brackets / Single elimination / 4 teams
4-team single elimination bracket
3 games over 2 rounds. No byes: every team plays 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
That puts seed 1 against seed 4 and seed 2 against seed 3 in the semifinals.
| Seed | Opponents if favourites win (game) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4 (G1), 2 (G3) |
| 2 | 3 (G2), 1 (G3) |
| 3 | 2 (G2) |
| 4 | 1 (G1) |
How many games each team plays
The fewest is 1, for a team that loses its first game. The most is 2. In the favourites-win run, seed 1 plays 2 and seed 4 plays 1.
How long it takes
3 games at 30 minutes is 1 h 30 min of court time. No round has more than 2 games, so extra courts beyond that sit idle.
| Courts | Clock time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 h 30 min |
| 2 | 1 h |
| 4 | 1 h |
Every game in order
| Game | Round | Team A | Team B |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Semifinals | Seed 1 | Seed 4 |
| G2 | Semifinals | Seed 2 | Seed 3 |
| G3 | Final | Winner of G1 | Winner of G2 |
Questions
How many games are in a 4-team single elimination bracket?
3.
How many rounds does a 4-team single elimination bracket have?
2 rounds.
Are there byes with 4 teams?
No. 4 fills a bracket of 4 exactly.
Can I add a third-place game to a 4-team bracket?
Yes. The two semifinal losers play once more, which makes 4 games.
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