Custom groups and blocks
The default is 4 groups of 4, two blocks, finishing with a bracket. All four of those are configurable, and they change the season length as well as the roster.
What you can change
Setting | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|
Number of groups | 2 to 8 | 4 |
Teams per group | 4 to 8, even numbers only | 4 |
Number of blocks | 1 to 4 | 2 |
Final bracket | on or off | on |
Your team count is groups × teams per group.
Group size must be even. Odd sizes would need bye weeks and a different playoff shape, so they are not supported.
How the calendar follows
Nothing is tied to fixed week numbers — the schedule is derived:
Round robin length = teams per group − 1
Block = that round robin, plus one playoff week
Season = blocks × block length, plus the bracket if enabled
Shape | Round robin | Block | 2 blocks | Plus bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
4 teams per group | 3 weeks | 4 weeks | 8 weeks | 9+ |
6 teams per group | 5 weeks | 6 weeks | 12 weeks | 13+ |
8 teams per group | 7 weeks | 8 weeks | 16 weeks | 17+ |
So doubling your group size roughly doubles the season. Decide this before you add play dates.
Choosing a shape
More groups, smaller — more promotion and relegation movement, shorter blocks, and a bigger spread between the top and bottom group by the end.
Fewer groups, larger — longer round robins where you play more of the field, but less movement and a longer season for the same number of blocks.
More blocks — more chances to move between groups, so the field sorts itself more thoroughly. Four blocks of 4-team groups is a 16-week season before the bracket.
One block — effectively a single round robin, one playoff, then the bracket. The shortest way to run the format.
Larger groups change the playoff
With groups of 4, every team plays a playoff match — the top two against each other, the bottom two against each other.
With groups of 6 or 8, only the top two and bottom two play. The teams in the middle have no playoff match that week and are ranked by their block standings.
That is worth knowing before you pick a large group size: a chunk of your field will sit out playoff weeks. See Playoff weeks and the final bracket.
Turning off the bracket
With the bracket off, the season ends on the final block's standings instead of a knockout.
Team counts that are not powers of two
The bracket does not need a power-of-two team count. It pads to the next power of two with byes, and the top seeds advance automatically.