Getting started with bracket formats
Bracket formats seed a field of teams into a knockout draw and play down to a champion. Four are available, and they differ only in how many losses a team survives.
Pick a format
Format | Losses to elimination | Guarantees |
|---|---|---|
1 | 1 match | |
2 | 2 matches | |
3 | 3 matches | |
Keeps playing — drops bracket instead | 3 matches, full 1st–16th ranking |
All four run singles or doubles.
Want group play first? The Round Robin to… formats run pool play and seed the bracket from the standings. See Round Robin to Bracket.
Event lifecycle
1. Create the event and add teams. Same for every bracket format — see Create a bracket event.
2. Set up courts. Bracket formats do not auto-assign, so you place matches on courts yourself. See Court management in bracket formats.
3. Generate the bracket. You set the seed order; the app handles placement and byes.
4. Run the bracket. Score from the match cards — winners advance automatically. See Scoring bracket matches and Managing the match queue in bracket formats.
5. Fix problems as they come up. Swap a team into a slot with Editing bracket matches.
6. Publish results. Use Viewing Final Placements once the final is scored.
Shared behavior
These apply to every bracket format:
How seeding and byes work — placement rules, and how byes fill a bracket that is not a power of two
Scoring bracket matches — score entry, validation, walkovers
Court management and the match queue — deciding what goes out next
Editing bracket matches — swapping teams after generation
Viewing and printing brackets — mobile and web views, printing the draw or scorecards
Good to know before you start
Seed order is yours to set. Standalone brackets have no standings to seed from, so decide the order before generating.
Byes go to top seeds. Any bracket that is not a power of two gets padded, and the strongest seeds skip the opening round.
Add everyone before generating. Teams added afterwards are not in the bracket — you would need to clear and rebuild.
Clearing is irreversible. Clear Knockout Bracket deletes every bracket match and score.
Compass needs 16. Fewer teams still works; the gaps fill with byes.