Tournament formats
Double Elimination.
Lose once, you drop to the losers bracket. Lose twice, you're out. Everyone gets a second chance. The safety net knockout.
What is it
What is a
double elimination
tournament?
What is a double elimination tournament?
Knockout with a safety net. Everyone starts in the winners bracket. Lose a match, you drop to the losers bracket. Win your way through the losers bracket and you can still make the grand final. It takes roughly twice as long as single knockout, but the result is more reliable — you have to lose twice to go home. On Leagology, both brackets will show live on the big screen with scores and rankings updating automatically.
How it works
The mechanics.
Two brackets run side by side — winners and losers. Lose in the winners bracket and you drop to the losers bracket. Lose again and you're out for good. The winners bracket champion faces the losers bracket champion in the grand final. To be eliminated, you have to lose twice — the true best player almost always comes through.
How many rounds do you need?
Pros & cons
When to use it.
Competitive groups who want knockout drama but hate going home after one bad game. It's the standard for fighting game tournaments, and it works just as well for pool or darts. 8-32 players, one session.
Advantages
Things to consider
Comparisons
How it compares.
Double Elimination vs Knockout
Single knockout is faster and simpler — one bracket, lose once, done. Double elimination gives everyone a second life. The trade-off is time — roughly double the matches. On Leagology, both formats use the same setup flow and feed into the same player rankings. If your group cares more about the right person winning than finishing early, double elimination.
FAQ
Common questions.
What is double elimination?
A tournament where you need to lose twice to be eliminated. Two brackets — winners and losers. Lose in the winners bracket, you drop to losers. Lose in losers, you're out. When Leagology launches double elimination, both brackets will show live on the TV, with scores and rankings updating in real-time.
How does the grand final work?
The winners bracket champion plays the losers bracket champion. The losers bracket player needs to beat the winners bracket champion twice to take the title. The winners bracket player only needs one win — the reward for never losing. On Leagology, the grand final will get its own TV sequence.
How long does it take?
Roughly twice as long as single knockout. 16 players in single knockout need 15 matches. Double elimination needs around 30. On Leagology, both brackets run simultaneously — so it's longer than knockout, but not double the time.
Is it fairer than knockout?
Yes. One bad game doesn't end your night. You get a second run through the losers bracket. The best player almost always comes through because they'd have to lose twice. On Leagology, all matches still count towards your player rating — even losers bracket games.
When is double elimination coming to Leagology?
We're building it. In the meantime, knockout, Swiss, round robin, group stages, and mass elimination are all live and ready to go. Same live scoring, TV screens, and rankings across every format.
What sports use double elimination?
Fighting game tournaments (Street Fighter, Tekken, Smash) use it as standard. On Leagology, it'll work for any 1v1 sport — pool, darts, table tennis, chess. Same setup flow as every other format. Pick your sport, pick double elimination, add players, go.
Other formats
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Knockout
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Round Robin
Everyone plays everyone. No one gets knocked out after one bad game. The fair...
Swiss System
Everyone plays. Nobody goes home. Winners face winners. More games than knock...
Group Stages and Knockout
Groups first, knockout after. Everyone gets games in the group stage, then th...
Mass Elimination
Everyone plays at once. Lowest scores go home each round. Killer pool, around...