Brackets / Double elimination / 13 teams
13-team double elimination bracket
24 games, or 25 if the team from the losers bracket wins the first grand final. Seed 1, seed 2 and seed 3 skip the first round.
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The shape of a 13-team bracket
13 teams in a 16-slot bracket leave 3 byes, for seeds 1, 2 and 3. The other 10 teams play 5 round-1 games: 8 v 9, 4 v 13, 5 v 12, 7 v 10 and 6 v 11. After round 1, 8 teams are left and the bracket is full from there.
If the favourites win
In a favourites-win run seed 2 comes through the losers bracket (11 games) to meet seed 1 in game 24.
| Seed | Opponents if favourites win (game) |
|---|---|
| 1 | bye, then 8 (G6), 4 (G11), 2 (G17), 2 (G24) |
| 2 | bye, then 7 (G8), 3 (G12), 1 (G17), 3 (G23), 1 (G24) |
| 3 | bye, then 6 (G9), 2 (G12), 5 (G21), 4 (G22), 2 (G23) |
| 4 | 13 (G2), 5 (G7), 1 (G11), 6 (G20), 3 (G22) |
How many games each team plays
The fewest games a team can play is 2: two losses and out. The most is 9, for a team that loses once in the winners bracket, then wins every losers-bracket game and both grand finals.
How long it takes
24 games at 30 minutes is 12 h of court time. No round has more than 5 games, so extra courts beyond that sit idle; the replayed final is not counted.
| Courts | Clock time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 12 h |
| 2 | 7 h 30 min |
| 4 | 6 h |
Every game in order
| Game | Round | Team A | Team B |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Winners round 1 | Seed 8 | Seed 9 |
| G2 | Winners round 1 | Seed 4 | Seed 13 |
| G3 | Winners round 1 | Seed 5 | Seed 12 |
| G4 | Winners round 1 | Seed 7 | Seed 10 |
| G5 | Winners round 1 | Seed 6 | Seed 11 |
| G6 | Winners round 2 | Seed 1 | Winner of G1 |
| G7 | Winners round 2 | Winner of G2 | Winner of G3 |
| G8 | Winners round 2 | Seed 2 | Winner of G4 |
| G9 | Winners round 2 | Seed 3 | Winner of G5 |
| G10 | Losers round 1 | Loser of G2 | Loser of G3 |
| G11 | Winners round 3 | Winner of G6 | Winner of G7 |
| G12 | Winners round 3 | Winner of G8 | Winner of G9 |
| G13 | Losers round 2 | Loser of G1 | Loser of G9 |
| G14 | Losers round 2 | Winner of G10 | Loser of G8 |
| G15 | Losers round 2 | Loser of G4 | Loser of G7 |
| G16 | Losers round 2 | Loser of G5 | Loser of G6 |
| G17 | Winners final | Winner of G11 | Winner of G12 |
| G18 | Losers round 3 | Winner of G13 | Winner of G14 |
| G19 | Losers round 3 | Winner of G15 | Winner of G16 |
| G20 | Losers round 4 | Winner of G18 | Loser of G11 |
| G21 | Losers round 4 | Winner of G19 | Loser of G12 |
| G22 | Losers round 5 | Winner of G20 | Winner of G21 |
| G23 | Losers final | Winner of G22 | Loser of G17 |
| G24 | Grand final | Winner of G17 | Winner of G23 |
| G25 | Grand final reset (if needed) | Winners-bracket team | Losers-bracket team |
Questions
How many games are in a 13-team double elimination bracket?
24. If the grand final needs a second game, 25.
How many rounds does a 13-team double elimination bracket have?
4 rounds in the winners bracket, plus 6 losers rounds and the grand final.
Who gets the byes with 13 teams?
Seed 1, Seed 2 and Seed 3. They start in round 2.
Can a team lose twice and still win a 13-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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