Brackets / Single elimination / 6 teams
6-team single elimination bracket
5 games over 3 rounds. Seed 1 and seed 2 get a bye into round 2.
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The shape of a 6-team bracket
6 teams in an 8-slot bracket leave 2 byes, for seeds 1 and 2. The other 4 teams play 2 round-1 games: 4 v 5 and 3 v 6. After round 1, 4 teams are left and the bracket is full from there.
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 | bye, then 4 (G3), 2 (G5) |
| 2 | bye, then 3 (G4), 1 (G5) |
| 3 | 6 (G2), 2 (G4) |
| 4 | 5 (G1), 1 (G3) |
How many games each team plays
The fewest is 1, for a team that loses its first game, which for a bye team is its round-2 game. The most is 3, and 2 for a champion that had a bye. In the favourites-win run, seed 1 plays 2 and seed 6 plays 1.
How long it takes
5 games at 30 minutes is 2 h 30 min of court time. No round has more than 2 games, so extra courts beyond that sit idle.
| Courts | Clock time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 h 30 min |
| 2 | 1 h 30 min |
| 4 | 1 h 30 min |
Every game in order
| Game | Round | Team A | Team B |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Quarterfinals | Seed 4 | Seed 5 |
| G2 | Quarterfinals | Seed 3 | Seed 6 |
| G3 | Semifinals | Seed 1 | Winner of G1 |
| G4 | Semifinals | Seed 2 | Winner of G2 |
| G5 | Final | Winner of G3 | Winner of G4 |
Questions
How many games are in a 6-team single elimination bracket?
5.
How many rounds does a 6-team single elimination bracket have?
3 rounds.
Who gets the byes with 6 teams?
Seed 1 and Seed 2. They start in round 2.
Can I add a third-place game to a 6-team bracket?
Yes. The two semifinal losers play once more, which makes 6 games.
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