Okay, if you’re wondering what exactly a tournament tree is – don’t worry, you’re not alone. The term crops up in almost every sport, from the World Cup to major e-sports events, and always seems much more cryptic than it actually is.
A tournament bracket is a graphical representation of the complete match schedule in a knockout system.
That also sounds a bit unwieldy, but it’s actually just the game plan. As a picture.
The tournament tree shows – like a map – the path that all participants have to take through the various rounds (round of 16, quarter-finals or semi-finals) to the final.
As the tournament tree shows a knockout system, it only becomes relevant after a group stage.
#WTS-Insider
In contrast to the group phase (everyone against everyone), a tournament tree means: if you lose, you’re out. There is no draw and no second chance.
A tournament tree is designed to give fans, players and organizers an overview and orientation. As I said, it is a kind of “map” with which you can see exactly where you are, who is playing against whom next and who can then move on to the next round.
A tournament tree tells you the following:
Not all tournament trees are the same. Depending on the sport, there are different “growth forms”. In other words, modes and shapes.
This is the classic, as we all know it from the soccer World Cup, for example. Whoever loses is out.
There is a safety net here. If you lose once, you go into the lower bracket (the losers’ bracket). From there, you can still fight your way to the final with a winning streak. Particularly popular in e-sports or beach volleyball
How and who can come third is also recorded in the tournament tree.
