When to use this bracket
Use an 8-team bracket for any single-elimination tournament: a rec league playoff, a company cornhole tournament, a family ping-pong night, or an office bracket for a big game. Every team plays until it loses, and the last team standing wins.
Eight teams means seven games over three rounds: quarterfinals, semifinals and the final.
How to fill it out
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Tournament, date and location | The basics, for everyone who sees the bracket. |
| Seeds 1 to 8 | Teams ranked best to worst. The bracket pairs 1 vs 8, 4 vs 5, 2 vs 7 and 3 vs 6. |
| Winner lines | Write in each game’s winner as the tournament moves along. |
| Champion | The final winner. |
| Schedule | Each game’s time, field or court, and final score. |
How to seed: use regular-season records if you have them. If not, draw names from a hat. Random seeding is fair, just less predictable.
Filled-in example
A Saturday rec-league basketball playoff:
| Game | Matchup | Time | Court | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QF1 | Hawks (1) vs Comets (8) | 9:00 AM | 1 | 48 to 31 |
| QF2 | Blaze (4) vs Storm (5) | 9:00 AM | 2 | 39 to 42 |
| QF3 | Titans (2) vs Rockets (7) | 10:00 AM | 1 | 44 to 40 |
| QF4 | Lions (3) vs Bulldogs (6) | 10:00 AM | 2 | 35 to 37 |
| SF1 | Hawks vs Storm | 11:30 AM | 1 | 50 to 46 |
| SF2 | Titans vs Bulldogs | 11:30 AM | 2 | 41 to 38 |
| Final | Hawks vs Titans | 1:00 PM | 1 | 45 to 43 |
Champion: Hawks.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Seeding 1 vs 2 in the first round. Keep the top seeds apart so the strongest teams can meet in the final.
- No rest between games. Leave time between rounds, especially for physical sports.
- Unclear tiebreak rules. Decide ahead of time how ties are settled, such as overtime or penalty kicks.
- No consolation games. For youth events, consider extra games so every team plays at least twice.
Frequently asked questions
How many games are in an 8-team bracket?
Seven. In single elimination, the number of games is always one less than the number of teams.
What if I have 6 or 7 teams?
Give the top seeds a “bye” straight into the semifinals. With 6 teams, seeds 1 and 2 get byes.
What’s double elimination?
Teams must lose twice to be knocked out. It’s fairer, but takes about twice as many games.
Can I use this for a bracket pool?
Yes. Print one per person and score correct picks, such as 1 point per quarterfinal, 2 per semifinal and 4 for the champion.