The short answer
Use a round robin when everyone should play many games and you have the court time. Use a bracket when you need a winner quickly and the event is competitive. Use pools into a knockout for larger events: everyone gets several games, and the event still ends with a final.
The four main formats
Round robin
Every entry plays every other entry once. The entry with the best record wins. It is the fairest format, because one bad game does not end the day. It is also the longest: the number of games grows fast as the number of entries increases. For club socials, a rotating round robin or a padel Americano plays a fixed number of rounds instead of every possible match.
Single elimination
The winner of each match goes to the next round. The loser is eliminated. It is the fastest format, and the final is easy to understand. But half of the entries play only one match. With uneven numbers, some entries get a bye in the first round.
Double elimination
An entry is eliminated after two losses, not one. After the first loss, the entry goes to a second bracket. The winner of the second bracket plays the winner of the main bracket in the final. It is fairer than single elimination, but it is harder to schedule and to explain.
Pools into a knockout
Entries play a small round robin in pools, for example 4 pools of 4. The best one or two from each pool go to a knockout. This gives everyone at least 3 games and still ends with semi-finals and a final. It is a common format for club tournaments with more than 12 entries.
Games and time for 8 entries
This table compares the formats for 8 entries, for example 8 doubles teams.
| Format | Total matches | Games per entry | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round robin | 28 | 7 | Everyone plays the same number of games. |
| Single elimination | 7 | 1 to 3 | Half of the entries play only once. |
| Double elimination | 14 or 15 | 2 to 7 | 14 without a reset final, 15 with one. Each entry plays at least twice. |
| 2 pools of 4, then semi-finals | 15 | 3 to 5 | Each entry plays at least 3 games. |
With 2 courts and 20-minute matches, 28 round robin matches take about 4 hours 40 minutes. The 7 single-elimination matches take about 1 hour 20 minutes, because the later rounds use fewer courts. The 15 matches of pools into semi-finals take about 2 hours 40 minutes.
With 16 entries, a full round robin has 120 matches, which is too many for one day. Single elimination has 15 matches. 4 pools of 4 into a knockout of 8 has 31 matches.
Which one to choose
- Social session, mixed levels: a rotating round robin or padel Americano.
- Small competition, up to 6 entries: a full round robin.
- 8 to 32 entries, one day: pools into a knockout.
- Many entries, little court time: single elimination. Consider a consolation bracket for first-round losers.
- Seeded event with known levels: a seeded bracket, so the best entries meet late.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a round robin and a bracket?
In a round robin, every entry plays many others and nobody is knocked out. In a bracket, the loser of each match is eliminated, and the last unbeaten entry wins.
How many matches are in a single-elimination bracket?
One fewer than the number of entries. 8 entries play 7 matches, and 16 entries play 15 matches. Each match eliminates one entry, and all except the winner must be eliminated.
How many matches are in a round robin?
For n entries, n × (n − 1) ÷ 2 matches. 6 entries play 15 matches, and 8 entries play 28 matches.
What is a bye in a bracket?
A bye sends an entry to the next round without a match. A bracket needs 4, 8, 16 or 32 places. With 12 entries, 4 entries get a first-round bye. In a seeded bracket, the top seeds get the byes.
Does NextArena support double elimination?
No. NextArena runs round robins, single-elimination knockouts and pools into a knockout. For a second chance, use pools into a knockout, which gives each entry several games.