Double Elimination Bracket: How to Make One (8 Teams)

Short answer: In a double elimination bracket, a team is out only after its second loss. Every team starts in the winners bracket; a first loss drops it into the losers bracket. The two bracket winners meet in the grand final. With N teams you'll play 2N − 2 games, or 2N − 1 if the grand final needs a second game.

Last checked: 2026-09-26 by Play 2 Earn Sports Team

Double elimination is popular because nobody's weekend ends after one bad game. It also takes roughly twice as many games as single elimination, which is the part organizers underestimate. This guide shows how to build one by hand, how to count games and time slots, and when to choose something simpler. It's part of our guide to tournament formats and brackets.

An honest note before you start: our free bracket maker builds single-elimination brackets for 4, 8, 16 or 32 teams. It does not make double elimination brackets. This guide shows you how to do double elimination by hand, and the generator is there if single elimination suits your event.

How double elimination works

There are three parts:

1. The winners bracket. It works like a normal single-elimination bracket. Win and you move on.
2. The losers bracket (sometimes called the consolation or elimination bracket). Lose once in the winners bracket and you drop here. Lose again and you're out.
3. The grand final. The winners-bracket champion (no losses) plays the losers-bracket champion (one loss).

The "if necessary" game. If the losers-bracket team wins the grand final, both teams now have one loss. In true double elimination, they play a second, deciding game. Some events skip it and play a single final to save time. Decide this before the tournament and put it in your rules.

How many games does it take?

Every team except the champion must lose twice, and the champion loses at most once. So with N teams:

• Minimum games: 2N − 2
• Maximum games: 2N − 1 (when the grand final goes to a second game)

Total games by format.

Teams	Single elimination	Double elimination	Round robin (everyone plays everyone)
4	3	6 or 7	6
8	7	14 or 15	28
16	15	30 or 31	120
32	31	62 or 63	496

Single elimination is N − 1 games; round robin is N × (N − 1) ÷ 2. For pool play and Swiss, see how many games in a tournament.

Games per team: in double elimination every team plays at least two games. That guarantee is the main reason to pick it.

How to build an 8-team double elimination bracket

Use this as a template. Numbers are your seeded teams (1 is the top seed). If you haven't seeded yet, read how to seed a tournament bracket first.

Winners bracket (7 games)

• Round 1: W1: 1 v 8 · W2: 4 v 5 · W3: 2 v 7 · W4: 3 v 6
• Round 2: W5: winner W1 v winner W2 · W6: winner W3 v winner W4
• Winners final: W7: winner W5 v winner W6

Losers bracket (6 games)

• Losers round 1: L1: loser W1 v loser W2 · L2: loser W3 v loser W4
• Losers round 2: L3: winner L1 v loser W6 · L4: winner L2 v loser W5
• Losers round 3: L5: winner L3 v winner L4
• Losers final: L6: winner L5 v loser W7

Grand final (1 or 2 games)

• GF: winner W7 v winner L6
• GF2 (if necessary): only if the winner of L6 wins GF

That's 7 + 6 + 1 = 14 games, or 15 with the reset.

8-team double elimination at a glance.

Stage	Games	Who plays
Winners round 1	W1–W4	All 8 teams
Losers round 1	L1–L2	The 4 first-round losers
Winners round 2	W5–W6	4 unbeaten teams
Losers round 2	L3–L4	L1/L2 winners v W5/W6 losers (crossed)
Winners final	W7	2 unbeaten teams
Losers round 3	L5	L3 winner v L4 winner
Losers final	L6	L5 winner v W7 loser
Grand final	GF (+ GF2)	W7 winner v L6 winner

Why the crossover in losers round 2? The loser of W6 plays the winner of L1 (not L2). Crossing the drops keeps teams that already met in the winners bracket from meeting again straight away. Do the same crossover in larger brackets whenever you can.

Making it work for 4, 16 or 32 teams

The same pattern scales:

• The winners bracket is a normal single-elimination bracket: N − 1 games. You can draw it in our bracket generator and add the losers bracket by hand.
• The losers bracket has N − 2 games. It alternates between rounds where losers-bracket teams play each other and rounds where they meet teams dropping down from the winners bracket.
• The grand final is 1 or 2 games.

For team counts that aren't 4, 8, 16 or 32 (say 6 or 12), give the top seeds byes in round 1 so the next round has a power of two. Byes get messy fast in the losers bracket. If you have an awkward number, consider pool play into a single-elimination knockout instead (see below).

Scheduling: the part that catches people out

A double elimination bracket for 8 teams is 14–15 games, and some teams can't play their next game until another game finishes. Before you commit, work out:

1. Game slots. Multiply your number of fields, courts, rinks or mats by the number of time slots you have. You need at least 15 for 8 teams.
2. Rest time. A team that drops early into the losers bracket plays more games than one that keeps winning. Space their games out, especially for younger players, and follow your sport's and governing body's rules on games per day.
3. The critical path. The grand final can't start until the losers final is done, and the losers final waits on the winners final. The last three games (W7, L6, GF) can't be played in parallel. Plan the end of your day around them.
4. Tiebreak and forfeit rules. Write down what happens with a draw (common in soccer and hockey), a no-show or a weather delay before the event starts.

In Canada, sanction the event with your provincial governing body before you publish the bracket. In Ontario soccer, that is done through Ontario Soccer's CTMS (Tournament Directory); in hockey, through your branch (for example Hockey Eastern Ontario). Sanctioning connects the event to that body's rules and insurance. In the US, the equivalent step runs through your state association.

When to use double elimination (and when not to)

For a fuller side-by-side, read single elimination vs double elimination.

Use it when:

• Teams have travelled and you want to guarantee at least two games.
• You have the fields and time for about twice as many games as single elimination.
• The sport has quick games (volleyball sets, 3v3 basketball, wrestling bouts, esports, cornhole) or you run over two days.

Choose single elimination when:

• You have one day and limited fields or ice.
• It's a playoff after a regular season, where teams have already earned their seeds.
• Families can't commit to a long day.

Choose pool play (round robin groups) + knockout when:

• You want every team to play three or more games.
• Team numbers don't fit a bracket neatly.
• You want seeding for the knockout to be earned on the day.

See our round robin schedule for 8 teams for group formats.

FAQ

How many games does each team play in double elimination?

At least two. In an 8-team bracket, a team that loses its first game and then wins the losers bracket and both grand-final games plays seven.

Is there a free double elimination bracket maker?

Some bracket tools offer it. The free Play 2 Earn Sports Bracket Generator does not; it builds single elimination only. Use the template above for double elimination.

Do you have to play the second grand final?

In true double elimination, yes, if the losers-bracket team wins the first one. Some events skip it to save time. Publish your rule before the event.

Build the single-elimination part in seconds

If single elimination works for your event, or you want the winners bracket drawn quickly as a starting point, the free Play 2 Earn Sports tournament bracket maker builds a single-elimination bracket for 4, 8, 16 or 32 teams, with every round shown. You don't need to log in to build or preview a bracket, and you can save it with your email and a six-digit code. Walkthrough: free bracket maker: build a tournament bracket in 60 seconds. To set up the event itself, use the free Tournament Maker.

Again: the generator doesn't produce a losers bracket. For double elimination, use the template above.

Next steps

Find tournaments near you to see how other events are run, find a club in your area, or set up free player profiles for your athletes. New club? Start your club free or create an account. Clubs never pay.

Sources

• Ontario Soccer, Tournament Directory and CTMS (checked 2026-09-25)
• Hockey Eastern Ontario, Sanctioning a Tournament (checked 2026-09-25)

Play 2 Earn Sports Team. Play 2 Earn Sports builds free tools for youth and amateur clubs across Canada and the US.