How to Run 11 Team Double Elimination Tournament
Creating a double-elimination bracket for 11 teams is quick and easy with our free tournament bracket maker.
The app lets you track scores, automatically advances players to the next games or rounds, and handles the grand final matches!
How Does 11 Team Double Elimination Tournament Work?
A 11 team double elimination tournament consists of 3 brackets:
Winner’s Bracket
For an 11-team tournament, the overall structure is similar to a single-elimination bracket for 11 teams, with several rounds and matchups used to determine which teams advance.
However, a loss in the winners’ bracket doesn’t mean immediate elimination. Teams that fall there move into the losers’ bracket, where they get a second chance to keep competing and possibly battle their way back to the finals.
Loser’s Bracket
Teams get a second opportunity to remain in the tournament through the losers’ bracket. Any team that continues winning on this side can fight its way back and earn a spot in the finals.
Finals
In an 11-team tournament, the finals start with a game between the last remaining team from the losers’ bracket and the team that most recently dropped from the winners’ bracket. The loser of this matchup finishes in 3rd place, while the winner advances to the Grand Final to face the undefeated winner of the winners’ bracket for the championship.
If the winners’ bracket team is beaten in the Grand Final, its first loss of the tournament, a deciding Grand Final Reset match is played to crown the champion.
Our tournament app takes care of this entire process automatically, keeping the bracket up to date and tracking results so you don’t have to manage anything yourself.
Seeding
You can select between seeded, blind draw or manual pairing for the initial round:
- seeded: Top-ranked teams will meet later in the tournament.
- blind draw: The participants will get shuffled and paired randomly.
- manual seeding: Teams will be paired in the order entered, with the last ones assigned byes (if necessary).
Compared to other Tournament Formats
An 11 team double-elimination tournament provides a solid middle ground between single elimination and a full round robin. It runs longer than a single-elimination format but wraps up sooner than a complete round robin, while giving teams a more balanced opportunity by allowing them to remain in contention after one loss.
| Format | Total games | Games per team | Rounds | Fairness | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Robin | 55 | 10 | 11 | Everyone plays everyone | Best for leagues |
| Single Elimination | 10 | 1–3 | 3 | Harsh cutoff | Best for quick events |
| Double Elimination | 20–21 | 2–6 | 6 | More forgiving | Popular in esports |
| Swiss System | 15 | 3 | 3 | Balanced, flexible | Chess, card games |
Printable 11 Team Double-Elimination Bracket
You have the option to print the bracket you’ve set up, making it easy to share or display for your tournament.
