How to Run a 31 Team Double-Elimination Tournament
With our free tournament bracket maker, you can create a double-elimination tournament for 31 teams in a few seconds!
The app allows you to track scores, automatically advances players to the next games or rounds, and handles the grand final matches!
How Does the 31 Team Double-Elimination Tournament Work?
A 31 team double-elimination tournament consists of thre primary brackets:
Winner’s Bracket
It follows a format similar to a single-elimination bracket for 31 teams, featuring several rounds and matchups to decide which teams move forward. The key difference is that a loss in this bracket doesn’t mean elimination; teams that fall here move into the losers’ bracket, where they get another opportunity to remain in the tournament.
Loser’s Bracket
Here, the participants have a second chance. A team that wins all of its matches here can advance and secure a place in the finals.
Finals
In a 31 team tournament, the finals begin with a game between the winner of the losers’ bracket and the team that was most recently eliminated from the winners’ bracket. The loser of this matchup finishes in 3rd place, while the winner advances to face the winners’ bracket champion in the Grand Final to determine 1st and 2nd place.
If the undefeated winners’ bracket team wins the Grand Final, they are crowned tournament champion. If they are defeated, resulting in their first loss, a deciding match known as the Grand Final Reset is played to determine the overall winner.
Our tournament app manages this entire process automatically, allowing you to focus on the action without having to track matchups or results manually.
Seeding
You can select between seeded, blind draw or manual pairing for the initial round:
- seeded: Top-ranked players will meet later in the tournament.
- blind draw: The participants will get shuffled and paired randomly.
- manual seeding: Teams are paired according to the order they’re entered, with byes added as needed to balance the bracket.
Compared to other Tournament Formats
A 31 team double-elimination tournament provides a strong balance between single elimination and a full round robin. It runs longer than a single-elimination format but finishes sooner than a complete round robin.
| Format | Total games | Games per team | Rounds | Fairness | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Robin | 465 | 30 | 31 | Everyone plays everyone | Best for leagues |
| Single Elimination | 30 | 1–5 | 5 | Harsh cutoff | Best for quick events |
| Double Elimination | 60–61 | 2–10 | 10 | More forgiving | Popular in esports |
| 3-game guarantee | 63–64 | 3–10 | 11 | Minimum 3 games each | All participants will play at least 3 games. |
| Swiss System | 75 | 5 | 5 | Balanced, flexible | Chess, card games |
Printable 31 Team Double Elimination Bracket
If you wish, you can also print your generated bracket:
