How to Run a 10 Team Single Elimination Tournament
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How does a 10 Team Single Elimination Tournament Work?
A 10 team knockout (or single elimination) tournament has 4 rounds and 9 total games.
Bracket Size
Bracket size is the next power of 2 after the number of teams. For 10 teams, the bracket size is 16.
Byes
Byes are the difference between the bracket size and the actual number of teams. For 10 teams, there are 6 byes in the first round.
Rounds & Games
There are 4 rounds and 9 total games in the 10 team single elimination bracket:
- Round of 16: 2 games + 6 byes
- Quarter-Finals: 4 games (8 teams)
- Semi-Final: 2 games (4 teams)
- Final: 1 game (2 teams)
Seeding
Choose one of the 3 options:
- Seeded (most common): In a 10 team single elimination bracket seeded, top-ranked players meet later in the tournament.
- Random (blind draw): Players are shuffled randomly, with no set ranking.
- Manual pairing: Arrange matchups in your preferred custom order.
Learn more about single elimination tournaments and other bracket styles
Comparing to other Tournament Formats
Like any elimination-style event, a 10-team tournament runs faster and requires fewer games compared to other tournament types of the same size:
| Format | Total games | Games per team | Rounds | Fairness | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Robin | 45 | 9 | 9 | Everyone plays everyone | Best for leagues |
| Single Elimination | 9 | 1–3 | 3 | Harsh cutoff | Best for quick events |
| Double Elimination | 19 | 2–6 | ~6 | More forgiving | Popular in esports |
| Double Elimination with Consolation | ~13 | min 2 | ~5 (3+2) | Fairer, every team plays twice | Youth sports |
| Swiss System | 15 | 3 | 3 | Balanced, flexible | Chess, card games |
Printable 10 Team Single Elimination Bracket
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