How to Run a 14 Team Single Elimination Tournament
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How Does a 14 Team Single Elimination Tournament Work?
A single elimination (knockout) tournament with 14 teams features 4 rounds and a total of 13 total games.
Bracket Size
The bracket size is determined by rounding the number of teams up to the nearest power of two. Therefore, for a tournament with 14 participants, the bracket size would be 16.
Byes
The difference between 16 and 14 represents the number of byes, meaning there are 2 byes in this tournament.
Rounds & Games
There are 4 rounds and 13 actual (non-bye) games in the 14 team single elimination bracket:
- Round of 16: 6 games, 2 byes
- Quarter-Finals (or “Round of 8”): 4 games, 8 players
- Semi-Final: 2 games, 4 players
- Final: 1 game between 2 teams
Seeding
Choose one of the 3 options:
- Seeded (most common): The best, top-ranked players meet later in the tournament.
- Blind draw (random): No seeding, players are randomly assigned in the first round.
- Manual seeding: Create matchups in your preferred custom order.
Comparing to other Tournament Formats
A 14 team single elimination format is faster and has fewer games than other tournament formats with the same number of participants.
| Format | Total games | Games per team | Rounds | Fairness | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Robin | 91 | 13 | 13 | Everyone plays everyone | Best for leagues |
| Single Elimination | 13 | 1–4 | 4 | Harsh cutoff | Best for quick events |
| Double Elimination | 27 | 2–8 | ~8 | More forgiving | Popular in esports |
| Double Elimination with Consolation | ~19 | min 2 | ~7 (4+3) | Fairer, every team plays twice | Youth sports |
| Swiss System | 28 | 4 | 4 | Balanced, flexible | Chess, card games |
Printable 14 Team Single Elimination Bracket
Want a paper copy of your bracket or tournament schedule? Print both quickly and easily!
