How to Run a 24 Team Single Elimination Tournament
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How Does a 24 Team Single Elimination Tournament Work?
A single elimination (knockout) tournament with 24 teams consists of 5 rounds and a total of 23 games.
Bracket Size
The bracket size is determined by rounding the number of teams up to the nearest power of two. With 24 participants, the bracket expands to 32 slots.
Byes
The number of byes is found by subtracting the number of teams from the total bracket size. With 24 teams in a 32-slot bracket, there will be 8 byes in the first round.
Rounds & Games
There are 5 rounds and 23 actual (non-bye) games in the 24 team single elimination bracket:
- Round of 32: 8 actual games, with 8 byes filling the bracket
- Round of 16: 8 matchups between the advancing teams
- Quarterfinals (Round of 8): 4 games with the remaining 8 teams
- Semifinals: 2 games among the final 4 teams
- Final: 1 game to determine the winner
Seeding
Choose one of the 3 options:
- Seeded (most common): The best 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.
Compared to other Tournament Formats
A 24 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 | 276 | 23 | 23 | Everyone plays everyone | Best for leagues |
| Single Elimination | 23 | 1–5 | 5 | Harsh cutoff | Best for quick events |
| Double Elimination | 47 | 2–10 | ~10 | More forgiving | Popular in esports |
| Double Elimination with Consolation | ~34 | min 2 | ~9 (5+4) | Fairer, every team plays twice | Youth sports |
| Swiss System | 60 | 5 | 5 | Balanced, flexible | Chess, card games |
Printable 24 Team Single Elimination Bracket
Looking for a paper copy of your bracket or tournament schedule? Print both quickly and easily!
