5 Team Single Elimination Bracket

Jan 23, 2025

This article discusses how to use a 5 team single elimination bracket to hold a tournament. Begin by right-clicking on the image below and selecting “Save Image As” or simply download the PDF version for easy printing. Keep reading to learn how it works.

What is a 5 Team Single Elimination Bracket?

A 5-team single elimination bracket is a scoresheet used to keep track of a small tournament involving five teams. In single elimination matches, teams compete in a series of games where the loser of each match is immediately eliminated. The winners of each game progress to the next round, and the tournament continues until a single champion emerges.

To balance the competition, five player eliminations begin with a preliminary round of play between two teams. The second round then moves into a competition between the winner of the first round and another team competing alongside the remaining teams in the tournament. Let’s dive into how it works.

Using the Downloadable Bracket

In our version of a 5 team single elimination bracket, the structure includes three rounds. We use “Games” to mark where you should list competing teams and winners. You use the downloadable bracket to record players and winners as they advance through the rounds:

Preliminary Round (Game 1): Two teams face off to determine which four teams will play in the semifinals. Write them both on the bracket. Mark the winner of the match as one of the teams to play in the next round. Include final scores as well if you wish.
Semifinals (Games 2 & 3): The winner of the first round and the remaining three teams are denoted in the brackets for Games 2 & 3. Two teams compete in the semifinals, and the winners of each competition advance to the next bracket.
Finals (Game 4): Write the names of the semifinal winners in the championship match position. Once the final is completed, note the champion prominently on the sheet.

Scheduling Matches

Scheduling for a 5 team tournament allows you to balance fairness and efficiency by determining whether games are played consecutively or simultaneously. Here’s how it works:

Preliminary Round (Game 1): One match is played between two teams. Ensure that other teams have the choice to watch the matches or warm up for their upcoming game.
Semifinals (Games 2 & 3): The winning team from the first round enters the bracket at this stage to face one of the first-round winners. Schedule the semifinals with enough time between matches to allow all teams to rest and prepare. You can hold these games at the same time, but we recommend holding them consecutively to build anticipation and excitement for the finals.
Finals (Game 4): Allow adequate recovery time before the championship match so both finalists can perform at their best.

Single elimination brackets are designed to yield one winner from among all the teams. Therefore, you might consider holding consolation matches for the eliminated teams to compete for third place or additional rankings.

What Happens in the First Round?

In the first round, two of the teams are paired into a matchup while the rest of the teams spectate. This is called a “Preliminary round,” but we have chosen to simply label it “Game 1” on your bracket sheet. Preliminary matches determine which team advances so that there are an even number of players.

What Happens in Subsequent Rounds?

After the first round, the tournament moves into the semifinals and finals. In the semifinals, the winners of the first round compete to determine the two finalists. In the last round, the two teams left standing face off to select the tournament winner.

Selecting the First Round Teams

As we noted above, the first round teams in uneven matches will play a preliminary match in order to ensure that an even number of teams advance to the games. There are several approaches to selecting these teams, and you should choose the one that promotes the most fairest based on the players you have:

Random Selection: Names or numbers representing each team are drawn at random to select the first-round teams. This choice involves the least bias, but may result in teams with mismatched skill levels if your teams are unbalanced.
Lowest Seeded Teams: If you’re organizing a tournament based on skill (i.e. “seeding”), then it’s customary to choose the lowest ranked teams to face off in the first round to ensure a better balance in later games.
Volunteer or Rotational System: In casual settings, teams can volunteer for the first round, or it can rotate between teams if the tournament format allows for multiple rounds.

Different Ways to Draw

A "draw" refers to the method used to determine how teams or participants are placed into the tournament bracket.

Blind or Random Draw

Blind (aka Random) Draws involve assigning teams to their bracket positions randomly. There are many ways to draw randomly, including using free tools online. Search “free random name picker” for a variety of options. Additionally, you can assign each team a number and then draw those numbers from a hat or bucket to make blind selections.

This method is simple and adds an element of unpredictability to the tournament, but it does not take into account skill level, which can sometimes impact the fairness of the outcome.

Seeded Draw

In a seeded draw, teams are ranked based on skill, age, or past performance, and placements are designed to prevent the strongest teams from meeting in early rounds. Teams are assigned a “seed” (a number that designates their strength), and then paired so that the top two teams are not assigned together. This can be ideal with mixed-age groups and family settings where adults might have an advantage over younger children.

Randomized but Balanced

Teams are drawn randomly, but adjustments are made to avoid early matchups between the strongest participants. This method balances fairness with excitement.

How to Handle Tiebreakers

Tiebreakers can occur in tightly contested matches, and it’s a good idea to establish clear rules beforehand. Having a plan in place helps avoid disputes later on. To resolve a tie, you can try one of the following methods:

Extra Time: Adding additional playtime to break the tie.
Sudden Death: The tied teams face off, and the first team to score or achieve a point wins.
Skill Challenge: Similar to sudden death, this type of tiebreaker involves setting up a specific skill-based competition, such as a penalty shootout or face-off.

Dealing with Eliminations Gracefully

Losing is an inherent part of single elimination tournaments. It’s important to handle eliminations in a way that maintains a sense of goodwill. Make sure to celebrate participation by appreciating and acknowledging the efforts of eliminated teams. You may also choose to offer consolation matches, which means allowing eliminated teams to play additional matches for placement. Finally, sharing performance highlights can keep morale high and encourage future participation.

Using Single Elimination Bracket for Nok Hockey Tournaments

Single elimination brackets are a great fit for Nok Hockey tournaments, especially within families and friend groups. Tournaments can be the perfect way to encourage longer play that’s both intense and engaging. It also allows you to involve a larger number of people even when you only have a single Nok Hockey table.

Nok Hockey tournaments in the single elimination format are especially good for engaging competition within larger group settings, such as birthdays, family gatherings, and holidays. It allows you to compensate for different skill levels as well, making competitive play possible amongst mixed-age groups.

Learn how to play Nok Hockey, Skittles, or Carrom by clicking one of the links!

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