6 Team Single Elimination Bracket

Jan 17, 2025

This article discusses how to use a 6 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.

What is a 6 Team Single Elimination Bracket?

A 6-team single elimination bracket is a scoresheet used to keep track of a mid-sized tournament involving six 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.

Because six-team eliminations result in an uneven number of teams as the games progress, our approach to this tournament style involves selecting two teams to sit out the first round (called “bye teams”). The second round then moves into a competition between the winner of the first round and the bye teams. Let’s dive into how it works.

Using the Downloadable Bracket

In a 6-team single elimination bracket, there are three rounds. You use the downloadable bracket to record players and winners as they advance through the rounds:

First Round (Games 1 & 2): Write the names of the teams in their assigned first-round matchups. Make a note of the teams that will sit out the first round (the “bye teams”) on the page at the beginning so you can keep track of everyone.
Semifinals (Games 3 & 4): The bye teams will now face off with the winners from the first round. Record the winners from the first round in their respective positions and a matching bye team. Update the bracket after the matches by marking the winners advancing to the finals.
Finals (Game 5): Write the names of the semifinal winners in the championship match position. Once the final is completed, note the champion prominently on the bracket.

Scheduling Matches

Scheduling matches for a 6-team tournament is a matter of considering speed and options to spectate. We designed our bracket to accommodate tournaments where each game is played one at a time. However, if you have the ability, you can certainly play rounds simultaneously.

First Round (Games 1 & 2): Schedule these two games simultaneously if there are enough tables and you want the competition to move quickly, or consecutively to allow for other teams to spectate.
Semifinals (Games 3 & 4): These matches can be held after a break, ensuring the first-round winners are rested and ready to face the bye teams. Consider playing these games consecutively to allow others to spectate and build excitement for the final match.
Finals (Game 5): Allow ample recovery time before the championship match.

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, four teams are paired into two matchups. These matches determine which two teams advance to the semifinal round. Winners move forward, while the losers are eliminated from the tournament.

What Happens in Subsequent Rounds?

After the first round, the tournament moves into the semifinals and finals. In the semifinals, the bye teams join the bracket, facing one of the winners from the first round. These games determine the two finalists, which go head to head to produce the tournament champion.

Selecting the Bye Teams

As we noted above, six team tournaments result in an uneven number of matchups unless you select two teams to sit out the first round. There are several approaches to selecting these teams, and you should choose the one that makes the game 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.
Highest Seeded Teams: If you’re organizing a tournament based on skill (i.e. “seeding”), then it’s customary to choose the highest ranked teams to sit out the first round to ensure a better balance in later games.
Volunteer or Rotational System: When you’re playing more casually, teams can volunteer for the first round, or it can rotate between teams if you’re playing multiple tournaments.

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!

All Tournament Brackets for Download

Coming Soon

14 Team Single Elimination Bracket
15 Team Single Elimination Bracket
16 Team Single Elimination Bracket

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