7 Team Single Elimination Bracket

Jan 23, 2025

This article discusses how to use a 7 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 7 Team Single Elimination Bracket?

A 7 team single elimination bracket is a scoresheet used to keep track of a small tournament involving seven 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 of the uneven number of teams, seven player eliminations involve selecting a “bye team” that sits out the first round (or quarterfinals). Instead, the bye team steps in during the semifinals, competing with one of the winners of the first round. Let’s dive into how it works.

Using the Downloadable Bracket

To record progress in a 7 team single elimination tournament on a bracket sheet, take the following actions during each round:

Quarterfinals (Games 1-3): Write the names of the first six competing teams in their assigned match slots. Mark the bye team’s name in its reserved semifinal position to keep track of everyone. After each match, write the name of the winner in the corresponding semi final positions. You may choose to record final scores as well.
Semifinals (Games 4 & 5): The advancing first-round winners and the bye team now compete to determine who plays in the finals. After each semifinal match, update the sheet by marking the winners advancing to the final.
Finals (Game 6): The two remaining teams face off for the championship. Once the final concludes, highlight the champion prominently at the top of the bracket sheet.

Scheduling Matches

Scheduling matches for a 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.

Quarterfinals (Games 1-3): Schedule these 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 4 & 5): 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 6): Schedule the championship match as the event’s highlight, ensuring the finalists have time to recover and compete 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 of a 7-team single elimination bracket, six teams compete in three matches while one team receives a bye, advancing automatically to the semifinals. Scores are recorded on the bracket sheet by writing the winning team’s name in the corresponding semifinal slot. It’s often a good idea to include final scores next to the team names as well.

What Happens in Subsequent Rounds?

In the semifinals, the three winners from the first round join the bye team to compete in two matches. The pairings are determined by the bracket layout, with the bye team often facing the lowest-seeded first-round winner, depending on the seeding rules. Winners of the semifinal matches advance to the final round. Record these results on the bracket sheet by writing the winners’ names in the final matchup slot.

The final round pits the semifinal winners against each other to determine the tournament champion. After the final match, record the winner prominently at the top of the bracket and, if applicable, note the second-place team for a complete record. Consolation matches can also be arranged for eliminated teams to compete for third place or rankings.

Selecting the Bye Team

As we noted above, seven team tournaments have to compensate for an uneven number of players prior to the final round by selecting a bye team. There are several approaches to selecting bye 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. 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 in, for instance, a family setting 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 essential to establish clear rules beforehand. Having a plan in place ensures fairness and 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 good will. 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!

Free standard shipping on orders above $50