Double elimination

Double elimination (DE) gives every team a second chance: lose in the winners bracket and you drop to the losers bracket; lose there and you are out. It is the standard format in esports and fighting-game communities, and fits 4 to 64 teams.

How the brackets connect

• Winners bracket (WB) — plays like a single elimination bracket. Winners advance; losers are not eliminated but drop into the losers bracket at a matching round.
• Losers bracket (LB) — collects everyone with exactly one loss. Losing here is final. LB rounds interleave with WB rounds, so dropped teams face opponents who arrived at the same stage.
• Grand final (GF) — the WB champion faces the LB champion.

Bracket reset

The grand final has a built-in fairness rule: because the WB champion has not lost yet, a single win by the LB champion would not be conclusive. If the losers-bracket champion wins the grand final, a Bracket Reset match is created and the two teams play again — the WB champion must lose twice to be dethroned. The reset node appears in the bracket automatically when needed and is marked in exports.

Practical notes

• Match volume — roughly 2n−1 (plus reset) matches. For a 16-team DE expect about 30 matches.
• Scheduling — LB matches must wait for their WB feeders; if you use the schedule grid, dependency conflicts are flagged automatically.
• Export layouts — DE exports come in two layouts: the combined overview (both brackets side by side) and the mirror layout (halves converging toward the grand final). Pick per event in the export dialog; see Exports.
• Standings — placement beyond the top two is derived from where teams exited the losers bracket, which also drives league standings if the event belongs to a series.

When to choose it

• Your community expects a second chance (esports, fighting games, cue sports).
• The field is strong enough that "best of day" should not hinge on one early matchup.
• You can absorb ~2n matches in the schedule.