Groups Tournament

A groups tournament starts like the World Cup. Titles are split into groups of 4, everyone votes for their top 2 in each group, and the qualifiers then play a normal knockout bracket.

⚡ Quick steps · about 15 minutes to set up, then a week or two

1. Set up the groups. Run /bracket setup-link, upload the groups template with a group letter on every title (4 titles per group), and press Create tournament.
2. Open the group stage. Run /bracket open duration:2d. Every group opens, and voters pick their top 2 in each group.
3. Close the groups. When the deadline passes, the groups close and the results are posted. Or run /bracket close to end voting early.
4. Start the knockout. Run /bracket open again. The top 2 from each group (plus the best third-place titles, if needed) go into a knockout bracket.
5. Play out the knockout. Keep running /bracket open for each round. For a big first round, use /bracket open matchups:4 to open it in parts.

Tips

• Pick a group count with no byes: 4, 6, 7, 8, 11 or 12 groups give a full knockout bracket (see the table below).
• Every group needs exactly 4 titles before voting can open. /bracket open names any group that's short.
• The setup form is easiest for groups, since you can give each title its group letter in the spreadsheet. Leave a cell empty and the title goes into the first group with room.
• With commands instead, /bracket create max-titles:36 makes 9 groups, and /bracket resize groups:<4-12> changes the count.
• Ties in a group for 1st or 2nd place get a tiebreaker vote before the knockout can start.

In detail

How many titles reach the knockout

The top 2 of each group always qualify. When that doesn't fill a bracket of 8, 16 or 32, the best third-place titles (wildcards) fill the gap. Any slots still empty become byes for group winners.

Groups	Titles	Wildcards	Knockout	Byes
4	16	0	8	0
5	20	5	16	1
6	24	4	16	0
7	28	2	16	0
8	32	0	16	0
9	36	9	32	5
10	40	10	32	2
11	44	10	32	0
12	48	8	32	0

Opening groups in batches

/bracket open opens every group that hasn't voted yet. To stagger them, use /bracket open-groups groups:"A,B,C", then open the rest later with /bracket open. A group that has closed is never reopened.

Starting the knockout

Once every group has closed and every tiebreaker is settled, /bracket open builds the knockout bracket. With 4 groups, its first round has 4 matchups and opens straight away. With 6 or more, it has 8 or 16, more than a ballot holds, so the bot builds the bracket and asks you to open it with matchups: or region:. /bracket open matchups:4 builds and opens the first four in one step.

Related

• Setup & group stage reference
• 32-title bracket, for pacing a big knockout
• Tournament FAQ