The tournament is played in a knockout (elimination) system. Teams are placed in a bracket, where a loss may mean the end of the tournament for that team.
There are two possible scenarios:
SCENARIO A: Knockout stage as PHASE I
The bracket is randomized automatically.
All teams start from the first round.
SCENARIO B: Knockout stage as PHASE II
Preceded by a group stage or round-robin phase.
The bracket is created based on Phase I results.
Top-seeded teams are placed at the top of the bracket.
Bracket Layout Options
FC.APP offers 4 bracket layout options to choose from during tournament creation:
Option 1: Standard
Traditional knockout bracket: 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, Final, and 3rd place match.
Example: Phase II Knockout, 8 teams
Match No. | Stage | Matchup |
1 | Quarter-final 1 | 1st place Group A vs 2nd place Group B |
2 | Quarter-final 2 | 1st place Group C vs 2nd place Group D |
3 | Quarter-final 3 | 1st place Group B vs 2nd place Group A |
4 | Quarter-final 4 | 1st place Group D vs 2nd place Group C |
5 | Semi-final 1 | Winner Match 1 vs Winner Match 2 |
6 | Semi-final 2 | Winner Match 3 vs Winner Match 4 |
7 | 3rd PLACE MATCH | Loser Match 5 vs Loser Match 6 |
8 | FINAL (1st Place) | Winner Match 5 vs Winner Match 6 |
Option 2: Extended
Top 4 teams in semi-finals; remaining teams play for 5th place and below.
Example: Phase II Knockout, 8 teams
Match No. | Stage | Matchup |
1 | Semi-final 1 (Places 1-4) | 1st place Group A vs 2nd place Group B |
2 | Semi-final 2 (Places 1-4) | 1st place Group B vs 2nd place Group A |
3 | 7th PLACE MATCH | 4th place Group A vs 4th place Group B |
4 | 5th PLACE MATCH | 3rd place Group A vs 3rd place Group B |
5 | 3rd PLACE MATCH | Loser Match 1 vs Loser Match 2 |
6 | FINAL (1st Place) | Winner Match 1 vs Winner Match 2 |
Option 3: Matches for every place (Teams grouped by 4)
Top 8 teams in quarter-finals, then semi-finals; lower places grouped by 4 (5-8, 9-12, etc.).
Example: Phase II Knockout, 8 teams
Match No. | Stage | Matchup |
1 | Quarter-final 1 | 1st place Group A vs 4th place Group B |
2 | Quarter-final 2 | 2nd place Group B vs 3rd place Group A |
3 | Quarter-final 3 | 1st place Group B vs 4th place Group A |
4 | Quarter-final 4 | 2nd place Group A vs 3rd place Group B |
5 | Play-off (Places 5-8) | Loser Match 1 vs Loser Match 2 |
6 | Play-off (Places 5-8) | Loser Match 3 vs Loser Match 4 |
7 | Semi-final (Places 1-4) | Winner Match 1 vs Winner Match 2 |
8 | Semi-final (Places 1-4) | Winner Match 3 vs Winner Match 4 |
9 | 7th PLACE MATCH | Loser Match 5 vs Loser Match 6 |
10 | 5th PLACE MATCH | Winner Match 5 vs Winner Match 6 |
11 | 3rd PLACE MATCH | Loser Match 7 vs Loser Match 8 |
12 | FINAL (1st Place) | Winner Match 7 vs Winner Match 8 |
Option 4: Matches for every place (Teams grouped by 8)
Top 4 teams in the semi-finals; lower-ranked teams are grouped by 8 to play for remaining positions (5-12, 13-20, etc.).
Example: Phase II Knockout, 16 teams
Match No. | Stage | Matchup |
1 | Play-off (Places 9-16) | 7th place Group A vs 8th place Group B |
2 | Play-off (Places 9-16) | 7th place Group B vs 8th place Group A |
3 | Play-off (Places 9-16) | 5th place Group A vs 6th place Group B |
4 | Play-off (Places 9-16) | 5th place Group B vs 6th place Group A |
5 | 15th PLACE MATCH | Loser Match 1 vs Loser Match 2 |
6 | 13th PLACE MATCH | Winner Match 1 vs Winner Match 2 |
7 | 11th PLACE MATCH | Loser Match 3 vs Loser Match 4 |
8 | 9th PLACE MATCH | Winner Match 3 vs Winner Match 4 |
9 | Play-off (Places 5-8) | 3rd place Group A vs 4th place Group B |
10 | Play-off (Places 5-8) | 3rd place Group B vs 4th place Group A |
11 | Semi-final (Places 1-4) | 2nd place Group A vs 1st place Group B |
12 | Semi-final (Places 1-4) | 1st place Group A vs 2nd place Group B |
13 | 7th PLACE MATCH | Loser Match 9 vs Loser Match 10 |
14 | 5th PLACE MATCH | Winner Match 9 vs Winner Match 10 |
15 | 3rd PLACE MATCH | Loser Match 11 vs Loser Match 12 |
16 | FINAL (1st Place) | Winner Match 11 vs Winner Match 12 |
Draw vs. Phase I Results
If Knockout Stage is PHASE I:
The system randomizes the bracket automatically.
All teams have an equal chance of their position in the bracket.
If Knockout Stage is PHASE II:
The system assigns teams according to Phase I results (e.g., 1st place Group A vs 2nd place Group B).
Top teams avoid each other until the semi-finals/final.
Final Standings Table
The system automatically creates a table based on the stage reached:
1st Place: Winner of the Final
2nd Place: Finalist (Loser of the Final)
3rd Place: Winner of the 3rd place match
4th Place: Loser of the 3rd place match
5th-8th Place: Quarter-final losers (ex aequo)*
9th-16th Place: 1/8 final losers (ex aequo)*
*You can manually edit the order of teams within the same rank.
💡 3rd Place Match
In the knockout phase, a 3rd place match is always played between the losing semi-finalists.