Bracket
The tree-shaped chart that maps who plays whom in a knockout tournament and how winners advance to the final.
Definition
A bracket is the diagram that lays out a knockout competition, pairing entrants in the first round and showing how each winner moves along the branches toward the final. Its shape means every result narrows the field by half, so an eight-entry bracket runs quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final.
Where the entry is not a power of two, byes are placed in the first round so that later rounds fill neatly, and seeding decides which names go where so the strongest are kept apart. The word bracket is also used for a whole tournament section, such as the upper and lower brackets in a double-elimination event.
Where you’ll hear “bracket”
Sports that use this term:
Tennis
A singles or doubles racquet sport that blends agility, strategy and stamina on court.
Basketball
A fast, dynamic team sport of running, jumping and quick decisions on court.
Badminton
A fast indoor racquet sport played with a shuttlecock that rewards agility and touch.
Table Tennis
A fast, low-impact indoor racquet sport that sharpens reflexes and is easy to start.
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- Content type
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- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
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- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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