Playoffs
A knockout or mini-series stage after the regular season that decides the champion or promotion.
Definition
Playoffs are the deciding phase that follows a regular season, in which the leading teams meet in elimination games or short series to determine the champion, a title, or promotion to a higher division. Qualifying for the playoffs is itself a season goal, and the format rewards teams that peak at the right moment rather than only those with the best regular-season record.
The structure varies by sport: North American leagues often use best-of-seven series, while many football leagues use a short knockout among the sides just below the automatic promotion places. The word playoff can also mean a single extra contest to break a tie, such as a sudden-death playoff in golf between players level after regulation.
Meaning by sport
This term is used differently across sports:
- Team leagues (e.g. basketball, ice hockey)
- A post-season knockout or series stage among the top teams to decide the champion.
- Golf
- An extra hole or holes played to separate competitors tied after the final round.
Where you’ll hear “playoffs”
Sports that use this term:
Basketball
A fast, dynamic team sport of running, jumping and quick decisions on court.
Baseball
A bat-and-ball team sport where two sides alternate between batting and fielding to score runs.
Football
The world’s most popular team sport — endless running, teamwork and community in one game.
Ice Hockey
A fast team sport on ice that combines skating skill with quick passing and goal-scoring.
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- Content type
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- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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