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teams are seeded solely within their conference. Playoff pairings are based on seeding number within the conference (No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6, and No. 4 vs. No. 5). The division winner with the best record in the conference plays the lowest wild-card seed, while the other division winner plays the next-lowest seed (wild-card teams, who are de facto 4th seeds, may cross over to another division within the conference). The playoff pairings are reseeded after the first round (a feature that was once used in the NHL, but now abandoned). Therefore, the
Conference Semifinals feature the top remaining seed in the conference playing the lowest remaining seed, and the two other first-round survivors playing one another. In the third round, the Conference Finals, the two surviving teams play each other, with the conference champions proceeding to the Gagarin Cup Finals.
1209:
3084:, both South African sides left the league and were replaced by the country's four former Super Rugby franchises, with the competition being rebranded as the URC. The league split into four regionally based pools—one each for Ireland, South Africa, and Wales, plus a joint Italian–Scottish pool. While the top team of each pool at the end of the regular season will receive a trophy branded as a regional "Shield" and automatic qualification for the following season's European Rugby Champions Cup, all teams are combined into a single table for purposes of playoff qualification. The top eight teams advance to knockout playoffs, with the higher seed hosting all matches leading up to the championship final, which continues to be held at a predetermined site.
297:, the number of wild-card qualifiers returned to six. The winners of each division automatically earn a playoff spot and a home game in their first rounds, the three top non-division winners from each conference also make the playoffs as wild-card teams. The division winner with the best record in the regular season gets a first-round bye, and each of the other division winners plays one of the three wild-card teams. In the divisional round, the lowest-seeded winner of a wild-card game then plays the lone bye team; the two wild-card winners also advance to play each other. The winners of these two games go to the conference championships, and the winners of those conference finals then face each other in the
914:
during the regular competition divided by two. The first 3 teams after the play-offs get a
European ticket. The fourth ranked team (or fifth, when the cup holder is already qualified for European football) plays a knock-out match against the winner of play-off 2. From 2009 to 2010 through 2015–16, teams ranked 7–14 played in two groups; from 2016 to 2017 forward, this playoff will continue to be contested in two groups, but with a total of 12 teams (details below). All points gained from the regular competition are lost. The two group winners play a final match to determine the winner of play-off 2. The winning team plays a final match against the fourth-ranked team (or fifth) for the last European ticket.
2881:
league, The
Qualifiers, will include the bottom four clubs from Super League and the top four from the Championship, whilst the third will feature the remaining eight Championship sides. The bottom two leagues will begin as single round-robin tournaments. In The Qualifiers, the top three sides will either remain in or be promoted to Super League, with the fourth- and fifth-place teams playing the aforementioned "Million Pound Game" for the final Super League place. In the third league, the sides compete for the Championship Shield, with the top four teams after the round-robin phase entering a knockout playoff for the Shield. The bottom two teams are relegated to League 1.
1437:. The bottom team from the first-tier Premiership is automatically relegated and is replaced by the winners of the second-tier Championship, provided that club meets Premiership entry criteria. The second-, third- and fourth-placed teams from the Championship qualify for a play-off consisting of two-legged ties, with the second-placed team receiving a bye to play the winner of the teams that finished third and fourth. The winner of this play-off then faces the second-bottom Premiership team, also over two legs, with the winner of that tie taking up the final Premiership place (again, assuming that the Championship club meets Premiership criteria).
967:
15th on the regular-season table. The First
Division B qualifiers will be the top three teams from that league's regular-season table, excluding the division champion, which instead earns promotion to First Division A. As in the previous format, the teams will be divided into two groups, each playing home-and-away within the group, and the two group winners will play a one-off final, with the winner of that match advancing to a one-off match against the fourth- or fifth-place team from the championship playoff (depending on available European slots) for the final Europa League place.
3038:, though with all matches held at the higher seed's home field. The playoff champion earns automatic promotion; the runner-up enters a one-off match for potential promotion to Top 14. Previously, Pro D2 used a four-team playoff, involving the second- through fifth-place teams, to determine the second of two teams promoted to the next season's Top 14, with the regular-season champions earning automatic promotion. Under this system, the promotion semifinals were held at the home fields of the second- and third-place teams, and the promotion final was held at a neutral site.
2204:, the playoffs begin in November. After the regular season, the top team from each division has an automatic home game berth in the Division Final, and a bye week during the Division Semifinal. The second-place team from each division hosts the third-place team in the Division Semifinal, unless the fourth-place team from the opposite division finishes with a better record. This "crossover rule" does not come into play if the teams have identical records—there are no tiebreakers. While the format means that it is possible for two teams in the same division to play for the
3223:, saw the playoff bracket expand to eight teams. The teams were split into African and Australasian groups, with the Argentine and Japanese teams joining the African group. Each group in turn was divided into two conferences (Australia, New Zealand, Africa 1, Africa 2). Conference winners received the top four playoff seeds, and were joined by the top three remaining Australasian teams and the top remaining team from the African group on table points, again without regard to conference affiliation. The higher seed still hosted all playoff matches, including the final.
3112:, the first season of the revamped domestic structure in that country, the top six teams after Round One of the competition automatically qualified for the finals, officially known as Round Three. Their relative seeding was determined by their standings at the end of the Top Six phase of Round Two. The teams that finished below the top six entered repechage pools in Round Two, with the winner of each pool taking up one of the final two finals slots. The seventh seed was the repechage winner with the better record, and the eighth seed was the other repechage winner.
2459:" playoff for the racing teams. Only one multi-driver team has ever won the Cup series owner's point championship: in 2015, Kyle Busch won the championship after missing the first 11 races of the season due to injury; 3 other drivers drove the No. 18 car during his absence. Because of the way the playoffs were structured that year, however, both he and his No. 18 team won their respective championships with 5043 points. There have been two cases where a playoff driver failed to enter every playoff race. In 2005,
1113:(formerly known as Conference Premier) are also automatically promoted. In EFL playoffs, the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places compete in two-legged semi-finals with the higher-placed club enjoying home advantage in the second leg. In the National League however, the six clubs finishing below the champions compete in playoffs - the lower four competing in an elimination match to decide who plays in the semifinals (the top two receive a bye into the semifinals). The
1871:, when the first-round series, the Wild Card Series, a best-of-three round, was created, along with the other rounds. The first three seeds went to division champions, the next three seeds to division runners-up, and the last two to the next-best records. The pairings for the Wild Card Series are as follows: top seed vs. eighth, second vs. seventh, third vs. sixth, and fourth vs. fifth. The division series has the 1–8 winner play the 4–5 winner, while the 2–7 winner plays the 3–6 winner.
1789:", was introduced to both professional leagues in NPB to decide the teams that would compete for the Japan Series. The Climax Series basically applied the rule of the playoff system in the Pacific League, with one important change: each League championship is awarded to the team finishing the regular season at the top of their respective league, regardless of their fate in the playoffs. This means that the two League Champions are not guaranteed to make the Japan Series. The
2421:
game held earlier on the Sunday between the losing teams from the semi-finals. Unlike in the NHL, the winners of the Elite League playoffs are not considered to be the league champions for that season (that title goes to the team which finishes in first place in the league), rather the playoffs are considered to be a separate competition although being crowned playoff champions is a prestigious accolade nonetheless. The most recent playoff champions are the
625:(as in many leagues in Latin America). In leagues with a single table done only once a year, as in most of Europe, playoff systems are not used to determine champions, although in some countries such systems are used to determine teams to be promoted to higher leagues (e.g., England) or qualifiers for European club competitions (such as Greece and the Netherlands), usually between teams that didn't perform well enough to earn an automatic spot.
1460:, respectively). In the Championship/League One and League One/League Two, while the champions are automatically promoted and the bottom team relegated, there are play-offs of the second-bottom teams against the second-, third- and fourth-placed teams from the division below. Home and away ties decide semi-finals and a final, and the overall winner plays in the higher division the following season, with the loser playing in the lower division.
1367:; the runner-up enters the second qualification round of the CL; the number three enters the fourth (and last) qualification round of the UEFA Europa League (EL; the new name of the UEFA Cup from 2009 to 2010 onward) and the number four goes to the third qualification round of the EL. The only play-off will be for the clubs placed 5th through 8th. The winner of that play-off receives a ticket for the second qualification round of the EL.
1591:, the MLS Cup Playoffs has had nine teams from each conference playing in separate brackets until the MLS Cup final. The preliminary round has the eighth seed hosting the ninth seed while the top seven seeds get a prelim-round bye. Whoever wins plays the top seed in Round One. In Round One, the top-seed hosts the eighth-ninth winner, the runner-up hosts the seventh seed, the third hosts the sixth, and fourth hosts the fifth, in
636:. The format of a test match series varies; for instance it can be a head-to-head between one of the worse finishers of the higher league and one of the better finishers of the lower league, or it can be a mini league where all participants play each other or teams only play those from the other league. The winner of the test match series play in the higher league the following season, and the loser in the lower league.
5011:
854:. The top two teams at the end of league play were matched in one semifinal, with the winner advancing directly to the grand final and the loser going into the Preliminary Final. The next two teams played a semifinal for a place in the Preliminary Final, whose winner took the other place in the grand final. Both semifinals were two-legged, while the Preliminary Final and Grand Final were one-off matches.
5021:
2521:
qualifiers). These drivers then had their base points reset to 2,000 instead of the previous 5,000, reflecting the greatly reduced points available from each race (a maximum of 48 for the race winner, as opposed to a maximum of 195 in the pre-2011 system). After the reset, the 10 automatic qualifiers received 3 bonus points for each race win, while the wild card qualifiers received no bonus.
51:
3147:
lowest surviving seed and the second-highest surviving seed hosting the third surviving seed. The winners of these semifinals qualify for the Cup Final (2006–10) or
Premiership/Championship Final (2011–), held at the home ground of the higher surviving seed. From 2011 onward, the winner of the Championship Final is promoted to the Premiership, replacing that league's bottom team.
2192:, the league's best 8 teams, regardless of conference alignment, compete, and are seeded based on their regular-season records. The top two seeds are reserved for the conference leaders plus the next six teams with the next-best records. Since 2022, the league quarterfinals are best-of-three on an 2-1 basis, and the league semifinals and finals are best-of-5 on a 2-2-1 basis.
3227:
conference and the
Japanese team joining the Australia conference. The playoff will remain at eight teams, with the three conference winners joined by five "wildcards", specifically the top remaining teams without regard to conference affiliation. The conference winners and the top wildcard will host quarterfinals, with all remaining matches hosted by the higher seed.
2357:
top wild-card seed (wild-card teams, who are de facto 4th seeds, may cross over to another division within the conference). In the
Conference Semifinals, the four remaining teams in the conference face each other. In the third round, the Conference Finals, the two surviving teams play each other, with the conference champions proceeding to the Stanley Cup Finals.
1610:(WPS), which operated only in the U.S., conducted a four-team stepladder tournament consisting of one-off knockout matches. The third seed hosted the fourth seed in the first round. The winner of that game advanced to the "Super Semifinal", hosted by the second seed. The Super Semifinal winner traveled to the top seed for the final. The WPS's replacement, the
2060:
if the best division runner-up had a better record than other division champs, it could be seeded as high as second. Beginning in 2015–16, the NBA became the first major
American league to eliminate automatic playoff berths for division champions; the top eight teams overall in each conference now qualify for the playoffs, regardless of divisional alignment.
4999:
3077:, the league split into two conferences and expanded its playoffs to six teams. The top team of each conference earns a bye into the semifinals, where they will host the winners of matches between the second- and third-place teams from the other conferences (with the second-place team hosting the third-place team from the opposite conference).
2452:) have since adopted similar systems. One unique feature of the NASCAR playoffs is that the non-qualifying drivers continue to compete alongside the playoff drivers: the qualifying drivers merely have their championship points reset one or more times during the playoffs to figures so high that no non-qualifying driver could ever catch them.
359:. Unlike the BCS championship, the participating teams in the College Football Playoff National Championship are determined by two semi-final bowls—hosted by two of the consortium's six member bowls yearly—and the top two teams as determined by the selection committee do not automatically advance to the game in lieu of other bowls.
2575:
has been one of the more vocal critics of the system, saying that "Due to NASCAR having the same competitors on the track week in, week out, a champion emerges. In stick-and-ball sports, every team has a different schedule, so head-to-head series are necessary to determine a champion. That does not apply to auto racing."
1168:. Currently, the league is entitled to two Champions League places and three in the Europa League, with one of the Europa League places reserved for the cup winner. The playoff currently takes the form of a home-and-away mini-league involving the second- through fifth-place teams, under the following conditions:
683:, after the first-place finishers in each of eight groups received automatic finals places, along with the two second-place teams that had earned the most points against teams in the top six of their individual groups, the remaining six second-placed teams entered playoffs to select three teams for the finals.
2308:(MiLC) features 27 American teams split into the Pacific and Atlantic conferences, each of which is split into two regional divisions. The top two teams from each division advance to the Quarterfinals, with the final contested by one team from each conference. The Quarterfinal is unique in that it is a
2911:: the team that finished first after the league stage plays the team that finished fourth, while the team that finished second plays the team that finished third in the Semi-Finals, with the higher-ranked team having home advantage. The winners of these semi-finals qualify for the Premiership Final at
3226:
With the contraction of the league to 15 teams for 2018, with one
Australian and two South African teams being axed, the playoff format changed yet again. The number of conferences was reduced from four to three—Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, with the Argentine team joining the South Africa
2596:
The
Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash, consisting of four short events with the winners receiving cash prizes, has been incorporated into that series' Chase. A driver who wins two Dash 4 Cash events is considered as having one regular race win, which essentially qualifies the driver for the Chase even if he
2416:
playoffs are an elimination tournament where the draw is based on the finishing position of teams in the league. Of the 10 teams which compete, the top 8 qualify for the playoffs. The first round (the quarter-finals) are played over two legs (home and away) where the team who finished in 1st place in
1337:
In the Liguilla, all rounds are home-and-away. Teams are drawn so the best team plays the worst, the second-best plays the second-worst, and so on. After one round, the teams are redrawn so the best remaining team again plays the worst remaining one and the second-best faces the second-worst in the
1227:
Like the English playoffs, the Italian playoffs employ two-legged semi-finals, with the higher finisher in the league table earning home advantage in the second leg. If the teams are level on aggregate after full-time of the second leg, away goals are not used, but extra time is used. Unlike England,
3146:
The playoffs in each season format have consisted of a single-elimination tournament. The teams are bracketed in the normal fashion, with the higher seed receiving home-field advantage. In 2007 and 2008, the playoff was rebracketed after the quarterfinals, with the highest surviving seed hosting the
2987:
from a four-team format to six teams. In the new system, the top two teams after the double round-robin season receive first-round byes. The first-round matches involve the third- through sixth-place teams, bracketed so that 3 hosts 6 and 4 hosts 5. The winners then advance to face the top two teams
2951:
In the first year of the play-offs in 2010, all eight teams started equal. After that season, it was decided to reward teams for their performance in league play. in 2011 and 2012, the top two teams at the end of the league stage carried over 3 competition points to the promotion play-offs; the
2574:
The Chase for the Sprint Cup has been generally panned since its inception, as many drivers and owners have criticized the declining importance of the first 26 races, as well as very little change in schedule from year to year. Mike Fisher, the director of the NASCAR Research and Development Center,
2516:
The next format of the Chase was announced by France on January 26, 2011, along with several other changes, most significantly to the points system. After 26 races, 12 drivers still advanced to the Chase, but the qualifying criteria changed, as well as the number of base points that drivers received
2491:
on January 22, 2007. After 26 races, the top 12 drivers advanced to contend for the points championship and points were reset to 5000. Each driver within the top 12 received an additional 10 points for each win during the "regular season", or first 26 races, thus creating a seeding based on wins. As
2483:
In the original version of the Chase (2004–2006), following the 26th race of the season, all drivers in the top 10 and any others within 400 points of the leader got a spot in the 10-race playoff. Like the current system, drivers in the Chase had their point totals adjusted. However, it was based on
2356:
Since 2014, the Conference Quarterfinals consists of four match-ups in each conference, based on the seedings division-wise (No. 1 vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3). The division winner with the best record in the conference plays the lowest wild-card seed, while the other division winner plays the
1970:
Taiwan's playoff is different to many such competitions, due to the league's split-season format. The winners of the first half-season and the winners of the second half-season are eligible to play in the playoffs, but if the best overall team have not won either half season then they qualify into a
1874:
MLB uses a "2–3–2" format for the final two rounds of its postseason tournament. The singular term "playoff" is reserved for the rare situation in which two (or more) teams find themselves tied at the end of the regular season and are forced to have a tiebreaking playoff game (or games) to determine
1730:
The teams finishing in fourth and fifth place in the regular season face each other in the wildcard game. The winner of the wildcard game faces the team that finished in third place in the first round of the play-offs. The winner of the first round faces the team that finished in second place during
1710:
Prior to 1897, the premiership was generally awarded to the team with the best overall win–loss record at the end of the season. If two teams had finished with equal records, a playoff match for the premiership was required: this occurred in the Challenge Cup in 1871, the South Australian Inter-club
1529:
If within the qualifying places exist reserve teams whose senior teams are already in Segunda DivisiĂłn, subsequent places are allowed to play off. If the senior teams are relegated from Segunda DivisiĂłn during the season, the reserve team is automatically disqualified from competing and relegated to
1358:
qualify for European football. The playoff system has been criticized by clubs, players and fans as the number of matches will increase. Under the original playoff format, it was possible, though thoroughly unlikely, that the runner-up would not qualify for Europe; the following year, the format was
1036:
The bottom two teams from each group begin a series of relegation playoffs. The series starts with a knockout playoff that also consists entirely of two-legged matches. The winner of the playoff remains in the First League for the following season. The losing teams then enter the following series of
917:
The play-off system has been criticized because more points per match can be earned in the play-off stage than in the regular competition. This way the team who wins the most matches isn't automatically the national champion. The biggest upside in favor of the play-off system is the higher number of
2607:
The rounds of the Chase now have a standard name across all series. The rounds leading up to the final race are now officially called "Round of X", where "X" is the number of drivers eligible for the season title. The drivers in the final race that are still eligible for the season title are called
2403:
For the first two rounds, the higher-seeded team has home-ice advantage (regardless of point record). Thereafter, it goes to the team with the better regular season record. In all rounds the team with home-ice advantage hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, while the opponent hosts Games 3, 4 and 6 (Games 5–7
2360:
For the first two rounds, the higher-seeded team has home-ice advantage (regardless of point record). Thereafter, it goes to the team with the better regular season record. In all rounds the team with home-ice advantage hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, while the opponent hosts Games 3, 4 and 6 (Games 5–7
2269:
is the largest T20 league, and uses the Page playoff format: the top two teams in the group stage play a semi-final, and the third and fourth-place teams play an eliminator match, to determine which will remain in contention for the final. The two remaining teams that have not yet qualified for the
2059:
Teams are seeded according to their regular-season record. Through the 2014–15 season, the three division champions and best division runner-up received the top four seeds, with their ranking based on regular-season record. The remaining teams were seeded strictly by regular-season record. However,
1514:
For the 2010–11 season, the Segunda División experimented with promotion playoffs between the 3rd to 6th-placed teams, similar to the rules in the English and Italian systems. However, due to reserve teams being allowed to compete in the same football league system, subsequent places may be allowed
1024:
The highest-placed team that has not already qualified for European competition advances to an eventual one-off match for the country's final Europa League place. This will often be the third-place team, but if the winner of the Bulgarian Cup (which earns an automatic Europa League place) is in the
966:
Further changes will be introduced to the Europa League playoffs from 2016 to 2017 forward. The playoff will involve a total of 12 teams—nine from First Division A, and three from First Division B (the renamed Second Division). The First Division A qualifiers will be those finishing between 7th and
261:
championship matchups) did not adopt the New York league's playoff format, opting for a championship based on regular-season record for its first twelve seasons; as a result, four of the first six "championships" were disputed. Technically, a vote of league owners was all that was required to win a
2947:
The original promotion play-offs divided the eight teams into two groups of four each, with the teams within each group playing a home-and-away mini-league. The top two teams in each group advanced to a knockout phase. In 2010, the semi-finals were one-off matches; in 2011, they became two-legged.
2420:
The semi-finals and final are held over the course of a single weekend at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham. Each consists of a single game with the losing team being eliminated, with the two semi-final games being played on the Saturday and the final on the Sunday. There is also a third-place
1975:
to face the other half-season winner. If the first and second half winners are different, but one of them is also the best overall team, then both teams progress directly to the Taiwan Series. Finally, if one team wins both halves of the season then a playoff will take place between the second and
1886:
MLB is the oldest of the major American professional sports, dating back to the 1870s. As such, it is steeped in tradition. The final series to determine its champion has been called the "World Series" (originally "World's Championship Series" and then "World's Series") as far back as the National
1768:
Before the playoff system was developed in both professional leagues, the Pacific League had applied a playoff system on two occasions. The first was between 1973 and 1982, when a split-season was applied with a 5-game playoff between the winning teams from both halves of season (unless a team won
1525:
After the tier final takes place, the teams who finished 2nd in each of the 4 groups play the teams who finished 4th, whereas the teams who finished third play each other. The 6 winners, along with the 2 Group winners who lost their games in the earlier semifinals, play in each other in a knockout
1147:
The championship of every division in English football is determined solely by the standings in the league. However, a championship play-off would be held if the top two teams were tied for points, goal difference, goals scored in both their overall league record, and identical head-to-head record
1032:
The top two teams in each group enter a knockout playoff consisting entirely of two-legged matches (unless one of these teams is the winner of that season's Bulgarian Cup, in which case it will not enter the playoff and the team that it would have played receives a bye into the playoff final). The
921:
Nonetheless, the higher number of matches takes an extra toll on teams and players. Besides play-offs, the Royal Belgian Football Association (KBVB) also introduced Christmas football in order to complete the extra matches in time. This posed some problems because a few matches had to be cancelled
2884:
League 1 currently conducts a 15-match, single round-robin regular season. At that time, the league splits in two. The top eight clubs play in their own Super 8s, also contested as a single round robin. At the end of the Super 8s, the top club earns the season title and immediate promotion to the
2880:
Since 2015, all clubs in Super League and the Championship play a 22-match home-and-away season. Upon the end of the home-and-away season, the clubs will split into three leagues, with two of them including Championship clubs. The Super 8s will feature the top eight Super League sides. The second
2603:
Four drivers are eliminated at the end of each of the first two rounds of the Xfinity Series Chase, as in the Cup Series. The Truck Series Chase eliminates only two drivers at the end of its first two rounds. All formats end with four drivers eligible to win the season title entering the season's
2535:
The Chase is now divided into four rounds. After each of the first three rounds, the four Chase Grid drivers with the fewest season points are eliminated from the Grid and championship contention. Any driver on the Chase Grid who wins a race in the first three rounds automatically advances to the
2399:
Like the NHL, the Conference Quarterfinals consists of four match-ups in each conference. The winner of each division receives one of the top two seeds in its conference; the others are based on regular-season record. Unlike the NHL, divisional alignment plays no added role in playoff seeding—all
2966:
Beginning with the 2012–13 season, the pool stage of the promotion playoffs was abolished, with the top four sides directly entering the semi-finals. The format of the knockout stage remained unchanged from 2012, with two-legged semi-finals followed by a two-legged final. At the other end of the
2531:
The Chase Grid is now selected primarily on the basis of race wins during the first 26 races (also known as the "regular season"). If fewer than 16 drivers win races. remaining spots on the Chase Grid are filled in order of regular-season drivers' points. Note that the basic point system has not
2104:
conferences, which leads to different strengths of schedule per team. Teams are seeded on regular season record. The playoff structure can be single-elimination or a best-of series, with the higher seed, if held the playoffs are not held at a predetermined venue, having the home court advantage.
817:
to be replaced by that league's champion and runner-up teams; the two teams immediately above contested promotion/relegation series with the third and fourth places in Primera B Nacional, counted by its aggregate table. In Primera B Nacional, the same procedure continues in use for relegation to
186:
In team sports in the U.S. and Canada, the vast distances and consequent burdens on cross-country travel have led to regional divisions of teams. Generally, during the regular season, teams play more games in their division than outside it, but the league's best teams might not play against each
2094:
The winner of the 7–8 game advances to the playoffs as the 7th seed, while the loser faces the winner of the 9–10 game (the loser of it is eliminated from playoff contention). The winner of this third game advances to the playoffs as the 8th seed, while the loser is also eliminated from playoff
2012:
In the current system, eight clubs from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs, with separate playoff brackets for each conference. In the 2002–03 season, the first-round series were expanded from best-of-5 to best-of-7; all other series have always been best-of-7. In all
1186:
At the end of the playoffs, the winner receives the country's second Champions League place. The next two teams enter the Europa League at different points depending on their playoff finishes; the last-placed team is entirely out of European competition. However, if the cup winner finished in a
1128:. At level six, the play-off semi-finals are two leg ties with the final being a single match played at the home ground of the highest placed of the two teams. At levels seven and eight, all of the ties are single matches played at the home ground of the team with the highest league position.
913:
Since the 2009–10 season, playoffs have been held to determine the champion and tickets for the Champions League and Europa League. The six highest ranked teams play home-and-away matches against each other; a total of 10 matches each. The 6 participating teams start with the points accumulated
1769:
both of the halves so that they did not need to play such a game). The second time was between 2004 and 2006, when the top three teams played a two-staged stepladder knockout (3 games in the first stage and 5 games in the second stage) to decide the League Champion (and the team playing in the
812:
format in 2015 in favor of an expanded single season, there was no playoff between the Apertura and Clausura winners. As a result, the league crowned two champions each year. After each Clausura, the two teams with the lowest points-per-game total for the previous six tournaments (three years,
3175:
Round Two in both the Meads and Lochore Cups is an abbreviated round-robin tournament, with each team playing only the teams it did not play in Round One. The top four teams in the Meads Cup pool at the end of Round Two advance to the Meads Cup semifinals; the same applies for the Lochore Cup
2103:
Top flight basketball leagues elsewhere also employ a playoff system mimicking the NBA's. However, most leagues are not divided into divisions and conferences, and employ a double round robin format akin to league association football, unlike the NBA where teams are divided into divisions and
2641:) – as in Australian rules football, the participating teams only come from within a single division, and the tournament is staged as single matches rather than a series. Currently, in the NRL, eight teams qualify for the finals; starting with the 2012 season, the system was changed from the
1618:
structure has a more standard eight-team knockout playoff where the top-seed hosts the eighth, the runner-up hosting the seventh, the third ranked team playing the sixth ranked, and the fourth playing the fifth. The lowest-seeded winner from the quarterfinals plays the highest-seeded and the
1135:
proposed replacing the current play-off system with one involving six clubs from each division and replacing the two-legged ties with one-off matches. If adopted, the two higher-placed clubs in the play-offs would have enjoyed first-round byes and home advantage in the semi-finals. It was a
2520:
Under this system. only the top 10 drivers in points automatically qualified for the Chase. They were joined by two "wild card" qualifiers, specifically the two drivers ranked from 11th through 20th in points who had the most race wins (with tiebreakers used if needed to select exactly two
1010:
After the league's 14 teams play a full home-and-away season, the league splits into two playoffs—a 6-team "championship playoff" and an 8-team "qualifying playoff", with the latter split into two 4-team groups. Each playoff begins with teams carrying over all goals and statistics from the
871:
In Week 2, the top two teams played the second leg of their semifinal, and the two other surviving teams played a one-off match. The winner of the two-legged match advanced directly to the grand final, while the loser of that match joined the winner of the last semifinal in the Preliminary
2970:
Effective with the 2017–18 season, the promotion play-offs were scrapped for a minimum of three seasons, to be replaced with automatic promotion for the club finishing atop the league at the end of the home-and-away season (provided said club meets minimum Premiership standards).
1341:
There is no playoff between the Apertura and Clausura winner. As a result, the league crowns two champions each year. After each Clausura, the team with the lowest points-per-game total for the previous six tournaments (three years, counting only Liga MX games) is relegated to
2063:
Since the 2019–20 season, only the top six teams qualify directly to the playoffs. The remaining two teams in each conference are determined through what is officially considered a separate postseason tournament, consisting of the seventh through tenth-placed teams. Known as a
3203:
for the 2011 season. Through 2015, the Super Rugby playoff involved six teams—the winners of each of three conferences (Australia, New Zealand and South Africa conferences), plus the three non-winners with the most competition points without regard to conference affiliation.
1785:, which claimed the Pacific League Championship under this system, were all able to clinch the following Japan Series in that season. The success of such a playoff system convinced the Central League to consider a similar approach. In 2007, a new playoff system, named the "
890:
In Week 2, the winners of the Elimination Finals advance to Semi-Finals. The top team on the regular-season table, called the "premiers" by the A-League, plays the lowest-seeded survivor of the Elimination Finals, and the second-place team plays the other Elimination Final
370:). When announcing it was soliciting bids for the 2016 and 2017 title games, playoff organizers said that the bids must propose host stadiums with a capacity of at least 65,000 spectators, and cities cannot host both a semi-final game and the title game in the same year.
2833:
to the previously all-British competition—used the old top six system to determine which teams were promoted between its levels through the 2014 season. After that season, both leagues abandoned the top six system. Before the 2008 season, when Super League established a
2948:
The top team in each pool played the second-place team from the other group in the semi-finals; the winners advanced to the two-legged final, where the ultimate winner earned promotion to the Premiership (assuming that the team met the minimum criteria for promotion).
2208:, so far only two crossover teams have won the divisional semifinal game. The winners of each Division's Semifinal game then travel to play the first place teams in the Division Finals. Since 2005, the Division Semifinals and Division Finals have been sponsored by
285:
into the NFL, the NFL began to use three divisions and a single wild-card team in each conference for its playoffs, in order to produce eight contenders out of six divisions; this was later expanded in 1978 and 1990 so that more wild-card teams could participate.
2885:
Championship. The second- through fifth-place clubs contest a knockout playoff for the second place in the Championship. The bottom eight clubs play their own single round-robin phase; at its end, the top two teams play a one-off match for the League 1 Shield.
2312:, and that it sees the top team from one division playing the second-placed team from the other division of their conference; this offers teams an incentive to finish as high as possible in the league stage so as to draw an easier matchup in the Quarterfinals.
1228:
the Italian playoff final is two-legged, again with the higher finisher earning home advantage in the second leg. In both rounds, if the tie is level on aggregate after extra time in the second leg, the team that finished higher in the league standings wins.
2804:
to determine the champion. The four bottom teams in Super League at the end of the home-and-away season are joined by the top four from the Championship after its home-and-away season. These eight teams play their own single-round-robin mini-league known as
2479:
drove the No. 88 car for two races, including a top-10 finish at Kansas Speedway. In that case, Smith's 43 additional championship points on top of Earnhardt's 2,245 were not enough to pull the No. 88 team out of 12th place out of 12 playoff contenders.
277:, and the former "divisions" were now called "conferences", echoing the college use of that term. In 1967, the NFL expanded and created four divisions under the two conferences, which led to the institution of a larger playoff tournament. After the 1970
187:
other in the regular season. Therefore, in the postseason a playoff series is organized. Any group-winning team is eligible to participate, and as playoffs became more popular they were expanded to include second- or even lower-placed teams – the term "
2501:"The adjustments taken put a greater emphasis on winning races. Winning is what this sport is all about. Nobody likes to see drivers content to finish in the top 10. We want our sport -- especially during the Chase -- to be more about winning."
822:
for non-Buenos Aires clubs. From 2015 onward, relegation from the Primera División will be based solely on league position at the end of the season (which, effective in 2016–17, changed from a February–December format to an August–June format).
3207:
The top two conference winners received a first-round bye; each played at home against the winner of an elimination match involving two of the four other playoff teams. As in the previous system, the final was hosted by the top surviving seed.
3054:. The format was essentially identical to that of the English Premiership. Through the 2013–14 season, the final was held at a ground chosen by the top surviving seed, with the caveat that the venue must have a capacity of at least 18,000. In
2153:), hold their tournaments at a predetermined venue, with all conference teams participating (unless barred due to NCAA sanctions). A few conferences hold early rounds at campus sites and later rounds at a predetermined site. For example, the
1648:
In each league, between four and eight teams (depending on league size) qualify for the finals based on the league ladder at the end of the season. Australian rules football leagues employ finals systems which act as a combination between a
3154:
in New Zealand, the competition window was truncated, with only the top two teams in each division advancing to the final match. The Shaughnessy finals series returned to both divisions in 2012, and is currently used in non-World Cup years.
2484:
the number of points at the conclusion of the 26th race. The first-place driver in the standings led with 5,050 points; the second-place driver started with 5,045. Incremental five-point drops continued through 10th place with 5,005 points.
1619:
next-lowest the next-highest team in the semifinals. The winners of two one-off semifinals advance to the one-off final. From 2021 to 2023, the NWSL had a 6-team tournament; and 2013 to 2019, it had a 4-team single elimination tournament.
2181:, in which only four of the eight members advance to the tournament (which is at a predetermined site). In many such tournaments, higher seeds are afforded byes. The winners, and some losers which are selected as "at-large bids", play in
2963:. As with the 2010 promotion play-offs, that season's relegation play-offs started all teams equal. in 2011 and 2012, each team in the relegation play-offs carried over 1 competition point for every win in the league season.
2927:
used play-offs—but unlike the Premiership, the Championship officially used the term "play-offs". At the end of the league stage, top teams advanced to a series of promotion play-offs. From the first season of the Championship in
948:
after each season, to determine which of these teams played in the First Division/Pro League the oncoming season. The lowest ranked team of the First Division/Pro League was relegated and replaced by the Second Division champion.
939:
Accumulated yellow cards from the regular season are erased, although suspensions will continue to carry over. During the playoffs, three accumulated yellow cards will result in a suspension, as opposed to five during the regular
2372:
only the top four teams in each conference, as determined by points-per-game, qualified directly to the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The remaining four First Round teams per conference were determined by best-of-five
3171:
and the Lochore Cup. The 12 Heartland Championship teams are divided into two pools for round-robin play in Round One, with the top three in each pool advancing to the Meads Cup and the bottom three dropping to the Lochore Cup.
1089:
The use of play-offs to decide promotion issues returned to the League in 1986 with the desire to reduce the number of mid-table clubs with nothing to play for at the end of the season. The Football Conference, now known as the
2118:, after the regular season plays a best-of-5 playoffs in a 2–2–1 format. However, from the semifinals on, it is a single elimination tournament held at a predetermined venue. Still others also have a relegation playoff.
1148:(including head-to-head away goals scored); to date, this has never happened. A play-off would also be scheduled if two teams are tied as above for a position affecting promotion, relegation, or European qualification.
2496:
Champion. Under the points system then in use, drivers could earn 5 bonus points for leading the most laps, and 5 bonus points for leading a single lap. Brian France explained why NASCAR made the changes to the chase:
1595:
games. The remaining rounds (the conference semifinals, conference final, and MLS Cup final) are single-elimination matches hosted by the higher-seeded team. 62 percent of teams make the playoff under this new format.
2212:
and are branded as the "Scotiabank East Championship" and "Scotiabank West Championship". The two division champions then face each other in the Grey Cup game, which is held on the third or fourth Sunday of November.
2536:
next round. Also, all drivers eliminated from the Chase have their points readjusted to the regular-season points scheme, although they retain their points total from the last Chase round in which they participated.
3883:
2660:
competitions to describe matches which were played as tie breakers to determine qualification for the finals series. Since 1995, points differential decides finals' qualification and play-offs are no longer held.
4346:
3825:
1471:
Leagues compete in a two-legged playoff. The winner then enters a two-legged playoff against the bottom team from Scottish League Two, with the winner of that tie either remaining in or promoted to League Two.
2838:
and ended automatic promotion and relegation in Super League, the National Leagues also used this system to determine the team that earned promotion to Super League. The top six system involved the following:
3179:
The semifinals of both cups are seeded 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3, with the higher seeds earning home field advantage. The semifinal winners advance to their respective cup final, hosted by the higher surviving seed.
1949:
The Rookie leagues, better known as the Complex Leagues (from those leagues being hosted at major-league spring training facilities), did not hold playoffs; the regular-season winners were crowned champions.
1657:
for higher-ranked teams in order to provide teams with an easier pathway to the grand final as reward for strong performances throughout the season. Finals are decided by single matches, rather than series.
1804:
In 2008, the format of Climax Series will have a slight change, in which the second stage will be played over a maximum of six games, with the League Champion starting with an automatic one game advantage.
1602:
In the case of ties after regulation in any round, 30 minutes of extra time (divided into two 15-minute periods) would be played followed by a penalty-kick shootout, if necessary, to determine the winners.
748:
744:
740:
736:
3139:, the NZRU split the ITM Cup into two seven-team leagues, the top-level Premiership and second-level Championship, and instituted promotion and relegation in the ITM Cup (a feature of the country's former
1475:
Long before the SPL era, two situations arose in which the top two teams in the table had to share the title as neither goal average nor goal difference had been instituted to break ties. The first was
4271:
1117:
does not apply for the semi-finals. The Football League play-off finals were originally played in two legs, at both teams' home grounds, but were later changed to one-off affairs, which are played at
1463:
Beginning with the 2014–15 season, promotion and relegation between the SPFL and the Scottish regional leagues were introduced. Following the end of the league season, the winners of the fifth-level
332:
2291:
tournament. The top three teams from the 8-team group stage advance to the playoffs, with the winner of a semi-final between the second and third-placed teams facing the table-toppers in the final.
2165:
holds its first round at campus sites, gives hosting rights for its quarterfinals and semifinals to the regular-season champion, and plays its final at the home court of the top remaining seed. The
2009:
from each other; currently, a team plays a team outside its conference twice, a team within its conference but outside its division three or four times, and a team from its own division four times.
4201:
2586:(then the Camping World Truck Series), beginning in 2016. The formats used in the two lower series are broadly similar to the format used in the Cup Series, but have some significant differences:
3196:(renamed SANZAAR in 2016), held a Shaughnessy playoff involving the top four teams. The top two teams on the league ladder each hosted a semifinal, with the top surviving team hosting the final.
952:
Originally, these playoffs were introduced in 1974 and were part of the Second Division, to determine which team was promoted to the highest level together with the division champions. From the
3918:
1235:. Some leagues in continental Europe combine automatic promotion/relegation with test matches. For example, in the Netherlands, only one club is automatically relegated from its top level, the
249:
metropolitan areas each played a final, the winners of which would advance to the "New York Pro Championship" on Thanksgiving weekend. The top New York teams were eventually absorbed into the
1827:(MLB) itself does not use the term "playoffs" for championship tournaments. Instead, it uses the term "postseason" as the title of the elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the
1224:
with the next four clubs entering a playoff to determine who wins the third promotion place, as long as fewer than 10 points separate the third and fourth-placed teams (which often occurs).
4398:
1955:
In both Triple-A leagues, the top team at the end of the 120-game regular season was crowned champion. After the regular season, all 30 teams at this level played a 10-game "Final Stretch".
3802:
1976:
third best teams for the right to play them in the Final Series; in this case the team winning both halves of the season will begin the Taiwan Series with an automatic one game advantage.
716:
694:
1033:
winner of this playoff then contests a one-off match against the third-place (or fourth-place) team from the championship playoff, with the winner claiming the final Europa League place.
3944:
3860:
1414:(SFL) experimented briefly with test matches in 1995–96 and 1996–97, contested between the second-bottom team of the Premier Division and the second-placed team of the First Division.
1518:
At a lower level, playoffs in Segunda DivisiĂłn B take place to decide the divisional title between the 4 group winners, and to decide which other teams would be promoted, as follows:
1029:
Each group within the qualifying playoff also plays home and away within its group; after this stage, teams enter another level of playoffs depending on their positions in the group.
933:
The team that finished atop the regular-season table is now assured of a Europa League place if they fail to finish in a Champions League qualifying spot (currently top two places).
382:
2959:
The relegation play-offs, like the first stage of the promotion play-offs, were conducted as a home-and-away league, with the bottom team at the end of league play relegated to
2392:. The first three rounds determine which team from each conference will advance to the final round, dubbed the Gagarin Cup Finals. The winner of that series becomes the KHL and
293:, and significantly reshuffled its divisional alignment. The league went from 6 division winners and 6 wild-card spots to 8 division winners and only 4 wild-card qualifiers; by
2388:, based in Russia and including teams from several nearby countries, operates a playoff system similar to that of the NHL, also consisting of four rounds of single-elimination
3093:
979:, the second most prestigious country-wide competition, is contested in pure "knockout" format since its inception in 1989. While the top two tiers in the Brazilian League –
1239:, each season, with the winner of the second-flight being promoted. The next two lower-placed teams enter a promotion/relegation mini-league with high-placed teams from the
3833:
1731:
the regular season, and the winner of that round faces the team that finished in first place for the championship in the Korean Series. This type of format is known as the
1398:. The top four clubs of the regular season qualified for the playoffs which was dubbed as the "Finals Series". The Finals Series was dropped after the establishment of the
3767:
171:
by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be either a single game, a series of games, or a
4350:
3891:
680:
536:
4016:
3140:
2809:; at its end, the top three teams are assured of places in the next season's Super League, with the fourth- and fifth-place teams playing a single match billed as the "
1945:
In the 2021 season, the first after the reorganization, no MiLB league had more than two teams involved in playoffs, with some leagues not holding a postseason at all.
839:, has determined its champions via a playoff system, officially known as the "Finals Series" (reflecting standard Australian English usage), since its inception in the
273:
The NFL divided its teams into divisions in 1933 and began holding a single playoff final between division winners. In 1950 the NFL absorbed three teams from the rival
4073:
2125:
basketball conferences, a playoff or "postseason tournament" is held after the regular season. Most conferences, including all of the "major" basketball conferences (
367:
4302:
1801:
in the Central League to win a place in the Japan Series; they subsequently defeated the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters to claim their first Japan Series in 52 years.
1952:
In all Low-A, High-A, and Double-A leagues (three at each level), the top two teams at the end of the regular season advanced to a best-of-five championship series.
1522:
The first set of matches are an elimination tournament between the 4 group winners. The winners of each match are promoted and then play a final for the tier title.
1208:
2177:
hold all tournament games at campus sites. A small number of conferences do not invite all of their teams to the conference tournament, with one example being the
1488:
both earned 29 points and had to play off for the title. The match ended in a 0–0 draw and both teams shared the title. The second happened 19 years later, in the
266:
to pledge votes based on a score (wins divided by the sum of wins and losses, with a few tiebreakers). When two teams tied at the top of the standings in 1932, an
2182:
315:
632:
is a match played at the end of a season between a team that has done badly in a higher league and one that has done well in a lower league of the same football
2593:
Each of the first two rounds of the Xfinity and Truck Series Chases consists of two races (compared to three in the first three rounds of the Cup Series Chase).
1004:
956:
on, only one team was relegated directly from the First Division, with the 17th team taking part in the playoff. As a result, this playoff was still called the
2024:, copying the format that was then in effect in the National Hockey League. Prior to 1985, almost all finals were played in the 2-2-1-1-1 format (although the
1883:". However, the plural term "playoffs" is conventionally used by fans and media to refer to baseball's postseason tournament, not including the World Series.
5050:
4275:
1310:, the current Japanese 4th division, uses the promotion/relegation Series only when the number of clubs in the league needs to be filled with clubs from the
1164:
instituted a playoff system to determine all of its places in European competition for the following season, except for those of the league champion and the
720:
698:
4316:
2566:
The last four drivers in contention for the season title start the race at 5,000 points, with the highest finisher in the race winning the Cup Series title.
1178:
The number of points earned by the fifth-place team during the main league season is subtracted from the totals of each other club involved in the playoffs.
3965:
1580:, the top five teams in each of its two conferences played in the playoffs; this was increased to six teams from 2015 to 2018 and later seven teams in the
1061:
910:(previously known as the "First Division" and "Pro League") has a fairly complex playoff system, currently consisting of two levels and at one time three.
2944:, the top four advanced. A relegation play-off involving the bottom four teams existed through the 2011–12 season, but was scrapped from 2012 to 2013 on.
4193:
724:
4140:
3413:
3066:
for that reason (the ground was later expanded to meet the requirement). The league changed to using a predetermined site for its championship final in
1047:
Finally, the winner of Match 1 above plays the second-place team from the Second League, with the winner also playing in the next season's First League.
3031:. The second-from-bottom Top 14 side plays a one-off match against the runner-up of the Pro D2 playoffs for the final place in the next Top 14 season.
3914:
1704:
1681:
1086:
were employed to decide relegation and promotion between them, but the practice was scrapped in favour of automatic relegation and promotion in 1898.
336:
4679:
2653:
1703:(which was known until 1990 as the Victorian Football League) was the first league to introduce regular finals when it was established in 1897. The
1453:
340:
4402:
1140:
while others found the system too American for their liking. Although League chairmen initially voted in favour of the proposal, it was blocked by
389:, which paid an estimated $ 35 million for the sponsorship rights through 2020. The 26.5-inch high, 35-pound trophy was unveiled on July 14, 2014.
1457:
1449:
709:
687:
516:
3794:
691:
460:
were played in order to provide postseason action for what was then called the "NCAA College Division" and a poll determined the final champion.
918:
matches (40 instead of 34 compared to the previous season) and more top matches. The extra matches also generate higher revenues for the teams.
3856:
3020:. Before 2009–10, the playoffs format was identical to that of the English Premiership with the exception of neutral sites for the semifinals.
439:
3991:
3100:— use a playoff system to determine their champions, although the term "playoff" is also not used in New Zealand, with "finals" used instead.
2952:
next two teams carried over 2; the next two carried over 1; and the final two teams carried over none. (Points were earned using the standard
2796:. Following a home-and-away season of 22 matches, the top eight clubs in Super League now enter a single round-robin mini-league known as the
1572:, the final match in the playoffs, is considered the league's champion for that season. The number of teams that qualify has varied: from the
3940:
2456:
1744:
1422:
1136:
controversial proposal — some people did not believe a club finishing only in eighth position in the League could (or should) compete in the
1044:
The loser of the knockout final plays the third-place team from the Second League, with the winner playing in the next season's First League.
398:
378:
206:(the second tier of English football), teams finishing 3rd to 6th after the regular season compete to decide the third promotion spot to the
4050:
2228:, a record in North American pro sports. They're also notable for being the first crossover team to ever win the divisional semifinal game.
1489:
1477:
1426:
1855:, the postseason begins with a two best-of-three Wild Card Series first round, followed by a best-of-five second round series called the
963:
Starting in 2015–16, this playoff was scrapped and replaced with direct relegation for the bottom Pro League/First Division A team only.
422:. The FCS is the highest division in college football to hold a playoff tournament sanctioned by the NCAA to determine its champion. The
4823:
2417:
the regular season plays the team which finished 8th, 2nd plays 7th and so on, with the aggregate score deciding which team progresses.
1939:
1888:
957:
661:
4241:
4114:
953:
539:(NAIA). NCAA Divisions II and III were created by splitting the College Division in two, with schools that wished to continue awarding
4162:
2528:
The number of drivers qualifying for the Chase was expanded to 16, with this group officially called the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Grid.
1091:
4227:
2835:
1868:
1852:
1840:
1836:
1832:
1073:
668:
415:
374:
134:
3119:
onward, the former Rounds One and Two were collapsed into a single pool phase of play in which all teams participated. In 2007 and
1903:(MiLB) leagues which are affiliated with Major League Baseball conduct playoffs after their regular season to determine champions.
1611:
1584:, which also switched all rounds to single-elimination matches. Under this system, the conferences have separate playoff brackets.
1220:. It operates almost identically to the system currently used in England. The top two clubs in Serie B earn automatic promotion to
3123:, the top eight teams advanced to the playoffs; in what was intended to be the final season of the Air New Zealand Cup format in
2492:
in previous years, the Chase consisted of 10 races and the driver with the most points at the conclusion of the 10 races was the
1819:
1395:
992:
988:
984:
980:
868:
In Week 1, the top two teams played the first leg of a two-legged match, and the remaining teams played one-off knockout matches.
230:
3771:
3035:
2005:, then called the BAA (Basketball Association of America), had its inaugural season in 1946–47. Teams had always have different
1688:, down to local suburban leagues, it is most common for either four or five teams to qualify for the finals. In these cases the
944:
From 1974 through 2015, the 15th team out of 16 in the final standings was involved in a playoff pool with three teams from the
4921:
4442:
3363:
2953:
2002:
1685:
1581:
1577:
1573:
274:
1196:
1188:
1157:
926:
351:
between the top four teams in the country as determined by a selection committee, which was established as a successor to the
4024:
2829:(the latter of which was known as Championship 1 from 2009 to 2014)—formerly the National Leagues until the 2009 addition of
2455:
There are actually two different playoffs going on at the end of the season in each series: one for the drivers and another "
1918:
classification levels included four qualifying teams which competed in two best-of-five rounds: semi-finals and finals. Most
1828:
1300:
1125:
865:
The "semifinals" were held over a two-week period. The pairings for Week 1 of the semifinals were 1 vs 2, 3 vs 6, and 4 vs 5.
713:
702:
356:
72:
2988:
in the semifinals, which are held at nominally neutral sites (a traditional feature in the French playoffs)—although in the
2600:
Instead of the 16 drivers who qualify in the Cup Series, 12 drivers qualify in the Xfinity Series and 8 in the Truck Series.
1607:
183:. Playoff, in regard to international fixtures, is to qualify or progress to the next round of a competition or tournament.
4077:
1262:
4702:
4298:
1654:
1650:
805:
578:
176:
3050:(URC), originally known as the Celtic League and later as Pro12 and Pro14, adopted a four-team playoff starting with the
2941:
2937:
2933:
2929:
2048:
playoffs were on an alternate-home basis except for series when distance made the 2-2-1-1-1 format more practical. Since
381:(AFCA) since 1986; officials wanted a new trophy that was unconnected with the previous BCS championship system. The new
3338:
2583:
2449:
2130:
1782:
1754:
1083:
1057:
732:
234:
1231:
In 2003–04, Italy's football league used a two-legged test match to determine one spot in the top level of its system,
115:
5045:
2822:
2793:
2642:
2476:
1391:
488:
87:
2682:
competition has used a play-off system to decide its champion since 1998. The original play-off format featured the
1014:
Each team in the championship playoff plays the others home and away one additional time. At the end of this stage:
922:
due to snowy pitches. The delays will probably cause the tight schedule to fail and postpone the end of the season.
546:
The Division III playoffs begin with 32 teams selected to participate in them. The Division III final, known as the
4528:
3727:
3288:
2908:
2801:
2612:
Starting with the 2017 season, NASCAR abandoned the term "Chase", instead calling its final series the "playoffs".
2524:
On January 30, 2014, even more radical changes to the Chase were announced; these took effect for the 2014 season:
2158:
1860:
1700:
1693:
1662:
1599:
Since 2012, the MLS Cup is hosted by the conference champion with the most table points during the regular season.
1265:) from 2004 to 2008. The promotion/relegation Series concept dates as far back as 1965 and the first season of the
1110:
3051:
3024:
2989:
2984:
2028:
between Milwaukee and Baltimore were on an alternate-home basis, some 1950s finals used the 2-3-2 format, and the
1793:
took advantage of this in the first Climax Series season, finishing second in the regular season but sweeping the
1330:, every team plays every other team in the league once (17 games), after which the top eight teams advance to the
1105:
are automatically promoted to the division above and thus do not compete in the play-offs. The top three teams in
61:
4324:
3640:
3515:
3047:
2385:
2126:
1638:
1354:
In the Netherlands, a playoff was introduced in the 2005–06 season. It is used to determine which teams from the
1311:
617:
has only had championship playoffs when a league is divided into several equal divisions, conferences or groups (
68:
3973:
1689:
1500:
both earned 33 points. This time, the clubs chose not to play off. In 1915 goal average was finally instituted.
94:
4845:
4772:
4495:
3465:
3263:
3124:
3120:
3116:
3109:
2792:, the Super League season was radically reorganised, and more closely integrated with that of the second-level
2349:. The first three rounds determine which team from each conference will advance to the final round, dubbed the
2201:
2045:
2041:
1750:
1464:
1411:
1371:
1141:
945:
907:
574:
423:
352:
344:
282:
250:
199:
39:
496:
263:
202:
for lower-finishing teams, rather than to decide a champion in the way they are used in North America. In the
1195:
the league champion also won the cup, and the losing cup finalist finished in a playoff spot (as happened in
4972:
4592:
3565:
3128:
2876:
Grand Final: Winners of Qualification Match vs Winners of Final Qualifier (in Super League, at Old Trafford)
2826:
2413:
2166:
2154:
2150:
1674:
1468:
1418:
1094:, introduced play-offs in 2002 after the Football League agreed to a two-club exchange with the Conference.
1079:
786:
782:
778:
762:
754:
484:
476:
2907:, the top four qualify for the play-offs, where they are not referred to by that name. The tournament is a
2365:
883:, the finals format has been changed to a pure knockout tournament consisting entirely of one-off matches:
535:. Before 1973, most of the schools now in Division III competed either in the NCAA College Division or the
362:
The game is played at a neutral site, determined through bids by prospective host cities (similarly to the
4982:
3490:
3216:
3164:
3097:
2695:
2687:
2683:
2670:
2646:
2338:
2065:
1666:
1628:
1399:
1018:
The top team is declared league champion, and earns the country's sole place in the UEFA Champions League.
562:
464:
101:
4647:
3540:
3438:
3313:
2797:
2657:
2626:
2389:
2346:
2332:
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2279:
2266:
1996:
1900:
1824:
1588:
1434:
1364:
1327:
1307:
1296:
1273:
836:
809:
622:
267:
2542:
Begins with 16 drivers, each with 2,000 points plus a 3-point bonus for each win in the first 26 races.
1216:
In 2004–05, Italy's professional league introduced a promotion playoff to its second tier of football,
880:
858:
847:
840:
1303:. In turn, J2 implemented a promotion playoff to J1 on the style of England for the 3rd to 6th clubs.
4798:
4793:
4722:
4621:
4533:
3151:
2326:
2309:
2305:
2300:
2162:
2006:
1935:
1931:
1923:
1430:
861:, the finals expanded to six teams. The format of the six-team playoff established at that time was:
645:
614:
566:
540:
468:
348:
195:
83:
2597:
or she wins no other race during the season. However, there is no points bonus for Dash 4 Cash wins.
4936:
4913:
4840:
4737:
4565:
4538:
4523:
4490:
4435:
3992:"Playoffs Around the World: Global leagues use variety of different formats to determine champions"
3590:
3017:
2422:
2248:
2134:
1971:
wild card series against the weaker half-season winner, with the winner of this advancing into the
1911:
1907:
1778:
1557:
1539:
1493:
1445:
1441:
1266:
851:
766:
758:
672:
653:
649:
500:
246:
2590:
The Xfinity and Truck Series Chases are held over three rounds, instead of four in the Cup Series.
278:
4957:
4926:
4893:
4860:
4813:
4626:
4609:
4046:
3747:
3199:
In May 2009, SANZAR announced that it would adopt an expanded playoff when the competition added
2912:
2830:
2810:
2472:
2350:
2138:
1919:
1848:
1448:— continue with the promotion/relegation play-off system their predecessor SFL leagues used (the
1360:
1165:
1161:
819:
814:
594:
582:
188:
4141:"Baseball fields, playoffs, snow and All-Star Games: What new things await Lionel Messi in MLS?"
3081:
3074:
3067:
3055:
2471:
stepped in to drive the No. 97 car to an 8th-place finish in the owner's points race. In 2012,
1665:, which is the top level of the sport, currently has eight teams qualify for the finals under a
1534:
Previously a playoff system had been used in which the teams finishing 3rd and 4th from last in
1363:
berth. Starting in 2008–09, the format was changed yet again. The champion goes directly to the
2686:
after the regular season rounds. Starting in 2002, the play-offs added an extra spot to allow
1930:
playoffs consisted of two best-of-three rounds. The champions of the two Triple-A leagues, the
5055:
5024:
4750:
4614:
4560:
4543:
4485:
3615:
3063:
2993:
2960:
2904:
2493:
2441:
2369:
2146:
2142:
1732:
1497:
1137:
548:
523:
492:
242:
2857:
Elimination Final: Winners of Elimination Semi-final A vs Winners of Elimination Semi-final B
1284:
for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, as a post-season tournament to determine the annual champion.
4977:
4888:
4870:
4808:
4717:
4707:
4689:
4587:
4580:
4465:
4249:
3200:
2997:
2924:
2784:* Opponents decided by the QPO winner (in Week 1) that finished higher in the regular season
2699:
2691:
2288:
1915:
1790:
1561:
1551:
1509:
1098:
526:
483:
hosted the finals from 1981 to 1985. From 1986 to 2013, the Division II final was played at
453:
449:
408:
325:
238:
203:
35:
4170:
5014:
4967:
4952:
4878:
4830:
4755:
4745:
4657:
4555:
4550:
4475:
4223:
4098:
3948:
3737:
3001:
2789:
2437:
2225:
2221:
2170:
2122:
2049:
2037:
2033:
2029:
2025:
2021:
2017:
1880:
1856:
1670:
1632:
1132:
1118:
1114:
1041:
The losers of the knockout semifinals play, with the loser relegated to the Second League.
887:
In Week 1, two Elimination Finals will be held, with the pairings being 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5.
602:
590:
554:
472:
412:
294:
2270:
final among the top four teams then play a second semi-final, and then the final occurs.
2247:
for a few weeks each in many countries, which all generally follow some variation of the
543:
placed in Division II and those that did not want to award them placed in Division III.
4962:
4931:
4788:
4760:
4727:
4712:
4604:
4575:
4510:
4500:
4428:
3722:
3212:
3013:
2806:
2579:
2506:
2445:
2444:
used the system, although the other two national racing series (currently known as the
2174:
1844:
1798:
1794:
1762:
1758:
1565:
1481:
1425:(SPFL), reuniting the top four divisions of Scotland since the breakaway of the SPL in
1379:
1240:
1106:
1102:
976:
761:
hold their respective finals to determine the overall winner at the end of the league,
657:
618:
532:
480:
290:
207:
180:
168:
108:
5039:
5003:
4855:
4818:
4669:
4652:
4570:
4372:
3732:
2510:
2468:
2467:
with two races left in the season. Busch finished 10th out of 10 Chase drivers, but
2217:
2189:
1972:
1965:
1927:
1786:
1725:
1615:
1592:
936:
The first tiebreaker between Championship Round teams is now regular-season position.
656:
final tournaments. They are still a feature of the qualification tournaments for the
633:
164:
30:
This article is about scheduled postseason playoff systems. For a bye in sports, see
1124:
Teams are also promoted using a play-off tournament from levels six to eight of the
801:(reduced tournaments), however, involve 8 teams below the top two, as opposed to 4.
4803:
4765:
4697:
4597:
3136:
3132:
3059:
3028:
2777:
2679:
2676:
2488:
2464:
2260:
1990:
1864:
1770:
1485:
794:
427:
224:
31:
3915:"ESPN Inks Dr Pepper as First Mega-Sponsor of the College Football Playoff Series"
3127:, the Shaughnessy format was used, with the top four advancing to the finals. The
2107:
Aside from the playoffs, some leagues also have a knockout tournament akin to the
1338:
semi-finals. The two winners of this round play each other for the championship.
1181:
The resulting number is then divided by 5 and rounded to the nearest whole number.
1175:
The remaining teams start with a number of "bonus points" determined as follows:
777:
In Argentine football, playoffs in the style of the English leagues occur in the
4674:
4642:
3742:
3665:
3189:
2393:
2342:
2240:
2040:
Seattle-Washington Finals were on a 1-2-2-1-1 basis). Also, prior to the 1980s,
1774:
1753:
had been a single-table league of franchises. After it was reorganized into the
254:
50:
2578:
NASCAR extended the Chase format to its other two national touring series, the
2509:, the playoff became known as the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" due to the NEXTEL/
2157:
holds its first-round games at campus sites, but the rest of the tournament in
1515:
to play off depending on reserve teams finishing within the 3rd to 6th places.
4903:
4480:
4470:
3388:
2868:
Final Qualifier: Winners of Elimination Final vs Losers of Qualification Match
2460:
2209:
2178:
2115:
2111:
running in parallel to the regular season. These are not considered playoffs.
2053:
1375:
1355:
1343:
1236:
850:, the top four teams advanced to the finals series, employed using a modified
363:
298:
172:
3131:(NZRU) ultimately decided to stay with the previous format for the rebranded
2487:
The first major change to the Chase was announced by NASCAR chairman and CEO
1673:
were used to accommodate four, five, six and eight teams, and prior to 1930,
1614:(which launched in 2013), uses a single elimination tournament. The current
4399:"Play-off system removed from Greene King IPA Championship from next season"
3798:
3220:
3168:
3009:
1292:
1288:
1281:
1277:
1258:
1254:
457:
386:
328:
894:
The Grand Final, pitting the two Semi-Final winners, takes place in Week 3.
373:
The winner of the game is awarded a new championship trophy instead of the
241:(it is possible one was held in 1917, but that is not known for sure). The
2013:
series, home games alternate between the two teams in a 2-2-1-1-1 format.
1199:), the bottom three teams in the playoff all receive Europa League berths.
1064:, it introduced a playoff system to determine the champion of the season.
4835:
4518:
4401:(Press release). Premiership Rugby Limited. March 3, 2017. Archived from
3005:
2813:", with the winner also playing in Super League in the following season.
2436:
implemented a "playoff" system beginning in 2004, which they coined the "
2205:
1875:
which team will advance to the postseason. Thus, a "playoff" is actually
1250:
832:
558:
3192:—both in the Super 12 and Super 14 formats—the competition's organiser,
3092:
Both domestic competitions in New Zealand rugby — the semi-professional
1942:, a single game to determine an overall champion of the classification.
1711:
competition in 1874, the SAFA in 1889 and 1894, and in the VFA in 1896.
1253:
in Japan used a test match series between the third-from-bottom team in
898:
The concept of a finals series/playoff is standard in Australian sport.
4898:
3443:
3193:
2244:
1757:(NPB) system, a series of playoffs ensued between the champions of the
1569:
1535:
1323:
1232:
1221:
1217:
1003:
Bulgaria instituted an elaborate playoff system in its top flight, the
598:
570:
17:
2996:, occasionally used as a "big-game" venue by traditional Top 14 power
2353:. The winner of that series becomes the NHL and Stanley Cup champion.
4850:
3690:
2980:
2433:
2185:, which is also single-elimination and held at predetermined venues.
2108:
1542:. This system had been introduced in the 1980s but ended in 1998–99.
1359:
changed so that the second-place team was assured of no worse than a
3016:), where the winner will be champions of the league and receive the
1212:
2018 Serie B playoff final, 2nd leg. Frosinone, Italy, 16 June 2018.
1025:
top three of the playoff, the fourth-place team will take its place.
3884:"New College Football Playoff will reportedly feature a new trophy"
2849:
Elimination Semi-final B: 4th vs 5th (5th vs 6th in Championship 1)
2846:
Elimination Semi-final A: 3rd vs 6th (4th vs 7th in Championship 1)
1287:
Promotion/relegation Series occurred with the 2012–2016 seasons of
4451:
1207:
1280:
from the inaugural season in 1993 to the 2004 season, and in the
4883:
2341:
playoff system is an elimination tournament competition for the
2220:
are notable for qualifying for the CFL playoffs every year from
586:
504:
257:
that did not have true finals, though they frequently scheduled
4424:
3211:
Further expansion of the competition in 2016 to 18 teams, with
456:
level. It was first held in 1973. Prior to 1973, four regional
253:
upon its founding in 1920, but the league (mostly driven by an
4347:"Chase Format Extended to Xfinity, Camping World Truck Series"
3941:
College Football Playoff national championship trophy unveiled
3167:, teams play for two distinct trophies — the more prestigious
2860:
Qualification Match: 1st vs 2nd (2nd vs 3rd in Championship 1)
1538:
had played off against the teams finishing 3rd and 4th in the
1021:
The second-place team earns a place in the UEFA Europa League.
987:– are contested in double round robin format, the lower tiers
44:
3096:(known by several sponsored names) and the nominally amateur
960:, although one team from the Pro League took part each year.
411:
tournament played each year to determine the champion of the
4194:"Rays Affiliates Dominate 2021 Minor League Playoff Picture"
3826:"CFB playoff opens bidding for 2016, '17 championship games"
1906:
Before the 2021 reorganization of MiLB, most leagues at the
1707:
introduced finals in 1898, and other leagues soon followed.
1680:
In most other leagues, from state-level leagues such as the
3000:. The winners of these semifinals qualify for the final at
2368:, in which the regular season was prematurely ended by the
3135:, with the same four-team playoff as in 2009. Starting in
1440:
The three lower divisions of the SPFL — the Championship,
1429:, a modified test match format was introduced between the
452:
tournament played annually to determine a champion at the
4349:(Press release). NASCAR. January 19, 2016. Archived from
4274:(Press release). NASCAR. January 30, 2014. Archived from
4272:"NASCAR Announces Chase for the Sprint Cup Format Change"
4115:"Lionel Messi makes MLS debut: How does the league work?"
3143:). The competition was renamed the Mitre 10 Cup in 2016.
2095:
contention. From there, the playoffs continue as normal.
1526:
format until there is 2 teams remaining who are promoted.
875:
The Preliminary Final and Grand Final remained unchanged.
4420:
4074:"Ceres overpowers Global 4-1 to win inaugural PFL title"
3795:"Questions and answers for the College Football Playoff"
1346:
to be replaced by that league's champion (if eligible).
813:
counting only Primera DivisiĂłn games) were relegated to
27:
League championship competition after the regular season
2967:
table, the bottom club is now automatically relegated.
2776:
Grand Final: Winners of Qualifying Semi-Finals meet at
2690:
to qualify. With the addition of two new teams for the
1568:
by the top teams in each conference. The winner of the
1382:, the two highest football leagues in the Netherlands.
3034:
Pro D2 adopted the Top 14 playoff system effective in
2800:, with the top four teams after that stage entering a
1560:, the top flight in the United States and Canada, the
4049:. Philippine Football Federation. November 29, 2017.
3027:, only the bottom club is automatically relegated to
2745:
Preliminary Semi-Final 2: QPO 2 Loser vs EPO 2 Winner
2742:
Preliminary Semi-Final 1: QPO 1 Loser vs EPO 1 Winner
1172:
The fifth-place team starts the playoffs at 0 points.
383:
College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy
2915:, where the winner will be champions of the league.
4945:
4912:
4869:
4781:
4736:
4688:
4635:
4509:
4458:
4373:"Championship: RFU to abolish play-off pool stages"
3150:Because the 2011 season ran up against that year's
1843:, it consisted of a first round single-elimination
75:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
4299:"NASCAR's Chase: Fixer-Upper or Just Demolish It?"
2558:Begins with eight drivers, each with 4,000 points.
857:When the league expanded to 10 teams beginning in
2625:Play-offs are used to decide the premiers of the
2280:The Hundred (cricket) § Tournament structure
1859:, and two rounds of best-of-seven series for the
1326:, is contested annually by 18 teams. In each of
537:National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
3073:With the addition of two South African sides in
1669:in 2000. Between 1931 and 1999, variants of the
781:, part of the third tier, and leagues below it (
503:. Since 1994, the games have been broadcast on
418:(FCS). Prior to 2006, the game was known as the
4242:"10-race Chase for the Cup crowns series champ"
2821:The two tiers directly below Super League, the
2762:Qualifying Semi-Final 2: QPO 2 Winner vs PSF 1
2755:Qualifying Semi-Final 1: QPO 1 Winner vs PSF 1
2550:Begins with 12 drivers, each with 3,000 points.
995:include knockout rounds in their final stages.
3985:
3983:
2652:Previously, the term play-off was used in the
2629:(NRL) in Australasia, where they are known as
322:College Football Playoff National Championship
316:College Football Playoff National Championship
194:In England and Scotland, playoffs are used in
4436:
4023:(in Dutch). December 19, 2009. Archived from
2979:The highest level of French rugby union, the
2923:Through the 2016–17 season, the second-level
2016:The 2-3-2 finals format was adopted from the
1082:was first expanded to two divisions in 1892,
8:
2563:NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship (final race)
2301:Minor League Cricket § League structure
735:inter-confederation play-offs were held for
463:The National Championship final was held at
3966:"Kansas City to host 14 NCAA championships"
925:Some structural changes were instituted in
4443:
4429:
4421:
4317:"NASCAR Research & Development Center"
4248:. NASCAR. January 28, 2011. Archived from
4108:
4106:
2983:, expanded its playoffs starting with the
1637:Playoffs are used throughout Australia in
495:. Between 2014 and 2017, it was played at
3768:"Football League Regulations – Section 3"
3308:Varies (held at same ground each season)
3215:from South Africa and new teams based in
3062:could not use its regular home ground of
2068:, it consists of three, one-game series:
1705:South Australian National Football League
1682:South Australian National Football League
1421:(SPL) and SFL merged in 2013 to form the
1037:two-legged promotion/relegation matches:
471:in 1976 and 1977. The game was played in
337:NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
289:In 2002 the NFL added its 32nd team, the
135:Learn how and when to remove this message
3234:
2475:missed two playoff races due to injury.
2440:". When first introduced, only NASCAR's
1645:is most commonly used to describe them.
1062:Primera DivisiĂłn de Republica Dominicana
846:From the league's inception through the
565:since 1993. It was previously played in
420:NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
4204:from the original on September 20, 2021
4017:"Sneeuwval maakt voetballen onmogelijk"
3759:
3414:Women's National Basketball Association
1641:to determine the premiership. The term
1402:which became the PFL's cup tournament.
517:NCAA Division III Football Championship
4230:from the original on 16 November 2018.
3857:"More bids on future title game sites"
3283:Yes (unless host team makes it there)
2001:The present organization known as the
1773:). After this system was applied, the
793:tourneys cover the area in and around
446:NCAA Division II Football Championship
440:NCAA Division II Football Championship
343:. The game serves as the final of the
4053:from the original on January 22, 2018
3990:Yardley, Jonathan (22 October 2015).
3770:. The Football League. Archived from
2936:, the top eight teams advanced; from
2719:(winner receives a bye to week three)
2713:(winner receives a bye to week three)
1745:Nippon Professional Baseball playoffs
1423:Scottish Professional Football League
1263:J. League promotion/relegation Series
405:NCAA Division I Football Championship
399:NCAA Division I Football Championship
379:American Football Coaches Association
34:. For ad-hoc tiebreaker matches, see
7:
4297:MacWatters, Sandra (5 August 2010).
1299:teams from 2012 to 2013) fulfilling
699:South American qualifying tournament
73:adding citations to reliable sources
5051:Terminology used in multiple sports
4192:Cooper, J.J. (September 20, 2021).
3921:from the original on March 28, 2014
3805:from the original on April 25, 2013
3188:Throughout the pre-2011 history of
2729:Elimination play-off 2: 6th vs 7th
2723:Elimination play-off 1: 5th vs 8th
1940:Triple-A National Championship Game
1564:are contested after the end of the
958:Belgian Second Division final round
662:UEFA European Football Championship
167:are a competition played after the
4099:1998-99 La Liga#Relegation playoff
4047:"PFL Finals Series Cast Finalized"
3863:from the original on July 27, 2013
3004:(though in 2016, the final was at
2717:Qualifying play-off 2: 2nd vs 3rd
2711:Qualifying play-off 1: 1st vs 4th
2698:. The next format, scrapped after
818:either Primera B Metropolitana or
233:dates to at least 1919, when the "
25:
4323:. August 17, 2010. Archived from
4305:from the original on 21 May 2013.
4139:Rosenblatt, Ryan (13 June 2023).
4072:Alison, Mars (17 December 2017).
1394:(PFL) adopted a playoffs for its
1074:English Football League play-offs
648:, playoffs were a feature of the
416:Football Championship Subdivision
270:was scheduled to settle the tie.
5019:
5010:
5009:
4997:
3913:Anthony Crupi (March 25, 2014).
3855:Brett McMurphy (July 26, 2013).
3141:National Provincial Championship
3104:National Provincial Championship
3094:National Provincial Championship
2231:There were no playoffs in 2020.
1820:Major League Baseball postseason
49:
5020:
3824:Jerry Hinnen (August 7, 2013).
3364:National Basketball Association
2555:Eliminator Round (races 33–35)
2539:Challenger Round (races 27–29)
2345:, consisting of four rounds of
2003:National Basketball Association
1985:National Basketball Association
1690:Page–McIntyre final four system
1686:West Australian Football League
697:the fifth-placed team from the
581:, when the Hall was located in
577:(1973–1982, 1985–1989), at the
430:is not sanctioned by the NCAA.
339:(FBS), which began play in the
275:All-America Football Conference
179:system or one of several other
60:needs additional citations for
3793:Wolken, Dan (April 25, 2013).
2992:, the semifinals were held at
2547:Contender Round (races 30–32)
2056:restored the original format.
1612:National Women's Soccer League
1370:Playoffs are also part of the
1289:J. League Division 2/J2 League
763:CONCACAF Nations League Finals
721:CONCACAF qualifying tournament
719:the fourth-placed team in the
553:, has been played annually in
377:, which has been given by the
357:BCS National Championship Game
1:
3882:Dennis Dodd (July 23, 2013).
2684:top five highest-ranked teams
1667:system designed by the league
1655:double elimination tournament
1653:for lower-ranked teams and a
1651:single elimination tournament
1291:, conditional on the top two
1187:playoff spot (as happened in
708:The fifth-placed team of the
688:Oceania qualifying tournament
579:College Football Hall of Fame
467:from 1973 to 1975. It was in
4113:Harb, Ali (28 August 2023).
3339:Nippon Professional Baseball
2694:, the play-offs expanded to
2584:Gander Outdoors Truck Series
2450:Gander Outdoors Truck Series
2404:are played "if necessary").
2361:are played "if necessary").
2030:1975 Golden State-Washington
1783:Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
1755:Nippon Professional Baseball
1675:six different finals systems
1322:Mexico's top flight league,
475:in 1978. For 1979 and 1980,
393:Division I NCAA Football FCS
341:2014 college football season
310:Division I NCAA Football FBS
262:title, but the owners had a
2647:same system used by the AFL
2412:In the United Kingdom, the
1887:League's contests with the
1777:(now Saitama Seibu Lions),
1608:Women's Professional Soccer
1392:Philippines Football League
489:University of North Alabama
5072:
4224:"Partnership of champions"
3728:Shaughnessy playoff system
3293:Australian rules football
3289:Australian Football League
2668:
2330:
2324:
2298:
2277:
2258:
1994:
1988:
1963:
1877:part of the regular season
1861:League Championship Series
1817:
1749:Before 1950, the original
1742:
1723:
1701:Australian Football League
1694:McIntyre final five system
1663:Australian Football League
1626:
1549:
1507:
1071:
808:abandoned its traditional
806:Argentine Primera DivisiĂłn
767:UEFA Nations League Finals
710:Asia qualifying tournament
514:
511:Division III NCAA Football
437:
396:
313:
222:
29:
4991:
4226:. CFL.ca. 8 August 2005.
4076:. Rappler. Archived from
3641:United Rugby Championship
3516:Kontinental Hockey League
3048:United Rugby Championship
3042:United Rugby Championship
2386:Kontinental Hockey League
2380:Kontinental Hockey League
1639:Australian rules football
1623:Australian rules football
1312:Japanese Regional Leagues
1097:The top two teams in the
1058:Liga Dominicana de FĂştbol
1056:With the creation of the
1007:, in the 2016–17 season.
613:As a rule, international
434:Division II NCAA Football
235:New York Pro Championship
191:" refers to these teams.
181:different playoff formats
4593:Bodybuilding supplements
3466:Canadian Football League
3264:National Football League
3110:2006 Air New Zealand Cup
2438:Chase for the NEXTEL Cup
2202:Canadian Football League
1809:United States and Canada
1797:and the League Champion
1751:Japanese Baseball League
1546:United States and Canada
1412:Scottish Football League
1372:promotion and relegation
1257:and third-place team in
1109:and the champion of the
797:, the capital city. The
621:) or when the season is
575:Garrett-Harrison Stadium
424:four-team playoff system
353:Bowl Championship Series
345:College Football Playoff
283:American Football League
251:National Football League
229:Evidence of playoffs in
219:National Football League
40:playoff (disambiguation)
3566:English Football League
3129:New Zealand Rugby Union
2414:Elite Ice Hockey League
2408:Elite Ice Hockey League
2375:Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
2167:America East Conference
2155:Mid-American Conference
1419:Scottish Premier League
1301:J. League club criteria
1060:in 2014 to replace the
946:Belgian Second Division
787:Primera D Metropolitana
783:Primera C Metropolitana
779:Primera B Metropolitana
755:CONCACAF Nations League
487:near the campus of the
485:Braly Municipal Stadium
477:Albuquerque, New Mexico
3947:July 15, 2014, at the
3491:National Hockey League
3165:Heartland Championship
3159:Heartland Championship
3098:Heartland Championship
2671:Super League play-offs
2503:
2339:National Hockey League
2321:National Hockey League
2239:There are a number of
1696:are used universally.
1629:AFL final eight system
1400:Copa Paulino Alcantara
1374:structure between the
1328:two annual tournaments
1213:
1011:home-and-away season.
835:, which also features
804:Before the top-flight
669:qualification playoffs
640:International playoffs
623:split into two periods
563:Salem Football Stadium
465:Sacramento, California
331:, used to determine a
268:impromptu playoff game
38:. For other uses, see
4167:Minor League Baseball
3976:on December 15, 2013.
3774:on September 29, 2012
3595:Association football
3570:Association football
3545:Association football
3541:UEFA Champions League
3439:Indian Premier League
3314:Major League Baseball
3201:a new Australian team
3012:due to conflict with
2905:Gallagher Premiership
2702:, worked as follows:
2627:National Rugby League
2621:National Rugby League
2608:the "Championship 4".
2517:at the points reset.
2499:
2333:NHL conference finals
2267:Indian Premier League
2255:Indian Premier League
1997:NBA conference finals
1901:Minor League Baseball
1899:Most of the domestic
1895:Minor League Baseball
1879:and can be called a "
1851:in each league. From
1825:Major League Baseball
1814:Major League Baseball
1435:Scottish Championship
1396:inaugural 2017 season
1308:Japan Football League
1274:J.League Championship
1211:
837:a team in New Zealand
810:Apertura and Clausura
791:Primera Metropolitana
541:athletic scholarships
497:Children's Mercy Park
264:gentlemen's agreement
231:professional football
4027:on December 24, 2009
3970:Sporting Kansas City
3698:League championship
3673:League championship
3648:League championship
3623:League championship
3598:League championship
3548:League championship
3523:League championship
3498:League championship
3473:League championship
3448:League championship
3421:League championship
3396:League championship
3371:League championship
3346:League championship
3321:League championship
3296:League championship
3271:League championship
3258:Neutral site final?
2643:McIntyre final eight
2390:best-of-seven series
2347:best-of-seven series
2327:Stanley Cup playoffs
2310:best-of-three series
2306:Minor League Cricket
2295:Minor League Cricket
2251:, and have 8 teams.
2163:Big South Conference
2090:winner of 9–10 game.
2072:Seventh placed team
2007:strength of schedule
1936:Pacific Coast League
1932:International League
1924:Class A Short Season
1889:American Association
1478:the inaugural season
1431:Scottish Premiership
1241:Dutch First Division
1144:and soon abandoned.
615:association football
609:Association football
469:Wichita Falls, Texas
196:association football
69:improve this article
4353:on January 21, 2016
4301:. Bleacher Report.
4278:on January 31, 2014
4252:on January 31, 2011
3591:Major League Soccer
3236:
3018:Bouclier de Brennus
2994:Stadium de Toulouse
2954:bonus points system
2909:Shaughnessy playoff
2505:Beginning with the
2423:Nottingham Panthers
2249:Page playoff system
2183:the NCAA tournament
1867:. One exception is
1779:Chiba Lotte Marines
1558:Major League Soccer
1278:J.League Division 1
1267:Japan Soccer League
1080:the Football League
852:Page playoff system
759:UEFA Nations League
725:Trinidad and Tobago
686:The winners of the
654:1958 FIFA World Cup
501:Kansas City, Kansas
5046:Tournament systems
4610:Physical education
4321:NASCAR Home Tracks
4173:on August 30, 2018
4080:on 19 October 2019
3894:on August 22, 2013
3836:on August 25, 2013
3748:Reality television
3470:Canadian football
3268:American football
3249:Teams in playoffs
3235:
2836:franchising system
2811:Million Pound Game
2532:changed from 2013.
2473:Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2351:Stanley Cup Finals
2086:Loser of 7–8 game
2079:Ninth placed team
2076:eighth placed team
2066:play-in tournament
1891:during the 1880s.
1214:
1162:Superleague Greece
1158:the 2007–08 season
1052:Dominican Republic
879:Starting with the
820:Torneo Argentino A
815:Primera B Nacional
375:"Crystal Football"
349:bracket tournament
177:single-elimination
5033:
5032:
5004:Sports portal
4615:Physical activity
4561:Athletic training
4544:Strength training
4496:Semi-professional
4327:on April 14, 2011
3714:
3713:
3616:Premiership Rugby
3255:Number of rounds
2961:National League 1
2802:knockout play-off
2494:NEXTEL Cup Series
2370:COVID-19 pandemic
2196:Canadian football
2083:tenth placed team
1530:Tercera DivisiĂłn.
1068:England and Wales
644:In international
593:(1983–1984), and
524:NCAA Division III
493:Florence, Alabama
479:hosted the game.
333:national champion
324:is a post-season
214:American football
145:
144:
137:
119:
16:(Redirected from
5063:
5023:
5022:
5013:
5012:
5002:
5001:
5000:
4746:General managers
4648:Governing bodies
4445:
4438:
4431:
4422:
4415:
4414:
4412:
4410:
4405:on March 9, 2017
4395:
4389:
4388:
4386:
4384:
4369:
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4362:
4360:
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4337:
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4261:
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4257:
4238:
4232:
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4220:
4214:
4213:
4211:
4209:
4198:Baseball America
4189:
4183:
4182:
4180:
4178:
4169:. Archived from
4159:
4153:
4152:
4150:
4148:
4136:
4130:
4129:
4127:
4125:
4110:
4101:
4096:
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4036:
4034:
4032:
4013:
4007:
4006:
4004:
4002:
3987:
3978:
3977:
3972:. Archived from
3962:
3956:
3937:
3931:
3930:
3928:
3926:
3910:
3904:
3903:
3901:
3899:
3890:. Archived from
3879:
3873:
3872:
3870:
3868:
3852:
3846:
3845:
3843:
3841:
3832:. Archived from
3821:
3815:
3814:
3812:
3810:
3790:
3784:
3783:
3781:
3779:
3764:
3252:Teams with byes
3237:
2998:Stade Toulousain
2925:RFU Championship
2731:(loser goes out)
2725:(loser goes out)
2289:100-ball cricket
1916:Class A-Advanced
1847:between the two
1791:Chunichi Dragons
1562:MLS Cup Playoffs
1552:MLS Cup Playoffs
1540:Segunda DivisiĂłn
1510:La Liga playoffs
1365:Champions League
1126:football pyramid
1099:EFL Championship
908:First Division A
799:Torneo Reducidos
731:Later World Cup
454:NCAA Division II
450:college football
428:Bowl Subdivision
409:college football
385:is sponsored by
355:and its similar
326:college football
305:College football
239:Western New York
204:EFL Championship
175:, and may use a
140:
133:
129:
126:
120:
118:
77:
53:
45:
36:One-game playoff
21:
5071:
5070:
5066:
5065:
5064:
5062:
5061:
5060:
5036:
5035:
5034:
5029:
4998:
4996:
4987:
4946:Sport by region
4941:
4908:
4879:Artificial turf
4865:
4836:Olympic culture
4777:
4732:
4684:
4631:
4505:
4476:Military sports
4454:
4449:
4419:
4418:
4408:
4406:
4397:
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4392:
4382:
4380:
4371:
4370:
4366:
4356:
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4345:
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4340:
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4235:
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4217:
4207:
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4190:
4186:
4176:
4174:
4163:"2018 Playoffs"
4161:
4160:
4156:
4146:
4144:
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4133:
4123:
4121:
4112:
4111:
4104:
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4045:
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4015:
4014:
4010:
4000:
3998:
3989:
3988:
3981:
3964:
3963:
3959:
3955:, July 14, 2014
3949:Wayback Machine
3939:Eric Prisbell,
3938:
3934:
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3777:
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3766:
3765:
3761:
3756:
3738:Season (sports)
3719:
3233:
3213:one extra entry
3186:
3161:
3152:Rugby World Cup
3106:
3090:
3044:
3002:Stade de France
2977:
2921:
2901:
2896:
2891:
2819:
2700:the 2014 season
2673:
2667:
2623:
2618:
2431:
2410:
2382:
2335:
2329:
2323:
2318:
2303:
2297:
2282:
2276:
2263:
2257:
2237:
2198:
2171:ASUN Conference
2123:NCAA Division I
2101:
1999:
1993:
1987:
1982:
1968:
1962:
1897:
1881:pennant playoff
1857:Division Series
1849:wild-card teams
1822:
1816:
1811:
1747:
1741:
1728:
1722:
1717:
1671:McIntyre system
1635:
1633:McIntyre system
1625:
1554:
1548:
1512:
1506:
1490:Second Division
1454:Second Division
1408:
1388:
1352:
1320:
1248:
1206:
1154:
1119:Wembley Stadium
1115:away goals rule
1111:National League
1092:National League
1076:
1070:
1054:
1001:
975:In Brazil, the
973:
904:
831:The Australian
829:
775:
675:, for example:
642:
611:
603:Hawkins Stadium
591:Galbreath Field
519:
513:
473:Longview, Texas
448:is an American
442:
436:
413:NCAA Division I
407:is an American
401:
395:
368:NCAA final four
318:
312:
307:
227:
221:
216:
141:
130:
124:
121:
78:
76:
66:
54:
43:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
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5007:
4992:
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4980:
4975:
4970:
4965:
4960:
4955:
4949:
4947:
4943:
4942:
4940:
4939:
4934:
4932:National sport
4929:
4924:
4918:
4916:
4910:
4909:
4907:
4906:
4901:
4896:
4891:
4886:
4881:
4875:
4873:
4867:
4866:
4864:
4863:
4858:
4853:
4851:Sports mascots
4848:
4843:
4838:
4833:
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4827:
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4816:
4811:
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4796:
4791:
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4568:
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4504:
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4456:
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4417:
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4390:
4379:. May 17, 2012
4364:
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3785:
3758:
3757:
3755:
3752:
3751:
3750:
3745:
3740:
3735:
3730:
3725:
3723:Playoff format
3718:
3715:
3712:
3711:
3708:
3705:
3702:
3699:
3696:
3693:
3687:
3686:
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3275:
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3259:
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3253:
3250:
3247:
3244:
3241:
3232:
3229:
3185:
3182:
3160:
3157:
3105:
3102:
3089:
3086:
3082:2020–21 season
3052:2009–10 season
3043:
3040:
3014:UEFA Euro 2016
2990:2011–12 season
2985:2009–10 season
2976:
2973:
2920:
2917:
2900:
2897:
2895:
2892:
2890:
2887:
2878:
2877:
2870:
2869:
2862:
2861:
2858:
2851:
2850:
2847:
2818:
2815:
2807:The Qualifiers
2781:
2780:
2768:
2767:
2766:PSF 2 Winner *
2760:
2759:PSF 2 Winner *
2747:
2746:
2743:
2734:
2733:
2727:
2721:
2715:
2669:Main article:
2666:
2663:
2622:
2619:
2617:
2614:
2610:
2609:
2605:
2601:
2598:
2594:
2591:
2580:Xfinity Series
2572:
2571:
2570:
2569:
2568:
2567:
2561:
2560:
2559:
2553:
2552:
2551:
2545:
2544:
2543:
2533:
2529:
2457:owner's points
2446:Xfinity Series
2430:
2427:
2409:
2406:
2381:
2378:
2325:Main article:
2322:
2319:
2317:
2314:
2299:Main article:
2296:
2293:
2287:is an English
2278:Main article:
2275:
2272:
2259:Main article:
2256:
2253:
2236:
2233:
2197:
2194:
2175:Patriot League
2100:
2097:
2092:
2091:
2084:
2077:
1989:Main article:
1986:
1983:
1981:
1978:
1964:Main article:
1961:
1958:
1957:
1956:
1953:
1950:
1896:
1893:
1845:Wild Card Game
1829:regular season
1818:Main article:
1815:
1812:
1810:
1807:
1799:Yomiuri Giants
1795:Hanshin Tigers
1763:Pacific League
1759:Central League
1743:Main article:
1740:
1737:
1724:Main article:
1721:
1718:
1716:
1713:
1624:
1621:
1566:regular season
1550:Main article:
1547:
1544:
1532:
1531:
1527:
1523:
1508:Main article:
1505:
1502:
1494:Leith Athletic
1458:Third Division
1450:First Division
1407:
1404:
1387:
1384:
1380:Eerste Divisie
1351:
1348:
1319:
1316:
1247:
1244:
1205:
1202:
1201:
1200:
1184:
1183:
1182:
1179:
1173:
1153:
1150:
1107:EFL League Two
1103:EFL League One
1072:Main article:
1069:
1066:
1053:
1050:
1049:
1048:
1045:
1042:
1027:
1026:
1022:
1019:
1000:
997:
977:Copa do Brasil
972:
969:
954:2005–06 season
942:
941:
937:
934:
903:
900:
896:
895:
892:
888:
881:2012–13 season
877:
876:
873:
869:
866:
848:2008–09 season
841:2005–06 season
828:
825:
774:
771:
729:
728:
706:
684:
673:2006 World Cup
658:FIFA World Cup
641:
638:
619:Premier League
610:
607:
515:Main article:
512:
509:
481:McAllen, Texas
438:Main article:
435:
432:
397:Main article:
394:
391:
314:Main article:
311:
308:
306:
303:
291:Houston Texans
279:AFL–NFL merger
237:" was held in
223:Main article:
220:
217:
215:
212:
208:Premier League
169:regular season
143:
142:
57:
55:
48:
26:
24:
14:
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5026:
5018:
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4994:
4993:
4990:
4984:
4983:South America
4981:
4979:
4976:
4974:
4973:North America
4971:
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4859:
4857:
4856:Sportsmanship
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4799:Entertainment
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4738:Communication
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4709:
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4680:International
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4659:
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4649:
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4636:Organizations
4634:
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4623:
4622:Rating system
4620:
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4534:Periodization
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3996:MLSsoccer.com
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3769:
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3739:
3736:
3734:
3733:Playoff beard
3731:
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3721:
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3307:
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3279:
3276:
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3267:
3265:
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3257:
3254:
3251:
3248:
3245:
3242:
3239:
3238:
3230:
3228:
3224:
3222:
3218:
3214:
3209:
3205:
3202:
3197:
3195:
3191:
3183:
3181:
3177:
3176:contestants.
3173:
3170:
3166:
3158:
3156:
3153:
3148:
3144:
3142:
3138:
3134:
3130:
3126:
3122:
3118:
3113:
3111:
3103:
3101:
3099:
3095:
3087:
3085:
3083:
3078:
3076:
3071:
3069:
3065:
3061:
3057:
3053:
3049:
3041:
3039:
3037:
3032:
3030:
3026:
3023:Beginning in
3021:
3019:
3015:
3011:
3007:
3003:
2999:
2995:
2991:
2986:
2982:
2974:
2972:
2968:
2964:
2962:
2957:
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2939:
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2926:
2918:
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2875:
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2867:
2866:
2865:
2859:
2856:
2855:
2854:
2848:
2845:
2844:
2843:
2840:
2837:
2832:
2831:a French club
2828:
2824:
2817:Other leagues
2816:
2814:
2812:
2808:
2803:
2799:
2795:
2791:
2788:Beginning in
2786:
2785:
2779:
2775:
2774:
2773:
2772:
2765:
2761:
2758:
2754:
2753:
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2534:
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2527:
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2522:
2518:
2514:
2512:
2508:
2502:
2498:
2495:
2490:
2485:
2481:
2478:
2474:
2470:
2469:Kenny Wallace
2466:
2463:was fired by
2462:
2458:
2453:
2451:
2447:
2443:
2439:
2435:
2428:
2426:
2424:
2418:
2415:
2407:
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2320:
2315:
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2294:
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2290:
2286:
2281:
2273:
2271:
2268:
2262:
2254:
2252:
2250:
2246:
2242:
2234:
2232:
2229:
2227:
2223:
2219:
2218:Edmonton Elks
2214:
2211:
2207:
2203:
2195:
2193:
2191:
2190:WNBA Playoffs
2186:
2184:
2180:
2176:
2172:
2168:
2164:
2160:
2156:
2152:
2148:
2144:
2140:
2136:
2132:
2128:
2124:
2119:
2117:
2112:
2110:
2105:
2098:
2096:
2089:
2085:
2082:
2078:
2075:
2071:
2070:
2069:
2067:
2061:
2057:
2055:
2051:
2047:
2043:
2039:
2035:
2031:
2027:
2023:
2019:
2014:
2010:
2008:
2004:
1998:
1992:
1984:
1979:
1977:
1974:
1973:Taiwan Series
1967:
1966:Taiwan Series
1959:
1954:
1951:
1948:
1947:
1946:
1943:
1941:
1938:, met in the
1937:
1933:
1929:
1928:Rookie League
1925:
1921:
1917:
1913:
1909:
1904:
1902:
1894:
1892:
1890:
1884:
1882:
1878:
1872:
1870:
1866:
1862:
1858:
1854:
1850:
1846:
1842:
1838:
1834:
1830:
1826:
1821:
1813:
1808:
1806:
1802:
1800:
1796:
1792:
1788:
1787:Climax Series
1784:
1780:
1776:
1772:
1766:
1764:
1760:
1756:
1752:
1746:
1738:
1736:
1734:
1727:
1726:Korean Series
1719:
1714:
1712:
1708:
1706:
1702:
1697:
1695:
1691:
1687:
1683:
1678:
1676:
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1652:
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1640:
1634:
1630:
1622:
1620:
1617:
1613:
1609:
1604:
1600:
1597:
1594:
1593:best-of-three
1590:
1585:
1583:
1579:
1575:
1571:
1567:
1563:
1559:
1553:
1545:
1543:
1541:
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1524:
1521:
1520:
1519:
1516:
1511:
1503:
1501:
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1473:
1470:
1466:
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1451:
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1443:
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1436:
1432:
1428:
1424:
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1415:
1413:
1405:
1403:
1401:
1397:
1393:
1385:
1383:
1381:
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1366:
1362:
1357:
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1285:
1283:
1279:
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1268:
1264:
1260:
1256:
1252:
1245:
1243:
1242:
1238:
1234:
1229:
1225:
1223:
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1210:
1203:
1198:
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1190:
1185:
1180:
1177:
1176:
1174:
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1129:
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1120:
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1095:
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1038:
1034:
1030:
1023:
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1017:
1016:
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1008:
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996:
994:
990:
986:
982:
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970:
968:
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938:
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928:
923:
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901:
899:
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886:
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874:
870:
867:
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863:
862:
860:
855:
853:
849:
844:
842:
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834:
826:
824:
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811:
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772:
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682:
678:
677:
676:
674:
670:
665:
663:
659:
655:
651:
647:
639:
637:
635:
634:league system
631:
626:
624:
620:
616:
608:
606:
605:(1990–1992).
604:
600:
596:
592:
588:
584:
580:
576:
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568:
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560:
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213:
211:
209:
205:
201:
197:
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184:
182:
178:
174:
170:
166:
165:sports league
162:
158:
154:
150:
139:
136:
128:
117:
114:
110:
107:
103:
100:
96:
93:
89:
86: –
85:
81:
80:Find sources:
74:
70:
64:
63:
58:This article
56:
52:
47:
46:
41:
37:
33:
19:
4995:
4794:Cheerleaders
4703:Broadcasting
4662:
4598:Sports drink
4566:Chriopractic
4524:Biomechanics
4491:Professional
4407:. Retrieved
4403:the original
4393:
4381:. Retrieved
4376:
4367:
4355:. Retrieved
4351:the original
4341:
4329:. Retrieved
4325:the original
4320:
4311:
4292:
4280:. Retrieved
4276:the original
4266:
4254:. Retrieved
4250:the original
4245:
4236:
4218:
4206:. Retrieved
4197:
4187:
4175:. Retrieved
4171:the original
4166:
4157:
4145:. Retrieved
4134:
4122:. Retrieved
4118:
4094:
4082:. Retrieved
4078:the original
4067:
4055:. Retrieved
4041:
4031:December 23,
4029:. Retrieved
4025:the original
4020:
4011:
3999:. Retrieved
3995:
3974:the original
3969:
3960:
3952:
3935:
3923:. Retrieved
3908:
3896:. Retrieved
3892:the original
3887:
3877:
3865:. Retrieved
3850:
3838:. Retrieved
3834:the original
3829:
3819:
3807:. Retrieved
3788:
3776:. Retrieved
3772:the original
3762:
3695:Rugby union
3670:Rugby union
3645:Rugby union
3620:Rugby union
3225:
3210:
3206:
3198:
3187:
3178:
3174:
3162:
3149:
3145:
3133:2010 ITM Cup
3114:
3107:
3091:
3079:
3072:
3045:
3033:
3029:Rugby Pro D2
3022:
2978:
2969:
2965:
2958:
2950:
2946:
2922:
2919:Championship
2902:
2883:
2879:
2871:
2863:
2852:
2841:
2823:Championship
2820:
2794:Championship
2787:
2783:
2782:
2778:Old Trafford
2770:
2769:
2763:
2756:
2749:
2748:
2736:
2735:
2730:
2724:
2718:
2712:
2705:
2704:
2680:rugby league
2677:Super League
2674:
2665:Super League
2651:
2638:
2634:
2630:
2624:
2616:Rugby league
2611:
2577:
2573:
2523:
2519:
2515:
2504:
2500:
2489:Brian France
2486:
2482:
2465:Roush Racing
2454:
2432:
2419:
2411:
2402:
2398:
2383:
2374:
2363:
2359:
2355:
2336:
2304:
2283:
2264:
2261:IPL playoffs
2238:
2230:
2215:
2199:
2187:
2120:
2113:
2106:
2102:
2093:
2087:
2080:
2073:
2062:
2058:
2015:
2011:
2000:
1991:NBA playoffs
1969:
1944:
1905:
1898:
1885:
1876:
1873:
1865:World Series
1823:
1803:
1771:Japan Series
1767:
1748:
1729:
1709:
1698:
1679:
1660:
1647:
1642:
1636:
1616:NWSL playoff
1606:The defunct
1605:
1601:
1598:
1589:2023 edition
1586:
1555:
1533:
1517:
1513:
1498:Raith Rovers
1474:
1462:
1439:
1416:
1409:
1389:
1369:
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1340:
1336:
1331:
1321:
1305:
1286:
1276:was held in
1271:
1249:
1230:
1226:
1215:
1192:
1156:Starting in
1155:
1146:
1130:
1123:
1096:
1088:
1084:test matches
1077:
1055:
1035:
1031:
1028:
1013:
1009:
1005:First League
1002:
974:
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924:
920:
916:
912:
906:The Belgian
905:
897:
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830:
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795:Buenos Aires
790:
776:
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730:
666:
643:
629:
627:
612:
583:Kings Island
547:
545:
529:Championship
522:
520:
462:
445:
443:
426:used by the
419:
404:
402:
372:
361:
321:
319:
288:
281:brought the
272:
258:
228:
225:NFL playoffs
193:
185:
160:
156:
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148:
146:
131:
122:
112:
105:
98:
91:
79:
67:Please help
62:verification
59:
32:Bye (sports)
4899:Flying disc
4814:Memorabilia
4723:Sponsorship
4282:January 30,
4208:October 16,
4177:February 5,
3743:Grand Final
3666:Super Rugby
3520:Ice hockey
3495:Ice hockey
3418:Basketball
3393:Basketball
3368:Basketball
3190:Super Rugby
3184:Super Rugby
3088:New Zealand
3058:, top seed
2940:through to
2899:Premiership
2889:Rugby union
2864:Week Three
2696:eight teams
2692:2009 season
2688:the top six
2635:semi-finals
2507:2008 season
2477:Regan Smith
2394:Gagarin Cup
2343:Stanley Cup
2285:The Hundred
2274:The Hundred
2241:T20 leagues
2026:1971 Finals
2018:1985 Finals
1841:2021 season
1775:Seibu Lions
1720:South Korea
1677:were used.
1582:2019 season
1578:2014 season
1574:2012 season
1480:, in which
1386:Philippines
1350:Netherlands
1138:Premiership
1121:in London.
567:Phenix City
255:Ohio League
5040:Categories
4937:Regulation
4927:Ministries
4922:Sports law
4904:Sportswear
4841:Philosophy
4751:Journalism
4663:Postseason
4581:Psychology
4576:Physicians
4539:Physiology
4481:Parasports
4466:Individual
4246:NASCAR 101
4119:Al Jazeera
4084:19 October
3917:. Adweek.
3888:CBS Sports
3867:August 10,
3830:CBS Sports
3754:References
3573:Promotion
3389:EuroLeague
3080:After the
2913:Twickenham
2872:Week Four
2750:Week Three
2604:last race.
2461:Kurt Busch
2442:top series
2396:champion.
2331:See also:
2243:played in
2210:Scotiabank
2179:Ivy League
2116:EuroLeague
2054:NBA Finals
1995:See also:
1980:Basketball
1733:stepladder
1627:See also:
1587:Since the
1446:League Two
1442:League One
1417:After the
1376:Eredivisie
1356:Eredivisie
1344:Ascenso MX
1237:Eredivisie
1166:cup winner
1133:Gillingham
733:qualifying
630:test match
458:bowl games
364:Super Bowl
299:Super Bowl
198:to decide
173:tournament
157:postseason
125:March 2009
95:newspapers
84:"Playoffs"
4958:Australia
4871:Equipment
4846:Rivalries
4831:Numbering
4824:Nicknames
4773:Promoters
4756:Magazines
4718:Marketing
4708:Economics
4627:Sociology
4588:Nutrition
4377:BBC Sport
3953:USA Today
3840:August 9,
3809:April 25,
3799:USA Today
3778:March 31,
3343:Baseball
3318:Baseball
3217:Argentina
3169:Meads Cup
3064:Ravenhill
3010:Barcelona
2853:Week Two
2842:Week One
2771:Week Four
2633:(also as
2159:Cleveland
2099:Elsewhere
1735:playoff.
1482:Dumbarton
1293:J3 League
1282:J1 League
1131:In 2003,
891:survivor.
827:Australia
773:Argentina
692:Australia
595:Bradenton
531:began in
387:Dr Pepper
329:bowl game
247:Rochester
200:promotion
189:wild card
153:play-offs
5056:Playoffs
5015:Category
4914:Politics
4894:Exercise
4861:Violence
4761:Podcasts
4713:Industry
4690:Business
4605:Pedagogy
4556:Medicine
4529:Practice
4519:Exercise
4409:March 4,
4357:April 9,
4331:April 9,
4303:Archived
4256:March 6,
4228:Archived
4202:Archived
4057:July 10,
4051:Archived
3945:Archived
3925:April 7,
3919:Archived
3898:July 30,
3861:Archived
3859:. ESPN.
3803:Archived
3717:See also
3246:Purpose
3006:Camp Nou
2827:League 1
2798:Super 8s
2737:Week Two
2706:Week One
2513:merger.
2448:and the
2364:For the
2206:Grey Cup
2135:Big East
2131:American
1912:Double-A
1908:Triple-A
1715:Baseball
1465:Highland
1406:Scotland
1378:and the
1361:UEFA Cup
1332:Liguilla
1251:J.League
999:Bulgaria
833:A-League
671:for the
660:and the
646:football
559:Virginia
527:Football
259:de facto
149:playoffs
5025:Outline
4978:Oceania
4809:History
4789:Betting
4782:Culture
4653:Leagues
4511:Science
4501:Amateur
4383:May 17,
4147:3 March
4124:3 March
4001:3 March
3444:Cricket
3240:League
3231:Summary
3163:In the
3108:In the
3075:2017–18
3068:2014–15
3056:2012–13
3036:2017–18
3025:2017–18
2942:2016–17
2938:2012–13
2934:2011–12
2930:2009–10
2903:In the
2894:England
2645:to the
2366:2019–20
2245:cricket
2235:Cricket
2200:In the
2188:In the
2139:Big Ten
2114:In the
2046:Western
2042:Eastern
1920:Class A
1831:. From
1692:or the
1576:to the
1570:MLS Cup
1536:La Liga
1492:, when
1486:Rangers
1469:Lowland
1427:1998–99
1324:Liga MX
1233:Serie A
1222:Serie A
1218:Serie B
1197:2012–13
1189:2010–11
1101:and in
993:SĂ©rie D
989:SĂ©rie C
985:SĂ©rie B
981:SĂ©rie A
940:season.
927:2015–16
902:Belgium
859:2009–10
789:). All
714:Bahrain
703:Uruguay
667:In the
599:Florida
571:Alabama
335:of the
243:Buffalo
109:scholar
18:Playoff
4968:Europe
4953:Africa
4889:Caving
4819:Naming
4698:Agents
4670:School
4658:Season
4571:Injury
4551:Doping
4143:. ESPN
4021:Sporza
3691:Top 14
3243:Sport
3194:SANZAR
3060:Ulster
2981:Top 14
2975:France
2631:finals
2511:Sprint
2434:NASCAR
2429:NASCAR
2316:Hockey
2173:, and
2161:. The
2147:Pac-12
2143:Big 12
2109:FA Cup
2052:, the
1960:Taiwan
1926:, and
1914:, and
1643:finals
1318:Mexico
1152:Greece
1142:The FA
971:Brazil
872:Final.
717:played
695:played
681:Europe
161:finals
111:
104:
97:
90:
82:
4884:Balls
4766:Radio
4728:Trade
4675:Teams
4643:Clubs
4486:Women
4459:Types
4452:Sport
3221:Japan
3115:From
2654:NSWRL
2639:semis
1839:and
1739:Japan
1504:Spain
1261:(see
1246:Japan
1204:Italy
1078:When
555:Salem
549:Stagg
163:of a
116:JSTOR
102:books
4963:Asia
4471:Team
4411:2017
4385:2012
4359:2016
4333:2013
4284:2014
4258:2011
4210:2021
4179:2019
4149:2024
4126:2024
4086:2019
4059:2020
4033:2009
4003:2024
3927:2014
3900:2013
3869:2013
3842:2013
3811:2013
3780:2013
3710:Yes
3660:Yes
3635:Yes
3585:Yes
3560:Yes
3485:Yes
3460:Yes
3408:Yes
3219:and
3137:2011
3125:2009
3121:2008
3117:2007
3046:The
2825:and
2790:2015
2675:The
2656:and
2582:and
2384:The
2337:The
2265:The
2226:2005
2222:1972
2216:The
2050:2014
2044:and
2038:1979
2036:and
2034:1978
2032:and
2022:2013
1934:and
1869:2020
1863:and
1853:2022
1837:2019
1833:2012
1781:and
1761:and
1699:The
1684:and
1661:The
1631:and
1496:and
1484:and
1467:and
1456:and
1444:and
1433:and
1410:The
1390:The
1306:The
1272:The
991:and
983:and
785:and
765:and
757:and
749:2022
747:and
745:2018
741:2014
737:2010
652:and
650:1954
587:Ohio
551:Bowl
533:1973
521:The
505:ESPN
444:The
403:The
366:and
347:, a
320:The
295:2020
245:and
147:The
88:news
4804:Fan
3685:No
3610:No
3601:18
3551:16
3535:No
3526:16
3510:No
3501:16
3433:No
3383:No
3374:16
3358:No
3333:No
3324:12
3274:14
3008:in
2956:.)
2932:to
2658:BRL
2637:or
2224:to
2151:SEC
2127:ACC
2121:In
2088:vs.
2081:vs.
2074:vs.
2020:to
1835:to
1556:In
1297:JFL
1191:),
679:In
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