2389:
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.
1198:
3073:, 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.
286:, 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
903:
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.
2870:
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.
1426:. 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).
956:
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.
3027:, 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.
2193:, 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
3212:, 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.
3101:, 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.
2448:" 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,
1102:(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
1860:, 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.
1778:", 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
5000:
2410:
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
614:(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.
1449:, 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.
1356:; 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.
5010:
40:
1580:, 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
625:. 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.
843:. 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.
4988:
2510:
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.
3136:
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.
2181:, 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.
3216:
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.
2346:
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.
1599:(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
2049:
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.
3066:, 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).
2441:) 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.
348:. 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.
2564:
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."
1157:. 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:
672:, 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.
2297:(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
2900:: 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
3215:
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
2585:
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
2405:
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
1326:
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
1216:
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,
3135:
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
2976:
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
2940:
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
2563:
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,
2505:
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
2480:
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
2472:
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
2345:
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
1959:
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
1863:
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
1719:
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
1699:
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
1518:
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
1347:
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
1025:
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
906:
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
2596:
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
2392:
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
2349:
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
2258:
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
2048:
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,
1503:
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
1013:
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
955:
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
250:
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
2936:
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.
2409:
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
1964:
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
1875:
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
1757:
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
1514:
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
1136:
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
1021:
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
910:
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
2873:
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
2869:
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
2592:
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
2524:
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
2388:
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
2955:
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
2520:
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
2093:
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.
806:
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
175:
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
2083:
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
2001:
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
1175:
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
1117:. 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.
902:
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
1758:
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
801:
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,
3164:
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
2092:
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
2630:) – 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
1607:
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
1124:
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
2509:
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
999:
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
860:
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
2959:
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).
1330:
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
2052:
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
3192:
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.
1774:, 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 "
879:
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
359:). 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.
2822:
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
2937:
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).
2197:, 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
274:
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.
2874:
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.
2301:, 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.
1217:
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.
2793:
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
2468:
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.
266:, 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
176:
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 "
2490:"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."
811:
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).
3196:
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.
3043:. 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
2142:), 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
1637:
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
3143:
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.
2473:
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.
1608:
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.
2170:, 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
2952:. 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.
2916:
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
937:
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.
928:
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
2361:
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
3160:
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.
1078:
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
2107:, 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.
1137:(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.
2485:
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:
1584:
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.
2201:
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.
2525:
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.
3872:
2649:
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.
4335:
3814:
1460:
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.
2827:
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:
3168:
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.
1938:
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.
1646:
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.
1793:
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.
1591:
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.
3128:, 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
1464:
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
4260:
1106:
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
1452:
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
2280:
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.
2154:
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
1998:
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.
4190:
2575:(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:
3185:(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.
941:
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
3907:
1251:
1224:. 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
238:
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
1816:(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
1213:
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).
4387:
1944:
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".
3791:
1965:
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.
1022:
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.
3933:
3849:
1403:(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.
1507:
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:
1018:
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.
922:
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).
737:
733:
729:
725:
2948:
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
2381:. 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
282:, 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
2377:, 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
321:
968:, 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 –
1228:, 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
3822:
1720:
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
1387:. 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
3756:
160:
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
4339:
3880:
4005:
2798:; 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 "
1934:
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.
828:, has determined its champions via a playoff system, officially known as the "Finals Series" (reflecting standard Australian English usage), since its inception in the
262:
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
4062:
2114:
basketball conferences, a playoff or "postseason tournament" is held after the regular season. Most conferences, including all of the "major" basketball conferences (
4291:
1790:
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.
705:
683:
1941:
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.
1511:
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.
2166:
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
1477:
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
255:
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
621:
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
2582:
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).
945:
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
2013:, 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
1872:". However, the plural term "playoffs" is conventionally used by fans and media to refer to baseball's postseason tournament, not including the World Series.
4264:
1299:, 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
1153:
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
371:
4305:
2555:
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.
1167:
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.
3954:
1569:, 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
899:(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.
2933:, 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.
4182:
3082:
4129:
3055:
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
1036:
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.
3020:. 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.
3903:
1075:
were employed to decide relegation and promotion between them, but the practice was scrapped in favour of automatic relegation and promotion in 1898.
669:
525:
1692:(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
4391:
3129:
1129:
while others found the system too American for their liking. Although League chairmen initially voted in favour of the proposal, it was blocked by
378:, 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.
356:
3783:
449:
were played in order to provide postseason action for what was then called the "NCAA College Division" and a poll determined the final champion.
907:
matches (40 instead of 34 compared to the previous season) and more top matches. The extra matches also generate higher revenues for the teams.
3845:
3009:. Before 2009–10, the playoffs format was identical to that of the English Premiership with the exception of neutral sites for the semifinals.
2171:
304:
3980:
3089:— use a playoff system to determine their champions, although the term "playoff" is also not used in New Zealand, with "finals" used instead.
2941:
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
2785:. 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
1561:, 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
3929:
1125:
controversial proposal — some people did not believe a club finishing only in eighth position in the League could (or should) compete in the
1033:
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.
993:
195:(the second tier of English football), teams finishing 3rd to 6th after the regular season compete to decide the third promotion spot to the
4039:
2217:, a record in North American pro sports. They're also notable for being the first crossover team to ever win the divisional semifinal game.
5039:
709:
687:
1844:, 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
952:
Starting in 2015–16, this playoff was scrapped and replaced with direct relegation for the bottom Pro League/First Division A team only.
411:. The FCS is the highest division in college football to hold a playoff tournament sanctioned by the NCAA to determine its champion. The
2406:
the regular season plays the team which finished 8th, 2nd plays 7th and so on, with the aggregate score deciding which team progresses.
1050:
4230:
4103:
3402:
713:
528:(NAIA). NCAA Divisions II and III were created by splitting the College Division in two, with schools that wished to continue awarding
4151:
2517:
The number of drivers qualifying for the Chase was expanded to 16, with this group officially called the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Grid.
4216:
1693:
1670:
325:
4668:
3108:
onward, the former Rounds One and Two were collapsed into a single pool phase of play in which all teams participated. In 2007 and
2642:
1892:(MiLB) leagues which are affiliated with Major League Baseball conduct playoffs after their regular season to determine champions.
1573:, which also switched all rounds to single-elimination matches. Under this system, the conferences have separate playoff brackets.
1442:
1209:. It operates almost identically to the system currently used in England. The top two clubs in Serie B earn automatic promotion to
1197:
329:
751:
3112:, 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
2481:
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
1446:
1438:
857:
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.
698:
680:
676:
505:
3760:
1994:, then called the BAA (Basketball Association of America), had its inaugural season in 1946–47. Teams had always have different
1677:, down to local suburban leagues, it is most common for either four or five teams to qualify for the finals. In these cases the
933:
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
428:
340:
between the top four teams in the country as determined by a selection committee, which was established as a successor to the
4013:
2818:(the latter of which was known as Championship 1 from 2009 to 2014)—formerly the National Leagues until the 2009 addition of
2445:
2444:
There are actually two different playoffs going on at the end of the season in each series: one for the drivers and another "
1907:
classification levels included four qualifying teams which competed in two best-of-five rounds: semi-finals and finals. Most
1733:
1411:
854:
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.
387:
367:
2977:
in the semifinals, which are held at nominally neutral sites (a traditional feature in the French playoffs)—although in the
2589:
Instead of the 16 drivers who qualify in the Cup Series, 12 drivers qualify in the Xfinity Series and 8 in the Truck Series.
172:. Playoff, in regard to international fixtures, is to qualify or progress to the next round of a competition or tournament.
4066:
1478:
1466:
4287:
755:
4812:
3039:(URC), originally known as the Celtic League and later as Pro12 and Pro14, adopted a four-team playoff starting with the
2037:
playoffs were on an alternate-home basis except for series when distance made the 2-2-1-1-1 format more practical. Since
1928:
1877:
1415:
946:
650:
370:(AFCA) since 1986; officials wanted a new trophy that was unconnected with the previous BCS championship system. The new
1220:
In 2003–04, Italy's football league used a two-legged test match to determine one spot in the top level of its system,
1080:
942:
104:
2824:
1857:
1841:
1829:
1825:
1821:
1600:
1062:
657:
404:
363:
123:
76:
2671:
competition has used a play-off system to decide its champion since 1998. The original play-off format featured the
1003:
Each team in the championship playoff plays the others home and away one additional time. At the end of this stage:
911:
due to snowy pitches. The delays will probably cause the tight schedule to fail and postpone the end of the season.
535:
The Division III playoffs begin with 32 teams selected to participate in them. The Division III final, known as the
2601:
Starting with the 2017 season, NASCAR abandoned the term "Chase", instead calling its final series the "playoffs".
2513:
On January 30, 2014, even more radical changes to the Chase were announced; these took effect for the 2014 season:
1808:
1588:
Since 2012, the MLS Cup is hosted by the conference champion with the most table points during the regular season.
1384:
1254:) from 2004 to 2008. The promotion/relegation Series concept dates as far back as 1965 and the first season of the
219:
2268:
2017:
between Milwaukee and Baltimore were on an alternate-home basis, some 1950s finals used the 2-3-2 format, and the
1782:
took advantage of this in the first Climax Series season, finishing second in the regular season but sweeping the
1319:, every team plays every other team in the league once (17 games), after which the top eight teams advance to the
1094:
are automatically promoted to the division above and thus do not compete in the play-offs. The top three teams in
981:
977:
973:
969:
4910:
4431:
4313:
3352:
3024:
2942:
1991:
1674:
1570:
1566:
1562:
1343:
In the Netherlands, a playoff was introduced in the 2005–06 season. It is used to determine which teams from the
606:
has only had championship playoffs when a league is divided into several equal divisions, conferences or groups (
263:
3962:
1489:
both earned 33 points. This time, the clubs chose not to play off. In 1915 goal average was finally instituted.
83:
2781:, the Super League season was radically reorganised, and more closely integrated with that of the second-level
2338:. The first three rounds determine which team from each conference will advance to the final round, dubbed the
1817:
1596:
1289:
1185:
1177:
1146:
1114:
915:
702:
691:
345:
61:
191:
for lower-finishing teams, rather than to decide a champion in the way they are used in North America. In the
4691:
1643:
1639:
1184:
the league champion also won the cup, and the losing cup finalist finished in a playoff spot (as happened in
567:
165:
2865:
Grand Final: Winners of Qualification Match vs Winners of Final Qualifier (in Super League, at Old Trafford)
2289:
1083:, introduced play-offs in 2002 after the Football League agreed to a two-club exchange with the Conference.
794:
3327:
2930:
2926:
2922:
2918:
2896:, the top four qualify for the play-offs, where they are not referred to by that name. The tournament is a
2572:
2438:
2119:
1771:
1743:
1072:
872:, the finals format has been changed to a pure knockout tournament consisting entirely of one-off matches:
721:
524:. Before 1973, most of the schools now in Division III competed either in the NCAA College Division or the
351:
The game is played at a neutral site, determined through bids by prospective host cities (similarly to the
223:
1046:
1007:
The top team is declared league champion, and earns the country's sole place in the UEFA Champions League.
90:
5034:
2811:
2782:
2631:
2465:
1380:
477:
2672:
4517:
3716:
3277:
2897:
2790:
2676:
2531:
Begins with 16 drivers, each with 2,000 points plus a 3-point bonus for each win in the first 26 races.
2147:
1849:
1689:
1682:
1651:
1205:
In 2004–05, Italy's professional league introduced a promotion playoff to its second tier of football,
1099:
1292:. In turn, J2 implemented a promotion playoff to J1 on the style of England for the 3rd to 6th clubs.
3629:
3504:
3040:
3036:
3013:
2978:
2973:
2374:
2115:
1627:
1300:
850:, the finals expanded to six teams. The format of the six-team playoff established at that time was:
72:
57:
4087:
2586:
or she wins no other race during the season. However, there is no points bonus for Dash 4 Cash wins.
4834:
4761:
4484:
3981:"Playoffs Around the World: Global leagues use variety of different formats to determine champions"
3454:
3252:
3113:
3109:
3105:
3098:
2190:
2034:
2030:
1960:
wild card series against the weaker half-season winner, with the winner of this advancing into the
1739:
1678:
1453:
1400:
1360:
1130:
934:
896:
563:
485:
412:
341:
333:
271:
252:
239:
188:
28:
2579:
The Xfinity and Truck Series Chases are held over three rounds, instead of four in the Cup Series.
4961:
4581:
4035:
3554:
3188:
In May 2009, SANZAR announced that it would adopt an expanded playoff when the competition added
3117:
2815:
2402:
2155:
2143:
2139:
1663:
1457:
1437:— continue with the promotion/relegation play-off system their predecessor SFL leagues used (the
1407:
1068:
775:
771:
767:
743:
473:
465:
50:
4130:"Baseball fields, playoffs, snow and All-Star Games: What new things await Lionel Messi in MLS?"
2460:
stepped in to drive the No. 97 car to an 8th-place finish in the owner's points race. In 2012,
1654:, which is the top level of the sport, currently has eight teams qualify for the finals under a
1523:
Previously a playoff system had been used in which the teams finishing 3rd and 4th from last in
1352:
berth. Starting in 2008–09, the format was changed yet again. The champion goes directly to the
4971:
3479:
3205:
3153:
3086:
2684:
2675:
after the regular season rounds. Starting in 2002, the play-offs added an extra spot to allow
2659:
2635:
2354:
2327:
2054:
1919:
playoffs consisted of two best-of-three rounds. The champions of the two Triple-A leagues, the
1655:
1617:
1388:
551:
453:
4636:
3529:
3427:
3302:
2846:
Elimination Final: Winners of Elimination Semi-final A vs Winners of Elimination Semi-final B
2786:
2646:
2615:
2378:
2335:
2321:
2273:
2255:
1985:
1889:
1813:
1577:
1423:
1353:
1316:
1296:
1285:
1273:
for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, as a post-season tournament to determine the annual champion.
1262:
825:
798:
611:
256:
4238:
2773:* Opponents decided by the QPO winner (in Week 1) that finished higher in the regular season
472:
hosted the finals from 1981 to 1985. From 1986 to 2013, the Division II final was played at
4787:
4782:
4711:
4610:
4522:
4159:
3140:
2315:
2298:
2294:
2151:
1995:
1924:
1920:
1912:
1419:
869:
847:
836:
829:
634:
603:
555:
529:
457:
337:
184:
4212:
1030:
The losers of the knockout semifinals play, with the loser relegated to the Second League.
876:
In Week 1, two Elimination Finals will be held, with the pairings being 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5.
8:
4925:
4902:
4829:
4726:
4554:
4527:
4512:
4479:
4424:
3579:
3006:
2411:
2259:
final among the top four teams then play a second semi-final, and then the final occurs.
2237:
2236:
for a few weeks each in many countries, which all generally follow some variation of the
2123:
1900:
1896:
1767:
1546:
1482:
1434:
1430:
1255:
840:
747:
661:
642:
638:
489:
235:
1528:
532:
placed in Division II and those that did not want to award them placed in Division III.
4946:
4915:
4882:
4849:
4802:
4615:
4598:
3736:
2901:
2819:
2799:
2461:
2433:
used the system, although the other two national racing series (currently known as the
2339:
2127:
1908:
1837:
1414:(SPFL), reuniting the top four divisions of Scotland since the breakaway of the SPL in
1349:
1154:
1150:
808:
803:
750:
hold their respective finals to determine the overall winner at the end of the league,
583:
571:
267:
177:
97:
5044:
5013:
4739:
4603:
4549:
4532:
4474:
4361:
3604:
3070:
3063:
3056:
3052:
3044:
2982:
2949:
2893:
2482:
2456:
with two races left in the season. Busch finished 10th out of 10 Chase drivers, but
2430:
2358:
2135:
2131:
1721:
1486:
1126:
925:
The first tiebreaker between Championship Round teams is now regular-season position.
645:
final tournaments. They are still a feature of the qualification tournaments for the
537:
512:
481:
231:
19:
This article is about scheduled postseason playoff systems. For a bye in sports, see
1113:
Teams are also promoted using a play-off tournament from levels six to eight of the
790:(reduced tournaments), however, involve 8 teams below the top two, as opposed to 4.
4966:
4877:
4859:
4797:
4706:
4696:
4678:
4576:
4569:
4454:
3189:
2986:
2913:
2688:
2680:
2277:
1904:
1779:
1550:
1540:
1498:
1087:
515:
442:
438:
397:
314:
227:
192:
24:
3904:"ESPN Inks Dr Pepper as First Mega-Sponsor of the College Football Playoff Series"
3116:, the Shaughnessy format was used, with the top four advancing to the finals. The
2096:
Aside from the playoffs, some leagues also have a knockout tournament akin to the
1327:
semi-finals. The two winners of this round play each other for the championship.
1170:
The resulting number is then divided by 5 and rounded to the nearest whole number.
5003:
4956:
4941:
4867:
4819:
4744:
4734:
4646:
4544:
4539:
4464:
3937:
3726:
2990:
2778:
2426:
2214:
2210:
2159:
2111:
2038:
2026:
2022:
2018:
2014:
2010:
2006:
1869:
1845:
1659:
1621:
1164:
The remaining teams start with a number of "bonus points" determined as follows:
1121:
1107:
1103:
766:
In Argentine football, playoffs in the style of the English leagues occur in the
591:
579:
543:
461:
401:
283:
2029:
Seattle-Washington Finals were on a 1-2-2-1-1 basis). Also, prior to the 1980s,
1742:
had been a single-table league of franchises. After it was reorganized into the
4951:
4920:
4777:
4749:
4716:
4701:
4593:
4564:
4499:
4489:
4417:
3711:
3201:
3002:
2795:
2568:
2567:
NASCAR extended the Chase format to its other two national touring series, the
2498:, the playoff became known as the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" due to the NEXTEL/
2495:
2434:
2163:
2146:
holds its first-round games at campus sites, but the rest of the tournament in
1833:
1787:
1783:
1751:
1747:
1554:
1504:
to play off depending on reserve teams finishing within the 3rd to 6th places.
1470:
1368:
1229:
1095:
1091:
965:
646:
607:
521:
469:
279:
196:
169:
157:
2857:
Final Qualifier: Winners of Elimination Final vs Losers of Qualification Match
2100:
running in parallel to the regular season. These are not considered playoffs.
839:, the top four teams advanced to the finals series, employed using a modified
5028:
4992:
4844:
4807:
4658:
4641:
4559:
3721:
3120:(NZRU) ultimately decided to stay with the previous format for the rebranded
2499:
2476:
The first major change to the Chase was announced by NASCAR chairman and CEO
2457:
2206:
2178:
1961:
1954:
1916:
1775:
1714:
1662:
were used to accommodate four, five, six and eight teams, and prior to 1930,
1604:
1603:(which launched in 2013), uses a single elimination tournament. The current
1581:
622:
153:
4388:"Play-off system removed from Greene King IPA Championship from next season"
4792:
4754:
4686:
4586:
3125:
3121:
3048:
3017:
2766:
2668:
2665:
2477:
2453:
2249:
1979:
1853:
1759:
1474:
883:
The Grand Final, pitting the two Semi-Final winners, takes place in Week 3.
783:
416:
362:
The winner of the game is awarded a new championship trophy instead of the
230:(it is possible one was held in 1917, but that is not known for sure). The
213:
20:
2002:
series, home games alternate between the two teams in a 2-2-1-1-1 format.
1188:), the bottom three teams in the playoff all receive Europa League berths.
1053:, it introduced a playoff system to determine the champion of the season.
4663:
4631:
4390:(Press release). Premiership Rugby Limited. March 3, 2017. Archived from
3731:
3654:
3178:
2802:", with the winner also playing in Super League in the following season.
2425:
implemented a "playoff" system beginning in 2004, which they coined the "
2382:
2331:
2229:
1864:
which team will advance to the postseason. Thus, a "playoff" is actually
1763:
243:
3181:—both in the Super 12 and Super 14 formats—the competition's organiser,
3081:
Both domestic competitions in New Zealand rugby — the semi-professional
1931:, a single game to determine an overall champion of the classification.
1700:
competition in 1874, the SAFA in 1889 and 1894, and in the VFA in 1896.
1242:
in Japan used a test match series between the third-from-bottom team in
887:
The concept of a finals series/playoff is standard in Australian sport.
4892:
4469:
4459:
3377:
2449:
2198:
2167:
2104:
2042:
1746:(NPB) system, a series of playoffs ensued between the champions of the
1364:
1344:
1332:
1225:
992:
Bulgaria instituted an elaborate playoff system in its top flight, the
352:
287:
161:
2985:, occasionally used as a "big-game" venue by traditional Top 14 power
2342:. The winner of that series becomes the NHL and Stanley Cup champion.
3787:
3209:
3157:
2998:
2174:, which is also single-elimination and held at predetermined venues.
1531:. This system had been introduced in the 1980s but ended in 1998–99.
1348:
changed so that the second-place team was assured of no worse than a
1281:
1277:
1270:
1266:
1247:
1243:
446:
375:
317:
3005:), where the winner will be champions of the league and receive the
1201:
2018 Serie B playoff final, 2nd leg. Frosinone, Italy, 16 June 2018.
1014:
top three of the playoff, the fourth-place team will take its place.
39:
4824:
4507:
3873:"New College Football Playoff will reportedly feature a new trophy"
2994:
2838:
Elimination Semi-final B: 4th vs 5th (5th vs 6th in Championship 1)
2835:
Elimination Semi-final A: 3rd vs 6th (4th vs 7th in Championship 1)
2194:
1276:
Promotion/relegation Series occurred with the 2012–2016 seasons of
1239:
821:
547:
4887:
3432:
3182:
2233:
1558:
1524:
1312:
1269:
from the inaugural season in 1993 to the 2004 season, and in the
1221:
1210:
1206:
587:
559:
2330:
playoff system is an elimination tournament competition for the
2209:
are notable for qualifying for the CFL playoffs every year from
246:
that did not have true finals, though they frequently scheduled
4839:
3679:
3200:
Further expansion of the competition in 2016 to 18 teams, with
2969:
2422:
2097:
445:
level. It was first held in 1973. Prior to 1973, four regional
242:
upon its founding in 1920, but the league (mostly driven by an
4336:"Chase Format Extended to Xfinity, Camping World Truck Series"
3930:
College Football Playoff national championship trophy unveiled
3156:, teams play for two distinct trophies — the more prestigious
2849:
Qualification Match: 1st vs 2nd (2nd vs 3rd in Championship 1)
1527:
had played off against the teams finishing 3rd and 4th in the
1010:
The second-place team earns a place in the UEFA Europa League.
976:– are contested in double round robin format, the lower tiers
4440:
3085:(known by several sponsored names) and the nominally amateur
949:, although one team from the Pro League took part each year.
400:
tournament played each year to determine the champion of the
4183:"Rays Affiliates Dominate 2021 Minor League Playoff Picture"
3815:"CFB playoff opens bidding for 2016, '17 championship games"
1895:
Before the 2021 reorganization of MiLB, most leagues at the
1696:
introduced finals in 1898, and other leagues soon followed.
1669:
In most other leagues, from state-level leagues such as the
4872:
2989:. The winners of these semifinals qualify for the final at
2357:, in which the regular season was prematurely ended by the
575:
493:
3124:, with the same four-team playoff as in 2009. Starting in
1429:
The three lower divisions of the SPFL — the Championship,
1418:, a modified test match format was introduced between the
441:
tournament played annually to determine a champion at the
4338:(Press release). NASCAR. January 19, 2016. Archived from
4263:(Press release). NASCAR. January 30, 2014. Archived from
4261:"NASCAR Announces Chase for the Sprint Cup Format Change"
4104:"Lionel Messi makes MLS debut: How does the league work?"
3132:). The competition was renamed the Mitre 10 Cup in 2016.
2084:
contention. From there, the playoffs continue as normal.
1515:
format until there is 2 teams remaining who are promoted.
864:
The Preliminary Final and Grand Final remained unchanged.
4409:
4063:"Ceres overpowers Global 4-1 to win inaugural PFL title"
3784:"Questions and answers for the College Football Playoff"
1335:
to be replaced by that league's champion (if eligible).
802:
counting only Primera DivisiĂłn games) were relegated to
16:
League championship competition after the regular season
3775:
2956:
table, the bottom club is now automatically relegated.
2765:
Grand Final: Winners of Qualifying Semi-Finals meet at
2679:
to qualify. With the addition of two new teams for the
1557:
by the top teams in each conference. The winner of the
1371:, the two highest football leagues in the Netherlands.
3023:
Pro D2 adopted the Top 14 playoff system effective in
2789:, with the top four teams after that stage entering a
1549:, the top flight in the United States and Canada, the
4038:. Philippine Football Federation. November 29, 2017.
3016:, only the bottom club is automatically relegated to
2734:
Preliminary Semi-Final 2: QPO 2 Loser vs EPO 2 Winner
2731:
Preliminary Semi-Final 1: QPO 1 Loser vs EPO 1 Winner
1161:
The fifth-place team starts the playoffs at 0 points.
372:
College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy
2904:, where the winner will be champions of the league.
4362:"Championship: RFU to abolish play-off pool stages"
3139:Because the 2011 season ran up against that year's
3092:
1832:, it consisted of a first round single-elimination
64:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
4288:"NASCAR's Chase: Fixer-Upper or Just Demolish It?"
2547:Begins with eight drivers, each with 4,000 points.
1973:
846:When the league expanded to 10 teams beginning in
4205:
2614:Play-offs are used to decide the premiers of the
2269:The Hundred (cricket) § Tournament structure
1848:, and two rounds of best-of-seven series for the
1315:, is contested annually by 18 teams. In each of
526:National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
5026:
3062:With the addition of two South African sides in
1658:in 2000. Between 1931 and 1999, variants of the
770:, part of the third tier, and leagues below it (
492:. Since 1994, the games have been broadcast on
407:(FCS). Prior to 2006, the game was known as the
4231:"10-race Chase for the Cup crowns series champ"
2810:The two tiers directly below Super League, the
2751:Qualifying Semi-Final 2: QPO 2 Winner vs PSF 1
2744:Qualifying Semi-Final 1: QPO 1 Winner vs PSF 1
2539:Begins with 12 drivers, each with 3,000 points.
984:include knockout rounds in their final stages.
381:
298:
3974:
3972:
3843:
2641:Previously, the term play-off was used in the
2618:(NRL) in Australasia, where they are known as
311:College Football Playoff National Championship
305:College Football Playoff National Championship
183:In England and Scotland, playoffs are used in
4425:
4012:(in Dutch). December 19, 2009. Archived from
3901:
3837:
3806:
2968:The highest level of French rugby union, the
2912:Through the 2016–17 season, the second-level
2005:The 2-3-2 finals format was adopted from the
1797:
1071:was first expanded to two divisions in 1892,
499:
3812:
3030:
2552:NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship (final race)
2368:
2290:Minor League Cricket § League structure
1611:
724:inter-confederation play-offs were held for
452:The National Championship final was held at
422:
3969:
3955:"Kansas City to host 14 NCAA championships"
3870:
1534:
914:Some structural changes were instituted in
207:
4432:
4418:
4328:
4306:"NASCAR Research & Development Center"
4285:
4237:. NASCAR. January 28, 2011. Archived from
4127:
4097:
4095:
2972:, expanded its playoffs starting with the
2396:
1626:Playoffs are used throughout Australia in
484:. Between 2014 and 2017, it was played at
4028:
3757:"Football League Regulations – Section 3"
3297:Varies (held at same ground each season)
3204:from South Africa and new teams based in
3147:
3051:could not use its regular home ground of
2309:
2057:, it consists of three, one-game series:
1694:South Australian National Football League
1671:South Australian National Football League
1410:(SPL) and SFL merged in 2013 to form the
1026:two-legged promotion/relegation matches:
628:
460:in 1976 and 1977. The game was played in
326:NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
278:In 2002 the NFL added its 32nd team, the
124:Learn how and when to remove this message
2609:
2464:missed two playoff races due to injury.
2429:". When first introduced, only NASCAR's
2243:
1883:
1802:
1634:is most commonly used to describe them.
1196:
1051:Primera DivisiĂłn de Republica Dominicana
835:From the league's inception through the
554:since 1993. It was previously played in
409:NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
4193:from the original on September 20, 2021
4092:
4006:"Sneeuwval maakt voetballen onmogelijk"
3978:
3403:Women's National Basketball Association
2283:
1630:to determine the premiership. The term
1391:which became the PFL's cup tournament.
597:
506:NCAA Division III Football Championship
5027:
4219:from the original on 16 November 2018.
4180:
4060:
3846:"More bids on future title game sites"
3781:
3272:Yes (unless host team makes it there)
1990:The present organization known as the
1762:). After this system was applied, the
782:tourneys cover the area in and around
435:NCAA Division II Football Championship
429:NCAA Division II Football Championship
332:. The game serves as the final of the
4413:
4042:from the original on January 22, 2018
3979:Yardley, Jonathan (22 October 2015).
3895:
3759:. The Football League. Archived from
2925:, the top eight teams advanced; from
2708:(winner receives a bye to week three)
2702:(winner receives a bye to week three)
1734:Nippon Professional Baseball playoffs
1412:Scottish Professional Football League
1252:J. League promotion/relegation Series
1040:
394:NCAA Division I Football Championship
388:NCAA Division I Football Championship
368:American Football Coaches Association
23:. For ad-hoc tiebreaker matches, see
4286:MacWatters, Sandra (5 August 2010).
4101:
2184:
1288:teams from 2012 to 2013) fulfilling
1056:
688:South American qualifying tournament
202:
62:adding citations to reliable sources
33:
5040:Terminology used in multiple sports
4181:Cooper, J.J. (September 20, 2021).
3910:from the original on March 28, 2014
3794:from the original on April 25, 2013
3177:Throughout the pre-2011 history of
2718:Elimination play-off 2: 6th vs 7th
2712:Elimination play-off 1: 5th vs 8th
1929:Triple-A National Championship Game
1553:are contested after the end of the
947:Belgian Second Division final round
651:UEFA European Football Championship
293:
156:are a competition played after the
13:
4088:1998-99 La Liga#Relegation playoff
4036:"PFL Finals Series Cast Finalized"
3852:from the original on July 27, 2013
2993:(though in 2016, the final was at
2706:Qualifying play-off 2: 2nd vs 3rd
2700:Qualifying play-off 1: 1st vs 4th
2687:. The next format, scrapped after
807:either Primera B Metropolitana or
222:dates to at least 1919, when the "
14:
5056:
4312:. August 17, 2010. Archived from
4294:from the original on 21 May 2013.
4128:Rosenblatt, Ryan (13 June 2023).
4061:Alison, Mars (17 December 2017).
1383:(PFL) adopted a playoffs for its
1063:English Football League play-offs
637:, playoffs were a feature of the
405:Football Championship Subdivision
259:was scheduled to settle the tie.
5008:
4999:
4998:
4986:
3902:Anthony Crupi (March 25, 2014).
3844:Brett McMurphy (July 26, 2013).
3130:National Provincial Championship
3093:National Provincial Championship
3083:National Provincial Championship
2805:
2220:There were no playoffs in 2020.
1809:Major League Baseball postseason
38:
5009:
4380:
4354:
4298:
4279:
4253:
4223:
4174:
4144:
4121:
4081:
4054:
3998:
3813:Jerry Hinnen (August 7, 2013).
3353:National Basketball Association
2907:
2653:
2604:
2544:Eliminator Round (races 33–35)
2528:Challenger Round (races 27–29)
2334:, consisting of four rounds of
1992:National Basketball Association
1974:National Basketball Association
1679:Page–McIntyre final four system
1675:West Australian Football League
686:the fifth-placed team from the
570:, when the Hall was located in
566:(1973–1982, 1985–1989), at the
419:is not sanctioned by the NCAA.
328:(FBS), which began play in the
264:All-America Football Conference
168:system or one of several other
49:needs additional citations for
3947:
3922:
3864:
3782:Wolken, Dan (April 25, 2013).
3749:
3172:
3076:
2981:, the semifinals were held at
2887:
2877:
2536:Contender Round (races 30–32)
2262:
2045:restored the original format.
1708:
1601:National Women's Soccer League
1374:
1359:Playoffs are also part of the
1338:
1278:J. League Division 2/J2 League
752:CONCACAF Nations League Finals
710:CONCACAF qualifying tournament
708:the fourth-placed team in the
542:, has been played annually in
366:, which has been given by the
346:BCS National Championship Game
1:
3871:Dennis Dodd (July 23, 2013).
3742:
2673:top five highest-ranked teams
1968:
1656:system designed by the league
1644:double elimination tournament
1642:for lower-ranked teams and a
1640:single elimination tournament
1280:, conditional on the top two
1176:playoff spot (as happened in
697:The fifth-placed team of the
677:Oceania qualifying tournament
568:College Football Hall of Fame
456:from 1973 to 1975. It was in
4102:Harb, Ali (28 August 2023).
3328:Nippon Professional Baseball
2683:, the play-offs expanded to
2573:Gander Outdoors Truck Series
2439:Gander Outdoors Truck Series
2393:are played "if necessary").
2350:are played "if necessary").
2087:
2019:1975 Golden State-Washington
1772:Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
1744:Nippon Professional Baseball
1664:six different finals systems
1311:Mexico's top flight league,
815:
761:
464:in 1978. For 1979 and 1980,
382:Division I NCAA Football FCS
330:2014 college football season
299:Division I NCAA Football FBS
251:title, but the owners had a
7:
3705:
2636:same system used by the AFL
2401:In the United Kingdom, the
1876:League's contests with the
1766:(now Saitama Seibu Lions),
1703:
1597:Women's Professional Soccer
1394:
1381:Philippines Football League
987:
478:University of North Alabama
10:
5061:
4213:"Partnership of champions"
3717:Shaughnessy playoff system
3282:Australian rules football
3278:Australian Football League
3219:
2882:
2657:
2319:
2313:
2287:
2266:
2247:
2223:
1983:
1977:
1952:
1866:part of the regular season
1850:League Championship Series
1806:
1738:Before 1950, the original
1731:
1727:
1712:
1690:Australian Football League
1683:McIntyre final five system
1652:Australian Football League
1615:
1538:
1496:
1060:
890:
797:abandoned its traditional
795:Argentine Primera DivisiĂłn
756:UEFA Nations League Finals
699:Asia qualifying tournament
503:
500:Division III NCAA Football
426:
385:
302:
211:
18:
4980:
4934:
4901:
4858:
4770:
4725:
4677:
4624:
4498:
4447:
4439:
4215:. CFL.ca. 8 August 2005.
4065:. Rappler. Archived from
3630:United Rugby Championship
3505:Kontinental Hockey League
3037:United Rugby Championship
3031:United Rugby Championship
2963:
2417:
2375:Kontinental Hockey League
2369:Kontinental Hockey League
2304:
1948:
1628:Australian rules football
1612:Australian rules football
1306:
1301:Japanese Regional Leagues
1140:
1086:The top two teams in the
1047:Liga Dominicana de FĂştbol
1045:With the creation of the
996:, in the 2016–17 season.
959:
602:As a rule, international
423:Division II NCAA Football
224:New York Pro Championship
180:" refers to these teams.
170:different playoff formats
4582:Bodybuilding supplements
3455:Canadian Football League
3253:National Football League
3099:2006 Air New Zealand Cup
2427:Chase for the NEXTEL Cup
2191:Canadian Football League
1798:United States and Canada
1786:and the League Champion
1740:Japanese Baseball League
1535:United States and Canada
1492:
1401:Scottish Football League
1361:promotion and relegation
1246:and third-place team in
1234:
1192:
1098:and the champion of the
786:, the capital city. The
610:) or when the season is
564:Garrett-Harrison Stadium
413:four-team playoff system
342:Bowl Championship Series
334:College Football Playoff
272:American Football League
240:National Football League
218:Evidence of playoffs in
208:National Football League
29:playoff (disambiguation)
3555:English Football League
3118:New Zealand Rugby Union
2403:Elite Ice Hockey League
2397:Elite Ice Hockey League
2364:Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
2156:America East Conference
2144:Mid-American Conference
1408:Scottish Premier League
1290:J. League club criteria
1049:in 2014 to replace the
935:Belgian Second Division
776:Primera D Metropolitana
772:Primera C Metropolitana
768:Primera B Metropolitana
744:CONCACAF Nations League
476:near the campus of the
474:Braly Municipal Stadium
466:Albuquerque, New Mexico
3936:July 15, 2014, at the
3480:National Hockey League
3154:Heartland Championship
3148:Heartland Championship
3087:Heartland Championship
2660:Super League play-offs
2492:
2328:National Hockey League
2310:National Hockey League
2228:There are a number of
1685:are used universally.
1618:AFL final eight system
1389:Copa Paulino Alcantara
1363:structure between the
1317:two annual tournaments
1202:
1000:home-and-away season.
824:, which also features
793:Before the top-flight
658:qualification playoffs
629:International playoffs
612:split into two periods
552:Salem Football Stadium
454:Sacramento, California
320:, used to determine a
257:impromptu playoff game
27:. For other uses, see
4156:Minor League Baseball
3965:on December 15, 2013.
3763:on September 29, 2012
3584:Association football
3559:Association football
3534:Association football
3530:UEFA Champions League
3428:Indian Premier League
3303:Major League Baseball
3190:a new Australian team
3001:due to conflict with
2894:Gallagher Premiership
2691:, worked as follows:
2616:National Rugby League
2610:National Rugby League
2597:the "Championship 4".
2506:at the points reset.
2488:
2322:NHL conference finals
2256:Indian Premier League
2244:Indian Premier League
1986:NBA conference finals
1890:Minor League Baseball
1888:Most of the domestic
1884:Minor League Baseball
1868:and can be called a "
1840:in each league. From
1814:Major League Baseball
1803:Major League Baseball
1424:Scottish Championship
1385:inaugural 2017 season
1297:Japan Football League
1263:J.League Championship
1200:
826:a team in New Zealand
799:Apertura and Clausura
780:Primera Metropolitana
530:athletic scholarships
486:Children's Mercy Park
253:gentlemen's agreement
220:professional football
4016:on December 24, 2009
3959:Sporting Kansas City
3687:League championship
3662:League championship
3637:League championship
3612:League championship
3587:League championship
3537:League championship
3512:League championship
3487:League championship
3462:League championship
3437:League championship
3410:League championship
3385:League championship
3360:League championship
3335:League championship
3310:League championship
3285:League championship
3260:League championship
3247:Neutral site final?
2632:McIntyre final eight
2379:best-of-seven series
2336:best-of-seven series
2316:Stanley Cup playoffs
2299:best-of-three series
2295:Minor League Cricket
2284:Minor League Cricket
2240:, and have 8 teams.
2152:Big South Conference
2079:winner of 9–10 game.
2061:Seventh placed team
1996:strength of schedule
1925:Pacific Coast League
1921:International League
1913:Class A Short Season
1878:American Association
1467:the inaugural season
1420:Scottish Premiership
1230:Dutch First Division
1133:and soon abandoned.
604:association football
598:Association football
458:Wichita Falls, Texas
185:association football
58:improve this article
4342:on January 21, 2016
4290:. Bleacher Report.
4267:on January 31, 2014
4241:on January 31, 2011
3580:Major League Soccer
3225:
3007:Bouclier de Brennus
2983:Stadium de Toulouse
2943:bonus points system
2898:Shaughnessy playoff
2494:Beginning with the
2412:Nottingham Panthers
2238:Page playoff system
2172:the NCAA tournament
1856:. One exception is
1768:Chiba Lotte Marines
1547:Major League Soccer
1267:J.League Division 1
1256:Japan Soccer League
1069:the Football League
841:Page playoff system
748:UEFA Nations League
714:Trinidad and Tobago
675:The winners of the
643:1958 FIFA World Cup
490:Kansas City, Kansas
5035:Tournament systems
4599:Physical education
4310:NASCAR Home Tracks
4162:on August 30, 2018
4069:on 19 October 2019
3883:on August 22, 2013
3825:on August 25, 2013
3737:Reality television
3459:Canadian football
3257:American football
3238:Teams in playoffs
3224:
2825:franchising system
2800:Million Pound Game
2521:changed from 2013.
2462:Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2340:Stanley Cup Finals
2075:Loser of 7–8 game
2068:Ninth placed team
2065:eighth placed team
2055:play-in tournament
1880:during the 1880s.
1203:
1151:Superleague Greece
1147:the 2007–08 season
1041:Dominican Republic
868:Starting with the
809:Torneo Argentino A
804:Primera B Nacional
364:"Crystal Football"
338:bracket tournament
166:single-elimination
5022:
5021:
4993:Sports portal
4604:Physical activity
4550:Athletic training
4533:Strength training
4485:Semi-professional
4316:on April 14, 2011
3703:
3702:
3605:Premiership Rugby
3244:Number of rounds
2950:National League 1
2791:knockout play-off
2483:NEXTEL Cup Series
2359:COVID-19 pandemic
2185:Canadian football
2072:tenth placed team
1519:Tercera DivisiĂłn.
1057:England and Wales
633:In international
582:(1983–1984), and
513:NCAA Division III
482:Florence, Alabama
468:hosted the game.
322:national champion
313:is a post-season
203:American football
134:
133:
126:
108:
5052:
5012:
5011:
5002:
5001:
4991:
4990:
4989:
4735:General managers
4637:Governing bodies
4434:
4427:
4420:
4411:
4410:
4404:
4403:
4401:
4399:
4394:on March 9, 2017
4384:
4378:
4377:
4375:
4373:
4358:
4352:
4351:
4349:
4347:
4332:
4326:
4325:
4323:
4321:
4302:
4296:
4295:
4283:
4277:
4276:
4274:
4272:
4257:
4251:
4250:
4248:
4246:
4227:
4221:
4220:
4209:
4203:
4202:
4200:
4198:
4187:Baseball America
4178:
4172:
4171:
4169:
4167:
4158:. Archived from
4148:
4142:
4141:
4139:
4137:
4125:
4119:
4118:
4116:
4114:
4099:
4090:
4085:
4079:
4078:
4076:
4074:
4058:
4052:
4051:
4049:
4047:
4032:
4026:
4025:
4023:
4021:
4002:
3996:
3995:
3993:
3991:
3976:
3967:
3966:
3961:. Archived from
3951:
3945:
3926:
3920:
3919:
3917:
3915:
3899:
3893:
3892:
3890:
3888:
3879:. Archived from
3868:
3862:
3861:
3859:
3857:
3841:
3835:
3834:
3832:
3830:
3821:. Archived from
3810:
3804:
3803:
3801:
3799:
3779:
3773:
3772:
3770:
3768:
3753:
3241:Teams with byes
3226:
3223:
2987:Stade Toulousain
2914:RFU Championship
2720:(loser goes out)
2714:(loser goes out)
2278:100-ball cricket
1905:Class A-Advanced
1836:between the two
1780:Chunichi Dragons
1551:MLS Cup Playoffs
1541:MLS Cup Playoffs
1529:Segunda DivisiĂłn
1499:La Liga playoffs
1354:Champions League
1115:football pyramid
1088:EFL Championship
897:First Division A
788:Torneo Reducidos
720:Later World Cup
443:NCAA Division II
439:college football
417:Bowl Subdivision
398:college football
374:is sponsored by
344:and its similar
315:college football
294:College football
228:Western New York
193:EFL Championship
164:, and may use a
129:
122:
118:
115:
109:
107:
66:
42:
34:
25:One-game playoff
5060:
5059:
5055:
5054:
5053:
5051:
5050:
5049:
5025:
5024:
5023:
5018:
4987:
4985:
4976:
4935:Sport by region
4930:
4897:
4868:Artificial turf
4854:
4825:Olympic culture
4766:
4721:
4673:
4620:
4494:
4465:Military sports
4443:
4438:
4408:
4407:
4397:
4395:
4386:
4385:
4381:
4371:
4369:
4360:
4359:
4355:
4345:
4343:
4334:
4333:
4329:
4319:
4317:
4304:
4303:
4299:
4284:
4280:
4270:
4268:
4259:
4258:
4254:
4244:
4242:
4229:
4228:
4224:
4211:
4210:
4206:
4196:
4194:
4179:
4175:
4165:
4163:
4152:"2018 Playoffs"
4150:
4149:
4145:
4135:
4133:
4126:
4122:
4112:
4110:
4100:
4093:
4086:
4082:
4072:
4070:
4059:
4055:
4045:
4043:
4034:
4033:
4029:
4019:
4017:
4004:
4003:
3999:
3989:
3987:
3977:
3970:
3953:
3952:
3948:
3944:, July 14, 2014
3938:Wayback Machine
3928:Eric Prisbell,
3927:
3923:
3913:
3911:
3900:
3896:
3886:
3884:
3869:
3865:
3855:
3853:
3842:
3838:
3828:
3826:
3811:
3807:
3797:
3795:
3780:
3776:
3766:
3764:
3755:
3754:
3750:
3745:
3727:Season (sports)
3708:
3222:
3202:one extra entry
3175:
3150:
3141:Rugby World Cup
3095:
3079:
3033:
2991:Stade de France
2966:
2910:
2890:
2885:
2880:
2808:
2689:the 2014 season
2662:
2656:
2612:
2607:
2420:
2399:
2371:
2324:
2318:
2312:
2307:
2292:
2286:
2271:
2265:
2252:
2246:
2226:
2187:
2160:ASUN Conference
2112:NCAA Division I
2090:
1988:
1982:
1976:
1971:
1957:
1951:
1886:
1870:pennant playoff
1846:Division Series
1838:wild-card teams
1811:
1805:
1800:
1736:
1730:
1717:
1711:
1706:
1660:McIntyre system
1624:
1622:McIntyre system
1614:
1543:
1537:
1501:
1495:
1479:Second Division
1443:Second Division
1397:
1377:
1341:
1309:
1237:
1195:
1143:
1108:Wembley Stadium
1104:away goals rule
1100:National League
1081:National League
1065:
1059:
1043:
990:
964:In Brazil, the
962:
893:
820:The Australian
818:
764:
664:, for example:
631:
600:
592:Hawkins Stadium
580:Galbreath Field
508:
502:
462:Longview, Texas
437:is an American
431:
425:
402:NCAA Division I
396:is an American
390:
384:
357:NCAA final four
307:
301:
296:
216:
210:
205:
130:
119:
113:
110:
67:
65:
55:
43:
32:
17:
12:
11:
5:
5058:
5048:
5047:
5042:
5037:
5020:
5019:
5017:
5016:
5006:
4996:
4981:
4978:
4977:
4975:
4974:
4969:
4964:
4959:
4954:
4949:
4944:
4938:
4936:
4932:
4931:
4929:
4928:
4923:
4921:National sport
4918:
4913:
4907:
4905:
4899:
4898:
4896:
4895:
4890:
4885:
4880:
4875:
4870:
4864:
4862:
4856:
4855:
4853:
4852:
4847:
4842:
4840:Sports mascots
4837:
4832:
4827:
4822:
4817:
4816:
4815:
4805:
4800:
4795:
4790:
4785:
4780:
4774:
4772:
4768:
4767:
4765:
4764:
4759:
4758:
4757:
4752:
4747:
4737:
4731:
4729:
4723:
4722:
4720:
4719:
4714:
4709:
4704:
4699:
4694:
4689:
4683:
4681:
4675:
4674:
4672:
4671:
4666:
4661:
4656:
4655:
4654:
4649:
4639:
4634:
4628:
4626:
4622:
4621:
4619:
4618:
4613:
4608:
4607:
4606:
4601:
4591:
4590:
4589:
4584:
4574:
4573:
4572:
4567:
4562:
4557:
4552:
4542:
4537:
4536:
4535:
4530:
4525:
4520:
4515:
4504:
4502:
4496:
4495:
4493:
4492:
4487:
4482:
4477:
4472:
4467:
4462:
4457:
4451:
4449:
4445:
4444:
4437:
4436:
4429:
4422:
4414:
4406:
4405:
4379:
4368:. May 17, 2012
4353:
4327:
4297:
4278:
4252:
4222:
4204:
4173:
4143:
4120:
4091:
4080:
4053:
4027:
3997:
3968:
3946:
3921:
3894:
3863:
3836:
3805:
3774:
3747:
3746:
3744:
3741:
3740:
3739:
3734:
3729:
3724:
3719:
3714:
3712:Playoff format
3707:
3704:
3701:
3700:
3697:
3694:
3691:
3688:
3685:
3682:
3676:
3675:
3672:
3669:
3666:
3663:
3660:
3657:
3651:
3650:
3647:
3644:
3641:
3638:
3635:
3632:
3626:
3625:
3622:
3619:
3616:
3613:
3610:
3607:
3601:
3600:
3597:
3594:
3591:
3588:
3585:
3582:
3576:
3575:
3572:
3569:
3566:
3563:
3560:
3557:
3551:
3550:
3547:
3544:
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3538:
3535:
3532:
3526:
3525:
3522:
3519:
3516:
3513:
3510:
3507:
3501:
3500:
3497:
3494:
3491:
3488:
3485:
3482:
3476:
3475:
3472:
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3411:
3408:
3405:
3399:
3398:
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3392:
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3386:
3383:
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3374:
3373:
3370:
3367:
3364:
3361:
3358:
3355:
3349:
3348:
3345:
3342:
3339:
3336:
3333:
3330:
3324:
3323:
3320:
3317:
3314:
3311:
3308:
3305:
3299:
3298:
3295:
3292:
3289:
3286:
3283:
3280:
3274:
3273:
3270:
3267:
3264:
3261:
3258:
3255:
3249:
3248:
3245:
3242:
3239:
3236:
3233:
3230:
3221:
3218:
3174:
3171:
3149:
3146:
3094:
3091:
3078:
3075:
3071:2020–21 season
3041:2009–10 season
3032:
3029:
3003:UEFA Euro 2016
2979:2011–12 season
2974:2009–10 season
2965:
2962:
2909:
2906:
2889:
2886:
2884:
2881:
2879:
2876:
2867:
2866:
2859:
2858:
2851:
2850:
2847:
2840:
2839:
2836:
2807:
2804:
2796:The Qualifiers
2770:
2769:
2757:
2756:
2755:PSF 2 Winner *
2749:
2748:PSF 2 Winner *
2736:
2735:
2732:
2723:
2722:
2716:
2710:
2704:
2658:Main article:
2655:
2652:
2611:
2608:
2606:
2603:
2599:
2598:
2594:
2590:
2587:
2583:
2580:
2569:Xfinity Series
2561:
2560:
2559:
2558:
2557:
2556:
2550:
2549:
2548:
2542:
2541:
2540:
2534:
2533:
2532:
2522:
2518:
2446:owner's points
2435:Xfinity Series
2419:
2416:
2398:
2395:
2370:
2367:
2314:Main article:
2311:
2308:
2306:
2303:
2288:Main article:
2285:
2282:
2276:is an English
2267:Main article:
2264:
2261:
2248:Main article:
2245:
2242:
2225:
2222:
2186:
2183:
2164:Patriot League
2089:
2086:
2081:
2080:
2073:
2066:
1978:Main article:
1975:
1972:
1970:
1967:
1953:Main article:
1950:
1947:
1946:
1945:
1942:
1939:
1885:
1882:
1834:Wild Card Game
1818:regular season
1807:Main article:
1804:
1801:
1799:
1796:
1788:Yomiuri Giants
1784:Hanshin Tigers
1752:Pacific League
1748:Central League
1732:Main article:
1729:
1726:
1713:Main article:
1710:
1707:
1705:
1702:
1613:
1610:
1555:regular season
1539:Main article:
1536:
1533:
1521:
1520:
1516:
1512:
1497:Main article:
1494:
1491:
1483:Leith Athletic
1447:Third Division
1439:First Division
1396:
1393:
1376:
1373:
1369:Eerste Divisie
1340:
1337:
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1096:EFL League Two
1092:EFL League One
1061:Main article:
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1016:
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1008:
989:
986:
966:Copa do Brasil
961:
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943:2005–06 season
931:
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926:
923:
892:
889:
885:
884:
881:
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870:2012–13 season
866:
865:
862:
858:
855:
837:2008–09 season
830:2005–06 season
817:
814:
763:
760:
718:
717:
695:
673:
662:2006 World Cup
647:FIFA World Cup
630:
627:
608:Premier League
599:
596:
504:Main article:
501:
498:
470:McAllen, Texas
427:Main article:
424:
421:
386:Main article:
383:
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303:Main article:
300:
297:
295:
292:
280:Houston Texans
268:AFL–NFL merger
226:" was held in
212:Main article:
209:
206:
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197:Premier League
158:regular season
132:
131:
46:
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37:
15:
9:
6:
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2:
5057:
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5015:
5007:
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4997:
4995:
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4983:
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4979:
4973:
4972:South America
4970:
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4965:
4963:
4962:North America
4960:
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4955:
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4857:
4851:
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4845:Sportsmanship
4843:
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4788:Entertainment
4786:
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4779:
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4727:Communication
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4625:Organizations
4623:
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4611:Rating system
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4523:Periodization
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4015:
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3986:
3985:MLSsoccer.com
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3733:
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3728:
3725:
3723:
3722:Playoff beard
3720:
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3259:
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3211:
3207:
3203:
3198:
3194:
3191:
3186:
3184:
3180:
3170:
3166:
3165:contestants.
3162:
3159:
3155:
3145:
3142:
3137:
3133:
3131:
3127:
3123:
3119:
3115:
3111:
3107:
3102:
3100:
3090:
3088:
3084:
3074:
3072:
3067:
3065:
3060:
3058:
3054:
3050:
3046:
3042:
3038:
3028:
3026:
3021:
3019:
3015:
3012:Beginning in
3010:
3008:
3004:
3000:
2996:
2992:
2988:
2984:
2980:
2975:
2971:
2961:
2957:
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2848:
2845:
2844:
2843:
2837:
2834:
2833:
2832:
2829:
2826:
2821:
2820:a French club
2817:
2813:
2806:Other leagues
2803:
2801:
2797:
2792:
2788:
2784:
2780:
2777:Beginning in
2775:
2774:
2768:
2764:
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2501:
2497:
2491:
2487:
2484:
2479:
2474:
2470:
2467:
2463:
2459:
2458:Kenny Wallace
2455:
2452:was fired by
2451:
2447:
2442:
2440:
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2432:
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2424:
2415:
2413:
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2218:
2216:
2212:
2208:
2207:Edmonton Elks
2203:
2200:
2196:
2192:
2182:
2180:
2179:WNBA Playoffs
2175:
2173:
2169:
2165:
2161:
2157:
2153:
2149:
2145:
2141:
2137:
2133:
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2028:
2024:
2020:
2016:
2012:
2008:
2003:
1999:
1997:
1993:
1987:
1981:
1966:
1963:
1962:Taiwan Series
1956:
1955:Taiwan Series
1943:
1940:
1937:
1936:
1935:
1932:
1930:
1927:, met in the
1926:
1922:
1918:
1917:Rookie League
1914:
1910:
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1902:
1898:
1893:
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1827:
1823:
1819:
1815:
1810:
1795:
1791:
1789:
1785:
1781:
1777:
1776:Climax Series
1773:
1769:
1765:
1761:
1755:
1753:
1749:
1745:
1741:
1735:
1725:
1723:
1716:
1715:Korean Series
1701:
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1598:
1593:
1589:
1586:
1583:
1582:best-of-three
1579:
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648:
644:
640:
636:
626:
624:
623:league system
620:
615:
613:
609:
605:
595:
594:(1990–1992).
593:
589:
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573:
569:
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155:
154:sports league
151:
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143:
139:
128:
125:
117:
106:
103:
99:
96:
92:
89:
85:
82:
78:
75: –
74:
70:
69:Find sources:
63:
59:
53:
52:
47:This article
45:
41:
36:
35:
30:
26:
22:
4984:
4783:Cheerleaders
4692:Broadcasting
4651:
4587:Sports drink
4555:Chriopractic
4513:Biomechanics
4480:Professional
4396:. Retrieved
4392:the original
4382:
4370:. Retrieved
4365:
4356:
4344:. Retrieved
4340:the original
4330:
4318:. Retrieved
4314:the original
4309:
4300:
4281:
4269:. Retrieved
4265:the original
4255:
4243:. Retrieved
4239:the original
4234:
4225:
4207:
4195:. Retrieved
4186:
4176:
4164:. Retrieved
4160:the original
4155:
4146:
4134:. Retrieved
4123:
4111:. Retrieved
4107:
4083:
4071:. Retrieved
4067:the original
4056:
4044:. Retrieved
4030:
4020:December 23,
4018:. Retrieved
4014:the original
4009:
4000:
3988:. Retrieved
3984:
3963:the original
3958:
3949:
3941:
3924:
3912:. Retrieved
3897:
3885:. Retrieved
3881:the original
3876:
3866:
3854:. Retrieved
3839:
3827:. Retrieved
3823:the original
3818:
3808:
3796:. Retrieved
3777:
3765:. Retrieved
3761:the original
3751:
3684:Rugby union
3659:Rugby union
3634:Rugby union
3609:Rugby union
3214:
3199:
3195:
3187:
3176:
3167:
3163:
3151:
3138:
3134:
3122:2010 ITM Cup
3103:
3096:
3080:
3068:
3061:
3034:
3022:
3018:Rugby Pro D2
3011:
2967:
2958:
2954:
2947:
2939:
2935:
2911:
2908:Championship
2891:
2872:
2868:
2860:
2852:
2841:
2830:
2812:Championship
2809:
2783:Championship
2776:
2772:
2771:
2767:Old Trafford
2759:
2758:
2752:
2745:
2738:
2737:
2725:
2724:
2719:
2713:
2707:
2701:
2694:
2693:
2669:rugby league
2666:Super League
2663:
2654:Super League
2640:
2627:
2623:
2619:
2613:
2605:Rugby league
2600:
2566:
2562:
2512:
2508:
2504:
2493:
2489:
2478:Brian France
2475:
2471:
2454:Roush Racing
2443:
2421:
2408:
2400:
2391:
2387:
2372:
2363:
2352:
2348:
2344:
2325:
2293:
2272:
2253:
2250:IPL playoffs
2227:
2219:
2204:
2188:
2176:
2109:
2102:
2095:
2091:
2082:
2076:
2069:
2062:
2051:
2047:
2004:
2000:
1989:
1980:NBA playoffs
1958:
1933:
1894:
1887:
1874:
1865:
1862:
1854:World Series
1812:
1792:
1760:Japan Series
1756:
1737:
1718:
1698:
1687:
1668:
1649:
1636:
1631:
1625:
1605:NWSL playoff
1595:The defunct
1594:
1590:
1587:
1578:2023 edition
1575:
1544:
1522:
1506:
1502:
1487:Raith Rovers
1463:
1451:
1428:
1405:
1398:
1378:
1358:
1342:
1329:
1325:
1320:
1310:
1294:
1275:
1265:was held in
1260:
1238:
1219:
1215:
1204:
1181:
1145:Starting in
1144:
1135:
1119:
1112:
1085:
1077:
1073:test matches
1066:
1044:
1024:
1020:
1017:
1002:
998:
994:First League
991:
963:
954:
951:
940:
932:
913:
909:
905:
901:
895:The Belgian
894:
886:
867:
845:
834:
819:
792:
787:
784:Buenos Aires
779:
765:
742:
719:
655:
632:
618:
616:
601:
572:Kings Island
536:
534:
518:Championship
511:
509:
451:
434:
432:
415:used by the
408:
393:
391:
361:
350:
310:
308:
277:
270:brought the
261:
247:
217:
214:NFL playoffs
182:
174:
149:
145:
141:
137:
135:
120:
111:
101:
94:
87:
80:
68:
56:Please help
51:verification
48:
21:Bye (sports)
4888:Flying disc
4803:Memorabilia
4712:Sponsorship
4271:January 30,
4197:October 16,
4166:February 5,
3732:Grand Final
3655:Super Rugby
3509:Ice hockey
3484:Ice hockey
3407:Basketball
3382:Basketball
3357:Basketball
3179:Super Rugby
3173:Super Rugby
3077:New Zealand
3047:, top seed
2929:through to
2888:Premiership
2878:Rugby union
2853:Week Three
2685:eight teams
2681:2009 season
2677:the top six
2624:semi-finals
2496:2008 season
2466:Regan Smith
2383:Gagarin Cup
2332:Stanley Cup
2274:The Hundred
2263:The Hundred
2230:T20 leagues
2015:1971 Finals
2007:1985 Finals
1830:2021 season
1764:Seibu Lions
1709:South Korea
1666:were used.
1571:2019 season
1567:2014 season
1563:2012 season
1469:, in which
1375:Philippines
1339:Netherlands
1127:Premiership
1110:in London.
556:Phenix City
244:Ohio League
5029:Categories
4926:Regulation
4916:Ministries
4911:Sports law
4893:Sportswear
4830:Philosophy
4740:Journalism
4652:Postseason
4570:Psychology
4565:Physicians
4528:Physiology
4470:Parasports
4455:Individual
4235:NASCAR 101
4108:Al Jazeera
4073:19 October
3906:. Adweek.
3877:CBS Sports
3856:August 10,
3819:CBS Sports
3743:References
3562:Promotion
3378:EuroLeague
3069:After the
2902:Twickenham
2861:Week Four
2739:Week Three
2593:last race.
2450:Kurt Busch
2431:top series
2385:champion.
2320:See also:
2232:played in
2199:Scotiabank
2168:Ivy League
2105:EuroLeague
2043:NBA Finals
1984:See also:
1969:Basketball
1722:stepladder
1616:See also:
1576:Since the
1435:League Two
1431:League One
1406:After the
1365:Eredivisie
1345:Eredivisie
1333:Ascenso MX
1226:Eredivisie
1155:cup winner
1122:Gillingham
722:qualifying
619:test match
447:bowl games
353:Super Bowl
288:Super Bowl
187:to decide
162:tournament
146:postseason
114:March 2009
84:newspapers
73:"Playoffs"
4947:Australia
4860:Equipment
4835:Rivalries
4820:Numbering
4813:Nicknames
4762:Promoters
4745:Magazines
4707:Marketing
4697:Economics
4616:Sociology
4577:Nutrition
4366:BBC Sport
3942:USA Today
3829:August 9,
3798:April 25,
3788:USA Today
3767:March 31,
3332:Baseball
3307:Baseball
3206:Argentina
3158:Meads Cup
3053:Ravenhill
2999:Barcelona
2842:Week Two
2831:Week One
2760:Week Four
2622:(also as
2148:Cleveland
2088:Elsewhere
1724:playoff.
1471:Dumbarton
1282:J3 League
1271:J1 League
1120:In 2003,
880:survivor.
816:Australia
762:Argentina
681:Australia
584:Bradenton
520:began in
376:Dr Pepper
318:bowl game
236:Rochester
189:promotion
178:wild card
142:play-offs
5045:Playoffs
5004:Category
4903:Politics
4883:Exercise
4850:Violence
4750:Podcasts
4702:Industry
4679:Business
4594:Pedagogy
4545:Medicine
4518:Practice
4508:Exercise
4398:March 4,
4346:April 9,
4320:April 9,
4292:Archived
4245:March 6,
4217:Archived
4191:Archived
4046:July 10,
4040:Archived
3934:Archived
3914:April 7,
3908:Archived
3887:July 30,
3850:Archived
3848:. ESPN.
3792:Archived
3706:See also
3235:Purpose
2995:Camp Nou
2816:League 1
2787:Super 8s
2726:Week Two
2695:Week One
2502:merger.
2437:and the
2353:For the
2195:Grey Cup
2124:Big East
2120:American
1901:Double-A
1897:Triple-A
1704:Baseball
1454:Highland
1395:Scotland
1367:and the
1350:UEFA Cup
1321:Liguilla
1240:J.League
988:Bulgaria
822:A-League
660:for the
649:and the
635:football
548:Virginia
516:Football
248:de facto
138:playoffs
5014:Outline
4967:Oceania
4798:History
4778:Betting
4771:Culture
4642:Leagues
4500:Science
4490:Amateur
4372:May 17,
4136:3 March
4113:3 March
3990:3 March
3433:Cricket
3229:League
3220:Summary
3152:In the
3097:In the
3064:2017–18
3057:2014–15
3045:2012–13
3025:2017–18
3014:2017–18
2931:2016–17
2927:2012–13
2923:2011–12
2919:2009–10
2892:In the
2883:England
2634:to the
2355:2019–20
2234:cricket
2224:Cricket
2189:In the
2177:In the
2128:Big Ten
2103:In the
2035:Western
2031:Eastern
1909:Class A
1820:. From
1681:or the
1565:to the
1559:MLS Cup
1525:La Liga
1481:, when
1475:Rangers
1458:Lowland
1416:1998–99
1313:Liga MX
1222:Serie A
1211:Serie A
1207:Serie B
1186:2012–13
1178:2010–11
1090:and in
982:SĂ©rie D
978:SĂ©rie C
974:SĂ©rie B
970:SĂ©rie A
929:season.
916:2015–16
891:Belgium
848:2009–10
778:). All
703:Bahrain
692:Uruguay
656:In the
588:Florida
560:Alabama
324:of the
232:Buffalo
98:scholar
4957:Europe
4942:Africa
4878:Caving
4808:Naming
4687:Agents
4659:School
4647:Season
4560:Injury
4540:Doping
4132:. ESPN
4010:Sporza
3680:Top 14
3232:Sport
3183:SANZAR
3049:Ulster
2970:Top 14
2964:France
2620:finals
2500:Sprint
2423:NASCAR
2418:NASCAR
2305:Hockey
2162:, and
2150:. The
2136:Pac-12
2132:Big 12
2098:FA Cup
2041:, the
1949:Taiwan
1915:, and
1903:, and
1632:finals
1307:Mexico
1141:Greece
1131:The FA
960:Brazil
861:Final.
706:played
684:played
670:Europe
150:finals
100:
93:
86:
79:
71:
4873:Balls
4755:Radio
4717:Trade
4664:Teams
4632:Clubs
4475:Women
4448:Types
4441:Sport
3210:Japan
3104:From
2643:NSWRL
2628:semis
1828:and
1728:Japan
1493:Spain
1250:(see
1235:Japan
1193:Italy
1067:When
544:Salem
538:Stagg
152:of a
105:JSTOR
91:books
4952:Asia
4460:Team
4400:2017
4374:2012
4348:2016
4322:2013
4273:2014
4247:2011
4199:2021
4168:2019
4138:2024
4115:2024
4075:2019
4048:2020
4022:2009
3992:2024
3916:2014
3889:2013
3858:2013
3831:2013
3800:2013
3769:2013
3699:Yes
3649:Yes
3624:Yes
3574:Yes
3549:Yes
3474:Yes
3449:Yes
3397:Yes
3208:and
3126:2011
3114:2009
3110:2008
3106:2007
3035:The
2814:and
2779:2015
2664:The
2645:and
2571:and
2373:The
2326:The
2254:The
2215:2005
2211:1972
2205:The
2039:2014
2033:and
2027:1979
2025:and
2023:1978
2021:and
2011:2013
1923:and
1858:2020
1852:and
1842:2022
1826:2019
1822:2012
1770:and
1750:and
1688:The
1673:and
1650:The
1620:and
1485:and
1473:and
1456:and
1445:and
1433:and
1422:and
1399:The
1379:The
1295:The
1261:The
980:and
972:and
774:and
754:and
746:and
738:2022
736:and
734:2018
730:2014
726:2010
641:and
639:1954
576:Ohio
540:Bowl
522:1973
510:The
494:ESPN
433:The
392:The
355:and
336:, a
309:The
284:2020
234:and
136:The
77:news
4793:Fan
3674:No
3599:No
3590:18
3540:16
3524:No
3515:16
3499:No
3490:16
3422:No
3372:No
3363:16
3347:No
3322:No
3313:12
3263:14
2997:in
2945:.)
2921:to
2647:BRL
2626:or
2213:to
2140:SEC
2116:ACC
2110:In
2077:vs.
2070:vs.
2063:vs.
2009:to
1824:to
1545:In
1286:JFL
1180:),
668:In
590:at
578:at
562:at
550:at
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480:in
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5031::
4364:.
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4094:^
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31:.
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