World Cup

What is the World Cup format?

The World Cup is a two-phase tournament format: a group stage to separate the contenders, followed by a single-elimination knockout that crowns the champion. It's the same group-stage-into-knockout structure used in football World Cups and pro racquet tours — distilled into one event you can run in an afternoon.

• Teams are drawn into groups of 3 to 8, and every team plays the others in its group once.
• The best teams from the group stage advance into a knockout bracket where it's win or go home.
• You can run a single open draw or split the knockout into skill tiers so similar teams compete for their own title.

Rules of the World Cup format

These World Cup format rules pair a round-robin group stage with a single-elimination knockout, the same structure the big championships use:

• Each group consists of 3 to 8 teams, and every team plays each other team in its group once.
• The top 2 teams from each group advance to the next stage of the tournament.
• After the group stage, the qualifying teams enter a single-elimination knockout phase.
• In the knockout phase, teams play one-off matches where the loser is eliminated.
• The knockout phase continues until 2 teams remain, who then meet in the final to decide the championship.
• If teams are tied in the group stage, tiebreakers such as point difference decide who advances.
• Matches are played on standard courts under the normal rules of your sport.
• Every team fields the same number of players in each match — one or two, set by the team size.
• Substitutions are allowed between matches but not during a match.

Tiers in the World Cup (optional)

Want to run the World Cup across multiple skill levels? You can split the knockout into tiers so teams of similar ability compete for their own title. Here is how tiers work:

• By default, the tournament is created with 1 tier.
• When setting up the World Cup, you can choose between 1 or 2 tiers.
• With 2 tiers, teams are divided into Tier 1 and Tier 2 for the knockout phase.
• The 1st and 2nd placed teams in each group advance to Tier 1, while the 3rd and 4th placed teams compete in Tier 2.
• Each tier runs its own knockout phase, so teams play opponents of similar skill levels.
• Both tiers reach their own final, with a champion crowned in each.
• Tier 1 plays for the championship, while Tier 2 competes in a Plate final.

Merging tiers in the World Cup (optional)

You can also merge tiers to create a more inclusive World Cup. Here is how merged tiers work:

• By default, tiers are not merged.
• When setting up the World Cup, you can choose to merge tiers by selecting the option.
• With merged tiers, the winning teams from the knockout phase compete in a single final stage for one championship.
• This makes for a more diverse competition, as teams from different skill levels face off against each other.

How do you score in the World Cup?

World Cup matches are often scored on rally points, but the scoring system can be tailored to your sport and your tournament. Here are the common options:

• A predetermined number of points, such as 11, 15 or 21 points per match.
• A best-of-sets format, where the team that wins the majority of sets wins the match.
• A set is typically won by the first team to reach 6 games with a margin of at least 2 games.
• If a set reaches 6–6, a tiebreak is played to decide the set.
• In the group stage, a win, a draw and a loss earn the table points you set — 3, 1 and 0 by default.
• Whatever scoring system you choose, communicate it clearly to all participants before the tournament begins.

How to organize a World Cup tournament?

Organizing a World Cup comes down to sizing your groups, the knockout bracket and your courts. Follow these steps:

1. 1Confirm how many teams want to take part — at least 8 — and pick a team size of one or two. Plan for one court per match, so 4 courts run 8 teams at once.
2. 2Split the teams into at least 2 groups of 3 to 8 teams, since the top 2 from each group feed the knockout bracket.
3. 3Set the tournament rules, including the scoring system, the table points for a win, draw and loss, and whether to add a second tier.
4. 4Schedule the matches with enough rest time between games.
5. 5Work out how many courts you need based on the number of matches and the time available.
6. 6Start the tournament and let CourtTable draw the fixtures and the knockout rounds. You enter the scores, and everyone follows the groups and the bracket on the public page or the TV view.