Double Elimination
A knockout format in which a competitor is only out of the tournament after losing twice.
Definition
Double elimination is a bracket format where a single defeat does not end a campaign: losers drop into a second, lower bracket and can keep playing, while unbeaten entrants stay in the upper bracket. A competitor is eliminated only after a second loss, which softens the impact of one off day compared with straight knockout.
The two brackets converge in a final between the upper-bracket survivor and the team that has fought back through the lower bracket; because the upper-bracket side is still unbeaten, some formats require the lower-bracket team to win twice. Double elimination is common in esports, wrestling, and many amateur tournaments where a fairer path to the final is wanted without a full round-robin.
Where you’ll hear “double elimination”
Sports that use this term:
Baseball
A bat-and-ball team sport where two sides alternate between batting and fielding to score runs.
Wrestling
A grappling sport of takedowns and control where two athletes compete to pin or out-position each other.
Table Tennis
A fast, low-impact indoor racquet sport that sharpens reflexes and is easy to start.
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Disciplines
Rules
- Double dribbleA basketball violation for dribbling with two hands at once, or for dribbling again after picking up the ball.
- Penalty strokes in golfStrokes added to a player’s score in defined situations, such as hitting out of bounds or losing a ball.
- Two-bounce ruleA pickleball rule requiring both the serve and the return to bounce once before players may hit the ball out of the air.
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- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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