Knockoutkonkurranser

Knockoutkonkurranser, often referred to as knockout tournaments or elimination tournaments, are a common format for competitions across various sports and games. In this type of competition, a participant is eliminated from the tournament after a single loss. This contrasts with round-robin formats where participants play against multiple opponents and points are accumulated.

The structure of a knockout competition is typically a bracket system. Competitors are paired up, and the winners advance to the next round. The losers are eliminated. This process continues until only one participant remains, who is then declared the winner. The number of participants is often a power of two, such as 8, 16, 32, or 64, to ensure a clean progression through the rounds with no byes needed. However, tournaments with other numbers of participants can accommodate byes in early rounds to balance the bracket.

Knockout competitions are known for their high stakes and inherent drama. Every match is critical, as a single defeat ends a competitor's chance of winning the entire tournament. This format often leads to exciting and unpredictable outcomes, as even favored competitors can be eliminated by an underdog on an off day. The simplicity of the format also makes it easy for spectators to follow the progression of the tournament. Major sporting events like Wimbledon, the FIFA World Cup knockout stage, and many collegiate sports championships utilize the knockout format.