Verliererbracket

A Verliererbracket, often translated as "losers' bracket" or "lower bracket" in English, is a common component of a double-elimination tournament format. In this type of tournament, a participant is not eliminated from the competition after a single loss. Instead, a loss in the main portion of the tournament, known as the winners' bracket, results in the participant moving to the Verliererbracket.

Competitors in the Verliererbracket must then win subsequent matches to advance. If a participant in the Verliererbracket loses again, they are eliminated from the tournament entirely. The Verliererbracket typically consists of a series of matches that run parallel to the main winners' bracket. The ultimate goal for a participant who has fallen into the Verliererbracket is to win it and then face the winner of the winners' bracket in the grand final.

In the grand final of a double-elimination tournament, the winner of the winners' bracket typically starts with an advantage. They may only need to win one match to secure the tournament championship, while the winner of the Verliererbracket might need to defeat the winners' bracket champion twice to win the entire tournament. This structure rewards undefeated performances in the winners' bracket while still providing a path back to contention for those who experience an initial setback. The Verliererbracket ensures that only the truly best performers, or at least those who can recover from adversity, reach the final stages of the competition.