group stages
Round-robin qualification phase
Group stages are the preliminary phase of a tournament where teams are divided into small pools and play each round-robin format, with results determining who advances to knockout rounds.
The format appears in major competitions like the World Cup and Champions League: They didn't make it past the group stages.
Also called group phase or pool play.
- qualifiersWords limiting scope
- poolsBodies of still water
- tournamentMulti-round competitive event
- matchesPairs that align
- round-robinFormat ensuring universal matchups
points · goal difference · competition · teams · fixtures · seeding · tiebreaker · playoffs · away goals · preliminaries · qualifying round · schedules · upset · advancement · match play · national teams · league tables · permutations
group stagesknockout rounds
Single-elimination tournament phase
sudden death · bracket play · playoff bracket · double elimination · single elimination
group stagesfinals
Concluding tests or matches
elimination rounds · quarterfinals · semifinals · grand final · title match
group, stage, groups, stages, grouped, grouping, groupings, staged, staging