playoff format

A playoff format is a tournament structure used to determine a champion among top teams after a regular season. Typically, a select number of teams qualify based on their regular-season records. These teams then compete in elimination rounds—such as quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals—where the loser is eliminated and the winner advances. The matchups may be set by seeding, which ranks teams based on performance, and often involve home and away games or neutral sites. The process continues until one team wins the final round and is crowned champion.