playoff , play-off , postseason and/or final of the sports leagues are competitions played after the regular season by top rivals to determine league champions or similar awards. Depending on the league, the playoffs can be either a single game, a set of games, or a tournament, and can use a single elimination system or one of several other playoff formats. Playoff, in terms of international matches, is to qualify or advance to the next round of the competition or tournament.
In team sports in the US and Canada, great distances and consequent loads on a cross-country journey have led to the team's regional division. Generally, during the regular season, teams play more games in their divisions than outside, but the league's best teams may not play against each other in the regular season. Therefore, in postseason playoff series is set. Each group winning team is entitled to participate, and as playoffs become more popular, they are expanded to include the second team or even the team placed below - the term "wild card" refers to these teams.
In England and Scotland, playoffs are used in football associations to decide on promotions for lower-finishing teams, rather than deciding champions in the way they are used in North America. In the EFL Championship (second tier of English football), teams completing the 3rd to 6th after the regular season compete to decide where to final promotion to the Premier League.
Video Playoffs
American football
National Football League
Proof of playoff in professional football began at least 1919, when the "New York Pro Championship" was held in Western New York (probably something was held in 1917, but that is not known for sure). Buffalo and Rochester metropolitan areas each play championship matches, whose winners will advance to the "New York Pro Championship" on Thanksgiving weekend. New York's top teams were finally absorbed into the NFL at its founding in 1920, but the league (mostly driven by the Ohio League lacking a real championship game, although they often schedule the de facto championship game) did not adopt a league playoff format New York, voted for the championship based on regular season records for his first twelve seasons; as a result, four of the first six "champions" were debated. Technically, the voting of the league owners is all it takes to win the title, but the owner has the gentlemen's approval to vote on the score (win divided by the number of wins and losses, with some tiebreaks). When the two teams tied atop the standings in 1932, an impromptu playoff game was scheduled to finish the game.
The National Football League divided its team into divisions in 1933 and began a single playoff championship match between the division winners. In 1950, the NFL absorbed three teams from the rival All-America Football Conference, and the former "Division" now called the "Conference", echoing the use of college from that term. In 1967, the NFL expanded and created four divisions under two conferences, leading to the institution of a larger playoff tournament. After the AFL-NFL merger brought the American Football League to the NFL, the NFL began using three divisions and one wild card team at each conference for playoffs, to produce eight competitors from six divisions; this was later expanded in 1978 & amp; 1990 to allow more wild card teams to participate.
In 2002, the NFL added the 32nd team, Houston Texans, and significantly changed the order of its division. The league went from 6 division winners and 6 wild card spots to 8 division winners and only 4 wild card qualifiers. The winners of each division automatically get the playoff and home games in their first round, and the top two non-division winners from each conference will also make the playoffs as a wild-card team. The top two teams with the best record in the regular season earn a first-round bye, and each of the bottom two divisions plays one of the two wildcard teams. Each wild-card game winner then plays one of two bye teams. The winners of these two games go to the conference championships, and the winners of the conference championship match then face each other in the Super Bowl.
College soccer
Division I NCAA Football FBS
The College Football Playoff National Championship is a post-season college football game, used to determine the national champions of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which starts playing in college football season 2014. The game serves as the final of the College Football Playoff, a bracket tournament between the top four teams in the country as determined by the selection committee, established as a successor to the Bowl Championship Series and a similar BCS National Championship Match. Unlike the BCS championship, the teams participating in the National Playoff College Football Championship are determined by two semis - held by two of the six members of the consortium bowl each year - and the top two teams as determined by the selection committee do not automatically advance to the game in lieu of another bowl.
The game is played on a neutral site, determined through bids by prospective host cities (similar to Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four). When it announced it requested an offer for the title game 2016 and 2017, the playoff organizers noted that the bid should propose a host stadium with a capacity of at least 65,000 spectators, and cities can not host both semifinal and title games in the same year.
The winner of this game was awarded the new champion trophy, not "crystal football", which has been awarded by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) since 1986; Officials want a new trophy unrelated to the previous BCS championship system. National Championship National Playoff Championship Football is sponsored by Dr. Pepper, who pays approximately $ 35 million for sponsorship rights until 2020. The 35.5-inch, 35-pound high trophy was inaugurated on July 14, 2014.
Division I NCAA Football FCS
The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an American college football tournament played annually to determine the NCAA Division champion of the Football Championship Division I (FCS). Prior to 2006, the game was known as the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship . The FCS is the highest division in college football to hold an NCAA-approved playoff tournament to determine its championship. The four-team playoff system used by the Bowl Division is not approved by the NCAA.
Second Division NCAA Football
The NCAA Division II Football Championship is an American college football tournament played annually to determine the champions in the NCAA Division II level. It was first held in 1973. Prior to 1973, four regional bowl games were played to provide postseason action for what was then called "NCAA College Division" and polls determine the last champion.
The National Championship was held in Sacramento, California from 1973 to 1975. It was in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1976 and 1977. The game was played in Longview, Texas in 1978. For 1979 and 1980, Albuquerque, New Mexico hosted competition. McAllen, Texas held a championship match from 1981 to 1985. From 1986 to 2013, the Division II championship game was played at the Braly Municipal Stadium near the University of North Alabama campus in Florence, Alabama. Between 2014 and 2017, championship matches are played at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Since 1994, the game has been broadcast on ESPN.
Division III NCAA Football
The NCAA Division III Football Championship began in 1973. Prior to 1973, most schools now in the Third Division competed either in the NCAA College Division or the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The NCAA Division II and III were created by splitting the College Division into two, with schools wishing to continue providing athletic scholarships placed in the Second Division and those who did not want to provide them placed in the Third Division.
The Playoff Division III starts with 32 teams selected to participate in the playoffs. The Division III championship game, known as the Stagg Bowl , has been played annually in Salem, Virginia at Salem Football Stadium since 1993. Previously played at Phenix City, Alabama at Garrett-Harrison Stadium (1973). -1982, 1985-1989), at the College of Football Hall of Fame, when the Hall was located in Kings Island, Ohio at Galbreath Field (1983-1984), and Bradenton, Florida at Hawkins Stadium (1990-1992).
Maps Playoffs
Football Association
As a rule, international football associations only have championship playoffs when the league is divided into several equal divisions/conferences/groups (Major League Soccer) and/or when the season is divided into two periods (as in many leagues in Latin America, such as Mexican MX League ). In a league with one table performed only once a year, as in most of Europe, the playoff system is not used to determine champions, although in some countries the system is used to determine which teams will be promoted to a higher league (eg, England) or qualification for European club competitions (such as Greece and the Netherlands), usually between teams that are not performing well enough to get an automatic spot.
A test match is a match played at the end of the season between teams that have played poorly in higher leagues and who have played well in the lower leagues of the same football league system. Game match series format varies; for example it could be head-to-head between one of the worse teams of a higher league and one of the better finishes of the lower leagues, or it could be a mini-league where all participants play each other or team only play them from another league. The winners of the test match series play in the higher leagues the following season, and the losers in the lower leagues.
International playoff
In international football, the playoffs were a feature of the 1954 and 1958 World Cup final tournaments. They are still a feature of the qualifying tournaments for the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Football Championship.
In qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, for example:
- In Europe, after the first winner in each of the eight groups received an automatic final spot, along with two second-placed teams who have earned the most points against teams in their top six individual groups, another six teams are placed in the playoffs to select three teams for the final round.
- The winners of the Oceania qualifying tournament, Australia play the fifth-placed team from the South American qualifying tournament, Uruguay.
- The fifth-placed team from the Asian qualifying tournament, Bahrain play the fourth-placed team in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament, Trinidad and Tobago.
Knockout Competition
In addition to their league competition, most European soccer countries also have knockout cup competitions - English football, for example, has an FA Cup and League Cup. The competition is open to many teams - 92 clubs are competing for the League Cup, and hundreds are competing for the FA Cup. This competition goes hand in hand with the league competition "regular season" and is not considered a playoff round. Argentina
In Argentine football, a playoff in the English league style takes place in Primera B Metropolitana, part of the third level, and the league below (Primera C Metropolitana and Primera D Metropolitana). All Primera Metropolitana tourneys covers the region in and around Buenos Aires, the capital city. The Torneo Reducidos (reduced tournament), however, involved 8 teams under the top two, compared to 4.
Before the Argentina Primera Division's top teams abandoned their traditional Apertura and Clausura formats in 2015 to support an expanded single season, there is no playoff between the Apertura and Clausura winners. As a result, the league crowns two champions each year. After each Clausura, the two teams with the lowest point-per-game total for the previous six tournaments (three years, just counting the Primera Divisià pertandingan game) n) are handed to Primera B Nacional to be replaced by league champions and runner-up teams; both teams immediately over the promotional/degradation series are contested with third and fourth places in Primera B Nacional, calculated by the aggregate table. In Primera B Nacional, the same procedure continues to be used for degradation to Primera B Metropolitana or Torneo Argentino A for non-Buenos Aires clubs. From 2015 onwards, relegation from Primera DivisiÃÆ'³n will only be based on the league position at the end of the season (which, effective from 2016-17, changes from February-December format to August-June format).
Australia
The Australian A-League, which also features teams in New Zealand, has named its champions through a playoff system, officially known as the "Final Series" (reflecting the use of standard Australian English), since its inception in the 2005-06 season.
From the start of the league through the 2008-09 season, the top four teams advanced to the final series, employed using a modified Page playoff system. The top two teams at the end of the league match are matched in one semifinal, with the winner going straight to the Grand Final and the losers going into the Final Introduction. The next two teams play the semi-finals for a place in the Final Introduction, which the winner takes elsewhere in the Grand Final. The two-legged semi-finals, while the Final Preliminary and the Grand Final are the one-off matches.
When the league was expanded to 10 teams starting in 2009-10, the final was expanded to six teams. The six-team playoff format established at the time was:
- "Semifinals" are held for two weeks. Couples for Week 1 semifinal is 1 vs 2, 3 vs 6, and 4 vs 5.
- In Week 1, the top two teams play the first leg of a two-leg match, and the other team plays a one-off knockout game.
- In Week 2, the top two teams play their second semi-final leg, and two other surviving teams play a one-off game. The winner of the two-leg match goes straight into the Grand Final, while the losers of the game join the last semifinal winner in the Final Introduction.
- The Final Introduction and the Grand Final remain unchanged.
Beginning with the 2012-13 season, the final format has been converted into a pure knockout tournament consisting entirely of one-off matches:
- In Week 1, two Final Elimination will be held, with the pair being 3 vs 6 and 4 vs. 5.
- In Week 2, the winners of the Final Elimination advance to Semi-Final. The top teams in the regular season table, called the "prime minister" by the A-League, play the lowest descendants of the Final Elimination, and the second-place team plays another Final Elimination victim.
- The Grand Final, pitting two Semi Final winners, takes place on Week 3.
It should be noted that the concept of the final/playoff series is standard in Australian sports.
Belgium
Belgian A Division (formerly known as "First Division" and "League Pro") has a fairly complicated playoff system, currently composed of two levels and three at the same time.
Since the 2009-10 season, the playoffs have been held to determine champions and tickets for the Champions League and Europa League. The six highest ranked teams play home-and-go games to one another; a total of 10 games each. The six participating teams start with accumulated points during the regular competition divided by two. The first 3 teams after the play-offs get European tickets. The fourth ranked team (or fifth, when the trophy holder is eligible for European football) plays a knock-out match against the 2nd playoff winner. From 2009-10 to 2015-16, the 7-14 ranked teams play in two groups; from 2016-17 ahead, this playoff will continue to be contested in two groups, but with a total of 12 teams (details below). All points earned from regular competition are lost. Both group winners play the final game to decide the winner of play-off 2. The winning team plays the final match against the fourth (or fifth) ranking team for the last European ticket.
The play-off system has been criticized as more points per game can be obtained in the play-off stage than in regular competitions. In this way the team that wins the most games does not automatically become the national champion. The biggest advantage in supporting the play-off system is the higher number of matches (40 instead of 34 compared to the previous season) and more top games. Extra matches also generate higher earnings for the team.
However, the higher number of matches requires additional fees for teams and players. In addition to the play-offs, the Belgian Belgian Football Association (KBVB) also introduced Christmas football to complete extra matches on time. This poses some problems because some games have to be canceled because of the snowy field. The delay may cause a tight schedule to fail and delay the end of the season.
Some structural changes are instituted in 2015-16:
- The team that finished on the regular-season table is now guaranteed a Europa League spot if they fail to finish in place of Champions League qualification (currently top two places). The first Tiebreak between the Championship Round teams is now the regular season position.
- The yellow card accumulation of the regular season is removed, although the suspension will continue to carry. During the playoffs, three yellow cards accumulated will result in a suspension, compared to five during the regular season.
From 1974 to 2015, the 15th team from 16th in the standings were involved in a playoff pool with three teams from the Belgian Second Division after each season, to determine which team played in the First Division/League Pro in the coming season. The lowest ranked team from the First Division/League Pro were relegated and replaced by the Second Division champion.
Originally, the playoff was introduced in 1974 and was part of the Second Division, to determine which teams were promoted to the highest level along with the division champions. From the 2005-06 season, only one team was relegated directly from the First Division, with the 17th team taking part in the playoffs. As a result, the playoff is still called the Belgian Second Division Final Round, although one team from the Pro League takes part every year.
Starting in 2015-16, this playoff was canceled and replaced with immediate relegation for the bottom team of the League of Pro/First Division A only.
Further changes will be introduced into Europa League playoffs from 2016-17 ahead. The playoff will involve a total of 12 teams - nine from First Division A, and three from First Division B (re-named Second Division). The First Division Qualifying will be the one that ends between 7 and 15 in the regular season table. Qualifying First Division B will be the top three teams from the regular league season table, excluding the division champions, who instead get promotion to First Division A. As in the previous format, teams will be divided into two groups, each playing home-and-away in the group, and two groups of winners will play a one-off final, with the winner of the game progressing to a one-off game against the fourth or fifth-ranked team from the championship playoff (depending on available European slots) for Europa League last place.
Brazil
In Brazil, the Copa do Brasil, the most prestigious competition across the state, is contested in a pure knockout format since its inception in 1989. While the top two ranks in the Brazilian League - SÃÆ' Â © rie A and SÃ <â € < © rie B - up for grabs in double round robin formats, lower tier SÃÆ' Â © rie C and SÃÆ' â € <Â © rie D include knockout rounds in their final stages.
Bulgarian
Bulgaria instituted an elaborate playoff system in the top division, the First League, in the 2016-17 season.
After 14 league teams played a full-house season, the league was split into two playoffs - 6 teams of "championship playoffs" and 8 "playoff qualification" teams, with the latter being divided into two teams of groups. Each playoff round begins with a team that carries over all the goals and statistics of the round-trip season.
Each team in the championship playoff plays the other at home and goes one extra time. At the end of this stage:
- The top teams are declared champions of the league, and get the only place in the country in UEFA Champions League.
- Second-ranked teams have a place in the UEFA Europa League.
- The highest placed team that has not qualified for European competition will advance to the last one-time match for the last Europa League country. It will often be the third-ranked team, but if the Bulgarian Cup winner (who gets the Europa League spot automatically) is in the top three playoffs, the fourth-place team will replace him.
Each group in the qualifying playoffs also plays at home and within their group; after this stage, the team enters another playoff level depending on their position in the group.
The top two teams in each group enter the playoffs consisting entirely of two-leg matches (unless one of these teams is a Bulgarian Cup winner that season, in this case will not enter the playoffs and the team he will play receives the bye into the playoff final). The winner of the playoff then contest once against the third-place (or fourth) side of the championship playoff, with the winner claiming Europa League final place.
The bottom two teams from each group start a series of relegation playoffs. The series begins with a knockout playoff which also consists entirely of a two-leg match. The playoff winner remains in the First League for the next season. The losing teams then enter the next two-leg match/degradation game:
- The losers of the semi-final knockout play, with the losers relegated to the Second League.
- The losers of the knockout rounds play third-place teams from the Second League, with the winners playing in the First League next season.
- Finally, the 1st Match winner above plays the second ranked team from the Second League, with the winner also playing in the First League next season.
Dominican Republic
With the creation of the Dominicana de FÃÆ'ºtbol League in 2014 to replace the Primera DivisiÃÆ'³n de Republica Dominicana, he introduced a playoff system to determine champions this season.
English
When the Football League was first expanded into two divisions in 1892, test matches were employed to decide relegation and promotion among them, but the practice was canceled for the sake of automatic degradation and promotion in 1898.
The use of the play-offs to decide the promotion issue back to the League in 1986 with the desire to reduce the number of mid-table standings with no game to play at the end of the season. The Football Conference, now known as the National League, introduced the play-offs in 2002 after the Football League approved the exchange of two clubs with the Conference.
The top two teams in the EFL Championship and in EFL League One are automatically promoted to the above division and thus do not compete in the play-offs. The top three teams in EFL League Two and the National League champions (formerly known as the Premier Conference) are also automatically promoted. In each of these divisions the four clubs ended up under the automatic promotion venue in the semi-final two legs with the club placed higher enjoying home advantage in the second leg. The away goals rule does not apply to the semis. The Football League play-off final was originally played on two legs, on both teams' pitch, but then converted into a one-time affair, played at Wembley Stadium in London.
Teams are also promoted using a play-off tournament from six to eight football pyramid levels. At level six, the semi-final play-offs are two leg ties with the finals being a single match played on home ground from the team's second highest position. At level seven and eight, all bonds are a single game played at home to the team with the highest league position.
In 2003, Gillingham proposed to replace the current play-off system with one involving six clubs from each division and changing the two-leg relationship with a one-off game. If adopted, the two higher clubs placed in the play-offs will enjoy a first-round bye and home advantage in the semi-finals. That is a controversial proposal - some people do not believe a club that only finish in eighth in the League can (or should) compete in the Premier League while others consider the system too American for their liking. Although the League chairman initially voted in favor of the proposal, it was blocked by the FA and soon abandoned.
Each division championship in English football is determined by the league's standings. However, a championship play-off will be held if the top two teams are tied for points, goal difference and goals scored in both their overall league record; Until now, this never happened. Play-offs will also be scheduled if two teams are tied as above for positions affecting promotion, degradation, or European qualification.
Greek
Beginning in the 2007-08 season, the Greek Superleague instituted a playoff system to determine all places in European competition for the next season, except for league champions and cup winners. Currently, the league is entitled to two Champions League places and three in the Europa League, with one of the Europa League places reserved for the trophy winner. The current playoff takes the form of a mini-home-and-go league involving second to fifth rank teams, under the following conditions:
- The fifth-place team starts the playoffs at 0 points.
- The remaining team starts with a number of "bonus points" which are determined as follows:
- The number of points earned by the fifth ranked team during the major league season is subtracted from the total of each other club involved in the playoffs.
- The resulting number is then divided into 5 and rounded to the nearest integer.
- At the end of the playoffs, the winners receive the Champions League places of both countries. The next two teams enter the Europa League at a different point depending on the outcome of their game; the latter team were placed entirely out of European competition. However, if the winner of the trophy finishes in the playoff spot (as happened in 2010-11), the league champions also won the trophy, and the losing finalist finished in the playoff spot (as happened in 2012-13 ), the bottom three teams in the playoffs all receive Europa League tickets.
Italy
In 2004-05, the Italian professional league introduced a promotional playoff to the second tier of football, Serie B. It operates almost identically to the system currently used in the UK. The top two clubs in Serie B get an automatic promotion to Serie A with the next four clubs entering the playoffs to determine who wins the third promotional spot, for less than 10 points separating the third and fourth teams (which often happens).
Like the England playoffs, the Italian playoff uses a two leg semi-final, with a higher finisher in the league table earning home advantage in the second leg. If the team has an aggregate level after full-time in the second leg, away goals are not used, but extra time is used. Unlike England, the Italian playoff final is two legs, again with a higher finisher earning home advantage in the second leg. In both rounds, if the tie is an aggregate level after extra time in the second leg, teams that finish higher in the league standings win.
In 2003-04, the Italian football league used a two-leg test match to determine a place at the top level of its Serie A system. Several leagues on the continent of Europe combined promotions/automatic degradation with test matches. For example, in the Netherlands, only one club is automatically degraded from the top rate, Eredivisie, every season, with the second promoted flight winner. Two lower-placed teams entered the promotional/relegation mini-league with teams high from the Dutch Main Division
Japanese
J.League in Japan used a series of test matches between third-from-bottom teams on J1 and third-ranked teams in J2 (see J. League Promotion/Relegation Series) from 2004 to 2008. Date of Promotion/Relation Series series 1965 and season first Japanese Football League.
The Japanese Football League, Japan's third division at the moment, uses the Promotion/Degradation Series only when the number of clubs in the league must be filled with clubs from the Japanese Regional League.
The new Promotion/Degradation Series will take place starting with the 2012 J League Division 2 season, depending on the top two JFL teams that meet the J. League club criteria. In turn, J2 will apply a playoff on the English style for the 3rd to 6th club.
Mexico
Mexico's top flight league, MX League, is contested every year by 18 teams. In every two annual tournaments, each team plays every other team in the league once (17 games), after which the top eight teams advance into Liguilla.
In Liguilla, all round trips. The team is drawn so the best team plays the worst, the second best plays the second worst, and so on. After one round, the team was redrawn so the best teams remaining back played the worst and the second best faced the second worst in the semi final. Both winners of this round play each other for the championship.
There is no playoff between the Apertura and Clausura winners. As a result, the league crowns two champions each year. After each Clausura, the team with the lowest point-per-game total for the previous six tournaments (three years, just counting the MX League game) is relegated to Ascenso MX to be replaced by the league champion (if eligible).
Dutch
In the Netherlands, the playoffs were introduced in the 2005-2006 season. It is used to determine which team of Eredivisie qualifiers for European football. The playoff system has been criticized by clubs, players and fans as the number of matches will increase. Under the original playoff format, it is possible, though highly unlikely, that runners-up will not qualify for Europe; the next year, the format was changed so the second-place team is guaranteed no worse than the UEFA Cup spot. Beginning in 2008-09, the format was changed again. The champions went straight to the Champions League; runner-up entering the second qualifying round of CL; number three enters the fourth (and final) UEFA Europa League (EL: UEFA Cup new qualifying round from 2009-10 onwards) and number four to EL's third qualifying round. The only play-offs are for clubs placed in positions 5 through 8. The winners of the play-offs receive tickets for EL's second qualifying round.
The playoffs are also part of the promotion and relegation structure between Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie, two of the highest football leagues in the Netherlands.
Scotland
The Scottish Football League (SFL) experimented briefly with test matches in 1995-96 and 1996-97, contested between the second lowest team of the Premier Division and second-placed teams from the First Division.
After the Scottish Premier League (SPL) and SFL joined in 2013 to form the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), reuniting four Scottish main divisions since the SPL separation in 1998-99, a modified test match format was introduced between the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Championships. The bottom teams of first-tier Premiership are automatically relegated and replaced by second-tier Championship winners, provided the club meets the criteria of entering the Premiership. The second, third and fourth-ranked teams of the Championship qualify for a two-legged play-off, with second placed teams receiving a bye to play the winners of the third and fourth finishing teams. The winner of the play-off then faces the second-bottom Premiership team, also over two legs, with the tie winner taking the last Premiership spot (again, assuming that the Championship club meets the Premiership criteria).
The three lower divisions of the SPFL - Championship, League One and League Two - continue with the promotion/relegation playoff system used by its predecessor SFL leagues (First Division, Second Division and Third Division). In Championship/League One and League One/League Two, while champions are automatically promoted and bottom teams are relegated, there is a second-bottom team play-off against second, third and fourth teams from the divisions below. The away and away games decide the semi-finals and finals, and the overall winner plays in the higher divisions the following season, with losers playing in the bottom division.
Beginning with the 2014-15 season, promotion and degradation between the SPFL and the Scottish regional leagues was introduced. After the end of the league season, the winners of the lowlands and fifth lowlands compete in a two-leg playoff. The winner then enters the two-leg playoffs against the bottom team of the Scottish League Two, with the remaining tie winners or promoted to League Two.
Long before the SPL era, two situations emerged where the top two teams in the table had to share the title because there was no average goal or goal difference that was instituted to break the relationship. The first is his first season, in which Dumbarton and Rangers both won 29 points and had to play for the title. The match ended with a 0-0 draw and both teams shared the title. The second occurred 19 years later, in the Second Division, when Leith Athletic and Raith Rovers grabbed 33 points. This time, the club chose not to play. In 1915 the average goal was finally institutionalized.
Spanish
For the 2010/11 season, Segunda DivisiÃÆ' experimn experimented with a playoff promotion between the 3rd and 6th teams, similar to the rules in the English and Italian systems. However, since reserve teams are allowed to compete in the same football league system, subsequent places may be allowed to be played depending on the reserve team completing in 3rd to 6th place.
At a lower level, the playoffs at Segunda DivisiÃÆ'³n B take place to determine the division title between the 4 group winners, and to decide which teams to promote, as follows:
- Set the first game is an elimination tournament between 4 group winners. The winner of each game is promoted and then plays the final for the tier title.
- After the final tier, the 2nd team in each of the 4 groups played the 4th team, while the third-placed team played each other. Six winners, along with 2 Group winners who lost their game in the previous semifinals, play each other in Knockout format until there are 2 teams remaining promoted.
- If in the qualifying place there is a backup team whose senior team already exists in Segunda DivisiÃÆ'³n, the next places are allowed to play. If senior teams are relegated from Segunda DivisiÃÆ'³n during the season, the reserve team is automatically disqualified from competing and relegated to Tercera DivisiÃÆ'³n.
Previously a play-off system has been used where teams finish 3 and 4 of the last in La Liga have played against teams finishing 3 and 4 in Segunda DivisiÃÆ'³n. This system was introduced in 1980 but ended in 1998-99.
United States and Canada
In Major League Soccer in the United States and Canada, at the end of the regular season, the top five teams in each of the two conferences qualify for the playoffs (from 2012 to 2014). Under this system, the conference has separate playoff brackets. Since the 2015 season six teams per conference have qualified, 12 teams in total, and Audi is the official sponsor.
In the first round of the postseason knockout tournament, the fourth-place team at each conference hosts the fifth-place team from the same conference in a one-off game, with the winner progressing to the Conference Semifinals. From the 2015 season the third-place team plays the sixth host in another one-off game, with two winners progressing to the Conference Semifinals.
The semifinals of the Conference and Conference of Championships are conducted with the format of aggregate destinations that can be habitable. For each conference, top seeds play first round winners, and 2nd seeds face 3rd seed in the Conference Semifinals series, with the lower seeded team hosting the first game. From the 2015 season the top seed plays the lowest remaining seeds, and the second plays the next lowest seed in the Semifinals of the Conference.
The team that scores the most in the home-and-away series progresses to the Conference Championship, which extends from one-off to two-leg matches starting in 2012. If teams are tied after 90 minutes of second-leg either at the Semifinals Conference or the Championship Conference, extra 30 minutes (divided into two 15 minute periods) will be played followed by a penalty kick, if necessary. As in the Semifinal Conference, the lower seed at the Championship Conference hosts the first leg.
The winners of each conference will play for the MLS Cup, the league championship. Since 2012, the MLS Cup is hosted by the conference champions with the most table points during the regular season.
In the case of relationships after the rules in the First Round and MLS Cup, 30 minutes of extra time (divided into two 15 minute periods) will be played followed by a penalty kick, if necessary, to determine the winner.
Historically, MLS has not used the away goals rule in any playoff series, but has begun doing so in 2014 to be consistent with international practice.
Women's Woman Football (WPS), who only operates in the US, organizes four-team overlapping tournaments consisting of one-off KO matches. The third seed hosted the fourth seed in the first half. The winner of the match advanced to the "Super Semifinals", hosted by the second seed. The Super Semifinal winner travels to the top seed for the championship game. Substitute WPS, the National Women's Football League (launched in 2013), has a more standard four-team KO playoff where the winners of the two semi-finals once progress to the one-time finals.
Australian football rules
Playoff is used throughout Australia in Australian rules of football to determine the prime minister. The term final is most often used to describe it.
In every league, between four and eight teams (depending on the size of the league) qualify for the finals based on the league ladder at the end of the season. Australia's football league rules use a final system that acts as a combination of a single elimination tournament for low-ranking teams and a double elimination tournament for higher-ranking teams to provide teams with an easier path to the Grand Final as a reward for strong performances throughout the season. Final is determined by a single match, not a series.
The Australian Football League, which is the top level of the sport, currently has eight teams qualified for the finals under a system designed by the league in 2000. Between 1931-1999, the McIntyre System variant was used to accommodate four, five, six and eight teams, and before 1930, six different final systems were used.
In most other leagues, from country-level leagues like the South Australian National Football League and Western Australia Football League, to the local suburb league, it is most common for four or five teams to qualify for the finals. In this case the last four Page-McIntyre system or the last five McIntyre systems were used universally.
The Australian Football League (known until 1990 as the Victoria Football League) was the first league to introduce a regular final round when it was established in 1897. The South Australian National Football League introduced the final in 1898, and other leagues soon followed.
Prior to 1897, the prime minister was generally given to the team with the best overall win-lose record at the end of the season. If two teams have finished with the same record, a playoff game for the prime minister is needed: this took place in the Challenge Cup in 1871, SAFA in 1889 and 1894, and at the VFA in 1896.
Baseball
Korean
The team that ends in fourth and fifth place in the regular season face each other in a wildcard game. The winners of the wildcard game face the team finished in third place in the first round of the play-offs. First-round winners face teams finished in second place during the regular season, and the winners of the round face the team that finished in first place for the championship in the Korean Series.
Japanese
Prior to 1950, the original Japanese Baseball League had become a single franchise league. After being reorganized into the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) system, a series of playoffs took place between the Central League and the Pacific League champions.
Before the playoff system was developed in both professional leagues, the Pacific League had implemented a playoff system on two occasions. The first was between 1973-1982, when split-season was applied with a 5-match playoff between the winning teams of both seasons (unless the team won both sides so they did not need to play such a game)). The second time is between 2004-2006, when the top three teams play two step gradually knockout (3 games in the first stage and 5 games in the second stage) to determine the League Champion (and the team playing in the Japanese Series)). After this system was implemented, Seibu Lions (now Saitama Seibu Lions), Chiba Lotte Marines and Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, who claimed the Pacific League Championship under this system, all were able to grab the next Japanese Series in that season. The success of such a playoff system convinced the Central League to consider a similar approach. In 2007, a new playoff system, named "Climax Series", was introduced to both professional leagues in the NPB to decide which team would compete for the Japanese Series. The Climax series basically apply the rules of the playoff system in the Pacific League, with one important change: each League championship is awarded to teams that complete the regular season at the top of their respective leagues, regardless of their fate in the playoffs. This means that two Champions League are not guaranteed to make the Japanese Series. Dragon Chunichi took advantage of this in the first Climax Series season, finishing second in the regular season but sweeping the Hanshin Tiger and the Yomiuri Giants League Champions in the Central League to win a place in the Japanese Series; they then defeated Hokkaido Nippon Ham fighters to claim their first Japanese Series in 52 years.
In 2008, the Climax Series format will be slightly changed, where the second stage will be played for a maximum of six games, with the Champions League starting with an automatic one-game advantage.
United States and Canada
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) itself does not use the term "playoff" for the championship tournament. Instead they use the term "postseason" as the official elimination tournament title held after the end of the regular season of Major League Baseball. Since the 2012 season, it comprises the first single elimination KO game between two wildcards in each league, the best-of-5 second round series called the Division Series, and two best-of-seven series rounds for the League Champions and World Series.
MLB uses the format "2-3-2" for the last two rounds of its postseason tournament. In Major, a single "playoff" term is reserved for a rare situation where two (or more) teams find themselves bound at the end of the regular season and forced to have a tiebreaking playoff game (or game) to determine which team will advance to the postseason. So, in the department, "playoff" is actually part of the regular season and thus can be called "Pennant Playoff". However, the conventional term "Playoffs" is used by fans and media to refer to baseball postseason tournaments (and always used by small baseball leagues to play postseason itself), excluding "World Series" (see below), so this article rejects use it.
MLB is the oldest of major American professional sports, dating back to the 1870s. Therefore, this tradition is very abundant. The final series to determine the winner has been called "World Series" (originally "World Championship Series" and then "World Series") as far as the National League contest with the American Association during the 1880s. "Playoff" determines which two teams play in "World Series".
Taiwan
The Taiwan playoff is different from many such competitions, due to the league's split-season format. The winners of the first half of the season and the winners of the second half of the season are entitled to play in the playoffs, but if the best overall team have not won a good half-season then they qualify for the wild card series against the weakest half of the season winners, with this winner progressing to the Taiwan Series to face another half-season winner. If the first and second round winners are different, but one of them is the best team, the two teams go straight to the Taiwan Series. Finally, if one team wins the second part of the season, then the playoff will take place between the second and third best teams for the right to play it in the Final Series; in which case the team that won both parts of the season will start the Taiwan Series with an automatic one-game advantage.
Basket
National Basketball Association
The organization now known as the National Basketball Association, later called BAA (Basketball Association of America), had its inaugural season in 1946-47. Teams always have different schedule powers from each other; Currently, a team plays a team outside of the conference twice, a team in the conference but outside the division three or four times, and a team from its own division four times.
In today's system, eight clubs from each of the two league conferences qualify for the playoffs, with separate playoff brackets for each conference. In the 2002-03 season, the first round series expanded from best-of-5 to best-of-7; all the other series are always the best of 7. In all series, home games alternate between the two teams in 2-2-1-1-1 format.
The final 2-3-2 format was adopted from Final 1985 to 2013, copying the format then in effect at the National Hockey League. Before 1985, almost all the finals were played in the 2-2-1-1-1 format (although the 1971 Final between Milwaukee and Baltimore was on an alternate basis, some of the 1950s finals used the 2-3-2 format, and the 1975 Golden State- Washington and 1978 and 1979 Seattle-Washington Finals are on a 1-2-2-1-1 basis). Also, before the 1980s, East and West playoffs were home-based alternatives except for the series when distance made the 2-2-1-1-1 format more practical. Since 2014, the NBA Finals have restored the original format.
The team is seeded according to their regular season record. Throughout the 2014-15 season, third division champions and best division runners-ups receive four top seeds, ranking them on a regular-season note. The remaining teams are strongly favored by regular season records. However, if the best division runners-ups have a better record than the other division champions, it could be a champion as high as a second. Starting in 2015-16, the NBA became the first major league in America to eliminate automatic playoff spots for division champions; the top eight overall teams in each conference now qualify for the playoffs, regardless of the alignment of the division.
Elsewhere
Top flight basketball leagues elsewhere also use playoff systems that mimic the NBA. However, most leagues are not divided into divisions and conferences, and use double round robin formats similar to football league associations, unlike the NBA where teams are divided into divisions and conferences, leading to the strength of different schedules per team. The team is seeded on a regular season record. The playoff structure can be either a single or best-of series elimination, with higher seeds, if a playoff is not held in a predetermined place, it has the advantage of being a host.
Apart from the playoffs, some leagues also have a knockout tournament similar to the FA Cup running in parallel with the regular season. This is not considered a playoff.
At EuroLeague, after the regular season, play the best 5 games in 2-2-1 format. However, from the semi-finals on, it is a single elimination tournament held in a designated place. The others also have a relegation playoff.
In the NCAA Division I basketball conference, the playoff or "postseason tournament" is held after the regular season; this is held at a predetermined place, and is a single elimination tournament; higher seeds may be given bye. The winners, and some losers are selected as "big bids", playing in the NCAA tournament, which is also a single elimination and held at a designated spot.
In the WNBA playoffs, the 8 best league teams, no matter the conference, compete, and are based on regular season records. The top two seeds get double byes and the first two byes of the next round. The first two rounds are round once, and the league & amp; The final is best-of-5 with a 2-2-1 base.
Canadian football
In the Canadian Football League, the playoffs begin in November. After a regular season, the top teams from each division have an automatic cage game place in the Division Final, and the last week of the Division Semifinals. The second-place team from each division hosts the third-place team in the Semifinal Division, unless the fourth-placed team from the opposing division finishes with a better record. This "crossover rule" does not come into play if the team has identical records - no tiebreak. While the format means that it is possible for two teams in the same division to play for the Gray Cup, so far only two crossover teams have won the division semifinal match. The winners of each Division Semifinal match then travel to play the first-place team in the Final Division. Since 2005, the Division Semifinal and Final Division has been sponsored by Scotiabank and branded as "Scotiabank East Championship" and "Scotiabank West Championship". The second division champions then face each other in a Gray Cup match, held on the third or fourth Sunday of November.
The Edmonton Eskimo is famous for qualifying for CFL playoffs every 1972-2005, a record in North American pro sports. The Eskimos are also famous for being the first crossover team to ever win a division semifinal match.
Hockey
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League playoff system is an elimination tournament competition for the Stanley Cup, consisting of four best-of-seven series rounds. The first three rounds determine which team from each conference will advance to the final, dubbed the Stanley Cup Final. The winners of the series became the NHL champions and the Stanley Cup.
Since 2014, the Conference Final Quarter has four matches at each conference, based on division (# 1 vs. # 4, and # 2 vs. # 3). The division winner with the best record in the conference played the lowest wild-card seeds, while the other division winners played wild-card champions (the wild-card team, which is de facto the 4th seed, can cross to the other divisions of the conference). In the Conference Semifinals, the four remaining teams at the conference face each other. In the third round, the Final Conference, the two surviving teams play each other, with the conference champion proceeding to the Stanley Cup Final.
For the first two rounds, the higher seeded teams have an advantage in the ice-house (regardless of point notes). After that, he goes to the team with a better regular season record. In all rounds of teams with ice host, host, Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, while opposed host Games 3, 4 and 6 (Game 5-7 is played "if necessary").
Elite Ice Hockey League
In the United Kingdom, the Elite Ice Hockey League playoff is an elimination tournament where the draw is based on the team's final position in the league. Of the 10 competing teams, the top 8 qualify for the playoffs. The first round (quarterfinal round) is played on two legs (home and away) where the team finishes in first place in regular season plays team finish 8, 2 plays 7 and so on, with aggregate scores deciding which team to advance.
The semi-finals and finals are held for a week at the National Ice Center in Nottingham. Each consisted of one game with a losing team eliminated, with two semi-final matches played on Saturday and finals on Sunday. There is also a third place of matches held earlier on Sunday between teams losing to the semi-finals. Unlike in the NHL, Elite League playoff winners are not considered league champions for the season (the title goes to the team that ends in first place in the league), not the playoffs are considered separate competitions although the playoff crown is a prestigious award. The latest playoff champion is Sheffield Steelers.
NASCAR
NASCAR implemented a "playoff" system starting in 2004, which they created "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup". When first introduced, only the top NASCAR series used this system, although two other national racing series (currently known as the Xfinity Series and the World Truck Camping Series) have adopted similar systems. One of the unique features of Nascar's playoffs is that non-qualified riders continue to compete alongside the playoff racers: qualifying riders have only their championship points reset once or more during the playoffs to such a high level that no rider qualified who can arrest them.
There are actually two different playoffs that occur at the end of the season in each series: one for the racer and another "playoff owner points" for the racing team. Only one multi-driver team ever won the Cup-holder's championship: by 2015, Kyle Busch won the championship after missing the first 11 races of the season with an injury; 3 other drivers drove the # 18 car during his absence. Due to the way the playoff was structured that year, however, both he and his team # 18 won the championship each with 5043 points. There are two cases where a playoff driver fails to enter any playoff race. In 2005, Kurt Busch was fired by Roush Racing with two races left in the season. Busch completed 10 of 10 Chase racers, but Kenny Wallace stepped in to drive the number 97 car to 8th position in the ownership points race. In 2012, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. missed two playoffs with injury. Regan Smith drove # 88 for two races, including a top-10 finish at Kansas Speedway. In this case, Smith's additional 43 points ahead of Earnhardt's 2,245 is not enough to pull team # 88 out of 12th place out of 12 playoff competitors.
In the original version of Chase (2004-2006), after the 26th race of the season, all the riders in the top 10 and others in the 400 points of the leaders got a place in the 10-race playoffs. Like the current system, the drivers at Chase have adjusted their total points. However, it is based on the number of points at the end of the 26th race. First place drivers in the standings lead by 5,050 points; the second place driver starts with 5.045. The five-point drop gradually continues to 10 places with 5,005 points.
The first major change to Chase was announced by NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France on January 22, 2007. After 26 races, the top 12 riders advanced to compete for championship points and the points were reset to 5000. Each driver in the top 12 received an additional 10 points for each victory over "regular season", or the first 26 races, thus creating winning by victory. As in previous years, Chase consists of 10 races and the rider with the most points at the end of 10 races is the NEXTEL Cup Series Winner. Under the points system then used, the driver can earn 5 bonus points to lead the most laps, and 5 bonus points to lead a single round. Brian France explains why NASCAR makes changes to the pursuit:
"The adjustment made [Monday] gives a greater emphasis on winning the race.Win is what sports this.No one likes to see the content of drivers to finish above 10. We want our sport - especially during Chase - for more about winning. "
Beginning with the 2008 season, the playoffs are known as "Chase for the Sprint Cup" due to the NEXTEL/Sprint merger.
The next format of Chase was announced by France on January 26, 2011, along with some other changes, the most significant to the points system. After 26 races, 12 drivers are still on to Chase, but the qualifying criteria change, as well as the number of base points that the driver receives in the re-point.
Under this system. only the top 10 drivers in points are automatically eligible for Chase. They are joined by two wild card qualifications, especially two riders ranked from 11 to 20 in points that have the most wins (with the tiebreak used if needed to pick exactly two qualifiers). These drivers then return their base points to 2,000 over the previous 5,000, reflecting the very reduced points available from each race (a maximum of 48 for the race winner, as opposed to a maximum of 195 on pre-2011 systems). After reset, 10 qualifiers automatically receive 3 bonus points for each race victory, while wild card qualification does not receive bonus.
On January 30, 2014, even more radical changes to Chase were announced; this applies to 2014 season:
- The number of eligible drivers for Chase expanded to 16, with this group officially called the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Grid.
- Chase Grid is now selected primarily based on race wins during the first 26 races (also known as "regular season"). If less than 16 riders win the race. the remaining points on the Chase Grid are filled in the order of regular season driver points. Note that the base point system has not changed from 2013.
- The chase is now divided into four rounds. After each of the first three rounds, four Chase Grid drivers with the fewest season points are eliminated from the Grid and championship championships. All drivers on the Chase Grid who win the race in the first three rounds automatically advance to the next round. Also, all drivers eliminated from Chase have their respective points adjusted to the regular season point scheme, although they retain their total points from the last Chase round in which they participated.
- Challenger Round (race 27-29)
- Beginning with 16 drivers, each with 2,000 points plus 3 points bonus for every win in the first 26 races.
- Contender Round (race 30-32)
- Start with 12 drivers, each with 3,000 points.
- Eliminator Round (race 33-35)
- Start with eight drivers, each with 4,000 points.
- NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship (last race)
- The last four riders to compete for the season title start the race at 5,000 points, with the highest finish in the Cup Series winning contest.
- Challenger Round (race 27-29)
Chase for the Sprint Cup has been generally screened early on, as many drivers and owners have criticized the importance of the decline of the first 26 races, as well as a slight change of schedule from year to year. Mike Fisher, director of the NASCAR Research and Development Center, has become one of the more outspoken critics of the system, saying that "Because NASCAR has the same competitors in the week of the inner track, the week came out, a champion emerged.In the stick-and-ball sport, any teams have different schedules, so a head-to-head series is needed to determine the champion.It does not apply to auto racing. "
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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