playoffs
Sign in to saveThe playoffs (in United States and Canada), postseason, climax (in Japan), or finals series (in Australia and New Zealand) of a is a stage of a sports league played after the regular season of a competition by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be either a single game, a series of games, or a tournament, and may use a single-elimination system or one of several other different playoff formats. Playoff, in regard to international fixtures, is to qualify or progress to the next round of a competition or tournament
Article
65 sectionsContents
- American football
- National Football League
- College football
- Division I NCAA Football FBS
- Division I NCAA Football FCS
- Division II NCAA Football
- Division III NCAA Football
- Association football
- International playoffs
- Argentina
- Australia
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Dominican Republic
- England and Wales
- Greece
- Italy
- Japan
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- Philippines
- Scotland
- Spain
- United States and Canada
- Australian rules football
- Baseball
- Japan
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- United States and Canada
- Major League Baseball
- Minor League Baseball
- Basketball
- National Basketball Association
- Elsewhere
- Canadian football
- Cricket
- Big Bash League
- Indian Premier League
- T20 Blast
- The Hundred
- Minor League Cricket
- Hockey
- National Hockey League
- Kontinental Hockey League
- Elite Ice Hockey League
- NASCAR
- Rugby league
- National Rugby League
- Super League
- Other leagues
- Rugby union
- England
- Premiership
- Championship
- France
- United Rugby Championship
- New Zealand
- National Provincial Championship
- Heartland Championship
- Super Rugby
- Summary
- See also
- References
The playoffs (in United States and Canada), postseason, climax (in Japan), or finals series (in Australia and New Zealand) of a is a stage of a sports league played after the regular season of a competition by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be either a single game, a series of games, or a tournament, and may use a single-elimination system or one of several other different playoff formats. Playoff, in regard to international fixtures, is to qualify or progress to the next round of a competition or tournament.
In team sports in the U.S. and Canada, the vast distances and consequent burdens on cross-country travel have led to regional divisions of teams. Generally, during the regular season, teams play more games in their division than outside it, but the league's best teams might not play against each other in the regular season. Therefore, in the postseason a playoff series is organized. Any group-winning team is eligible to participate, and as playoffs became more popular they were expanded to include second- or even lower-placed teams – the term "wild card" refers to these teams.