Combined tournaments: connect stages cleanly

Combined tournaments are the right choice when you want multiple tournament stages one after another. A typical example is a preliminary round as round robin or Swiss, followed by a KO final phase.

When is this useful?

  • When many participants should be distributed across multiple courts in parallel.
  • When the first stage should produce a robust and fair qualification order.
  • When the final stage should still be a compact and easy-to-follow bracket.

Typical structure

  1. Create the preliminary stage first, for example groups or Swiss rounds.
  2. Define the top qualifiers.
  3. Create the final tournament, for example a KO bracket.
  4. Transfer the qualified participants and continue there.

What to watch with courts

This matters especially when several preliminary groups run at the same time. ShuttleFlow can manage multiple courts in parallel, but the tournament staff still needs to decide which groups run concurrently and when the next round starts.

  • Parallel preliminary groups require enough free courts.
  • The next round should only be generated once the current one is complete.
  • Before the final stage, it should be clear how many places qualify.

Practical example

A larger club tournament starts with four preliminary groups on multiple courts. The best two from each group advance to the KO main draw, and the KO stage decides the overall winner. This keeps court usage efficient while the final remains easy to explain.

Why this combination often works well

  • Many participants can be kept active in parallel.
  • The preliminary stage provides a fair or robust ordering.
  • The final stage stays compact and spectator-friendly.

See also: Quickstart | Round Robin | Swiss System | KO System