Competitive leagues wrap up their seasons with the Playoffs Phase, where top-performing teams face off to determine the overall winner of their PlayVS league. The FAQ below serves to address our coaches’ most-asked questions and ensure our teams are ready to go as they compete in their final regular season matches.
FAQ
How many teams qualify for playoffs?
Each league will have its own unique bracket, the size of which is set by predetermined Team Breakpoints or the threshold of playoff-eligible teams enrolled in the league. For more information, view Playoff Brackets.
How does a team become playoff-eligible?
Teams that regularly attend and complete their matches are eligible for playoffs. Teams that forfeit three or more regular season matches will not be seeded into their league’s playoff bracket. Being playoff-eligible is different from qualifying (see next question for details).
How do I know if my team has qualified?
Teams that clinch their spot in the playoffs earlier in the Regular Season will see a small blue badge (image below) in the corner of their team’s logo on the Standings page, and an email will be sent to the primary coach of the team notifying them of their qualification.
As schools can only have two teams advance to the playoffs within the same esport, schools with more than two teams enrolled will only show a blue badge once the team has clinched their spot in playoffs and cannot be surpassed by another team from their school.
This badge is not a requirement for a team to be playoff-eligible! Teams that "clinch" during the final week of the regular season will not see the small blue badge until the first round of playoff matches are scheduled.
How does PlayVS break ties in the standings?
Ties are broken in the following order:
1. Match Performance
2. PlayVS Score
3. Series Performance
4. Game Performance
5. Coin Flip/Lotto
For a full breakdown, see our Tiebreakers FAQ.
How are teams seeded into the Playoff bracket?
Once all matches for a league have been completed with no outstanding match disputes, League Officials will verify and finalize the Regular Season standings. Per 7.6.2.2 Disputing Matches in the High School Competition Rulebook, matches during the final week of the regular season must be disputed within 24 hours to be eligible for review by League Officials.
Once finalized, the team will manually transition the standings into playoff seeding. Ineligible teams will be removed, with the teams below them moving up in the rankings as a result.
When will my playoff matches be scheduled?
Once all teams in the league have been seeded and the bracket is finalized, the league’s first round of matches will be scheduled for teams to view on their respective Schedule pages. Though only the first round is scheduled, all future round dates and potential opponents can be viewed in the league’s schedule and playoff bracket.
For all following rounds, matches for advancing teams will be scheduled the evening before that round takes place.
Example: The second round of a playoff bracket occurs on Thursday at 4:00 PM League Time, meaning this second-round match will appear in that team’s schedule on Wednesday evening.
When will my playoff matches take place?
Playoff matches are typically scheduled across two (2) calendar weeks, with advancing teams competing in up to three (3) matches (or rounds) within a single calendar week. The window for playoff matches to be scheduled can be viewed in your season’s Schedule article.
Unique league playoff dates and rounds are typically published after the results of all Week 4 matches have been finalized. Once published, team members can see their Playoff Schedule from their League page.
Can I reschedule my playoff matches?
Teams can reschedule up to 24 hours after the initial scheduled match time.
Will players compete in person for their playoff matches?
For PlayVS regional leagues, no. All regional league playoff matches will occur virtually.
For partnered leagues, teams must check with their league partner (i.e., State Association for a State League) to confirm if their postseason will include a live event. Teams that advance to the live event portion of their bracket are expected to secure transportation for their players and coaches to attend. Live Finals details are also published in a Finals Schedule article in the PlayVS Help Center.
If a team has qualified for playoffs but cannot attend the live event scheduled for their league, the Coach must contact their League Partner and PlayVS immediately for further assistance per Section 11.4 Broadcast & Event Availability of the High School Competition Rulebook.
How many playoff matches will my team play?
Playoff matches are typically single-elimination, meaning the winning team moves on while the losing team’s season ends. For more information on playoff formats, please refer to your unique league’s rulebook.
Can I add new players to my team before their playoff match?
Yes, so long as players are added before the league’s Roster Lock date. Each league page will show its respective Roster Lock date, and once this date has passed, players can no longer be added to the team’s roster card.
Are substitutions allowed in playoffs?
Yes! As long as the player is available on a team’s Bench, the coach can use Match Assistant or Lobby Chat to indicate their intention to substitute during a live match.