Organizer guide

How to run a tournament

A quick organizer guide from setup to completion — the same tournament flow used inside Table Tennis Tube, expanded into a full page you can share with your team.

Create a tournament Match-day tools Pricing

When is a tournament public?

Draft is private. As soon as you move to Published, the tournament page is available for the public to open and share. Registration, groups, live scores, and final results unlock in later stages.

  • Private Draft only — organizers & collaborators
  • Public From Published onward — details, draws, results
  • Live In Progress — scores and brackets update in real time
Tournament flow

Seven stages from draft to done

Each stage maps to a tournament status in the app. Follow the organizer action and check when the public can see it.

Draft

draftPrivate

Set up tournament details, venue, contacts, events, and rules.

Finish core setup before making it public.
Public view: Not public yet. Only organizers and collaborators can open the tournament while it stays in draft.

Published

publishedPublic

Tournament becomes visible. Organizers can still fine-tune structure.

Review details and get ready to accept entries.
Public view: Public from this stage. Anyone can open the tournament page, venue, events, and schedule — registration is not open yet.

Registration Open

registration-openPublic

Players can register for events.

Monitor registrations and answer participant questions.
Public view: Public listing stays live, and players can register for events from the shared tournament link.

Registration Closed

registration-closedPublic

No new entries accepted. Event lists become final.

Confirm player lists and event readiness.
Public view: Still public. Visitors can view details and entries, but new registrations are closed.

Groups Created

groups-createdPublic

Groups and draw structure are generated.

Verify group layout and bracket seeding.
Public view: Public draws. Players and fans can view groups, seeding, and bracket structure once created.

In Progress

in-progressLive

Matches are live and results advance standings and brackets.

Update scores promptly and keep events moving on time.
Public view: Fully public and live. Scores, standings, brackets, and match timelines update for everyone following the event.

Completed

completedPublic

Tournament is officially finished with finalized outcomes.

Review final results and close operations.
Public view: Final results stay public so players and fans can revisit winners, brackets, and match history.
Alternate path: If needed, a tournament can be moved to Cancelled before completion. Cancelled events are no longer promoted as active, but organizers can still review them.
Before registration

Ready before opening registration

Complete this checklist so players see accurate details and you can open registration with confidence.

Setup checklist

  • Tournament name and sport are set
  • Tournament date and time are set
  • Venue name and address are complete
  • At least one event is configured
  • Each event has format and participant limits
  • At least one contact is added
  • Organization details are complete
  • Registration deadline is set (for sanctioned events)
Group stage

How group standings work

Players in a group are ranked using the rules below. Each rule only breaks a tie left by the rule above it — the same "i" info button appears on the Standings tab inside every tournament.

Ranking order

  1. Points — 2 for a match win, 1 for a match loss.
  2. Point differential — total points scored minus points conceded across all games.
  3. Set differential — total sets/games won minus sets/games lost.
  4. Player rating — the higher-rated player ranks first if everything above is tied.

Two-way, three-way, and bigger ties

  • The same four rules above apply no matter how many players are tied — only the players still tied move on to the next rule, everyone else keeps their spot.
  • Two-way tie: just those two players are compared on point differential, then set differential, then rating.
  • Three-way (or more) tie: all tied players are re-ranked together by point differential; if a smaller group is still tied after that, only they continue to set differential, and so on.
  • If players are still level after rating, it's a genuine tie and the table keeps their existing order.

Worked examples

Two-way tie: Alice and Bob both finish 2 wins–1 loss = 5 points each (tied). Point differential — Alice +30 (scored 150, conceded 120), Bob +10 (scored 140, conceded 130). Alice's +30 beats Bob's +10, so Alice ranks above Bob.

Three-way tie: Alice, Bob, and Carol all finish 2 wins–1 loss = 5 points each. Point differential: Alice +25, Bob +25, Carol +10 — Carol drops to 3rd. Alice and Bob are still tied at +25, so only those two move on to set differential: Alice +3 sets, Bob +1 set. Final order: Alice 1st, Bob 2nd, Carol 3rd.

Read the full standings guide How seeding works

Ready to run your next event?

Create a free tournament, walk through the flow above, and share live results with players and fans.

Get started Contact support About Table Tennis Tube