How to host a Pokémon tournament

Also decide the match length: Bo3 (best of 3, first to win 2 games) or Bo1 (a single game). In VGC the norm is doubles, bring 6 and pick 4, under the current regulation. In Swiss, you can play the rounds as Bo1 and the top cut as Bo3 (the Top cut best-of field), as many events do to fit in one day.

In a team league, the organizer picks the Matchup format:

Each duel is a Bo1, Bo3 or Bo5 series (Series best-of). The organizer also sets the Table points (1 per series won, up to the league cap, which doesn't apply in Round robin; 3 for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss per matchup; or the series points + 1 for winning the matchup, outside the cap), If the matchup is tied (game differential, a draw or an extra series) and the Playoffs at the end: final, semifinals or quarterfinals. A no-show is worth 3 points (4 when the table adds the point for the win); in Round robin it counts as every series in the matchup (9 in a 3v3). Sealed lineups, subs and player loans work in any format.

In King of the Table, the default, each squad has 3 to 5 players, the lineup stays sealed until the reveal and each knockout is worth 1 point, up to the league cap per matchup.

The number of rounds depends on how many players start the tournament. This is the table Caneko uses, the same as Play! Pokémon:

On Caneko, leave rounds and top cut blank and the system applies the table by itself when the tournament starts, or set a different number. The top cut uses standard seeding (1st vs 8th, 4th vs 5th, 2nd vs 7th, 3rd vs 6th) and runs all the way to the final.

• Points: win 3, draw 1, loss 0, bye 3.
• 1st tiebreaker (OWP): your opponents' average win percentage. Each opponent counts as at least 25%, and players who dropped count as at most 75%.
• 2nd tiebreaker (OOWP): your opponents' average OWP.
• Bye: with an odd number of players, it goes to the lowest-scoring player who hasn't had a bye yet.
• Rematches: pairings avoid them whenever it's mathematically possible.

In a team league, the tiebreakers are different: points, head-to-head, differential (of knockouts in King of the Table, of series in the other formats) and matchups won. The organizer can reorder the last three.

• Registration: a player cap with an automatic waitlist, a code to restrict access and an entry fee (the organizer shares a PIX key, Brazil's instant payment system, and marks who paid).
• Check-in: optional. Anyone who doesn't confirm attendance before the start sits out round 1, and nobody gets paired against a no-show.
• Late registration: you can accept players up to round 3 of Swiss. Late entries take a loss for the rounds they missed.
• Required team: players paste their Showdown export or a pokepaste link, and Caneko checks it against the regulation on the spot: species, species and item clause, ability, moves, Stat Points and alignment.
• Team restrictions: ban Pokémon, items, moves or abilities, ban Mega, require monotype or allow only a list of approved picks. Caneko checks every team on submission, along with the regulation.
• Team deadline: after the deadline (or the start), only the organizer can change a team.
• Registration fields: ask whatever you need at sign-up (in-game name, city, "I have read and accept the rules"), as required or optional, visible to everyone or only to staff.
• Prizes: prizes by placement (1st, 2nd, top 4…) show up on the tournament card and in the rules; sponsors, with logo and link, in the footer.
• Template: running a weekly tournament? Save it as a template and create the next one from it, already on the same weekday and time.

Also choose who can see the teams:

Live, everyone plays at the same time, with a round timer in minutes (a 50-minute Bo3 is common). One click pairs the next round.

• Room ID: on the match card, the first player at the table creates the private battle in Champions and enters the Room ID, which only the two players and the organizer can see. The card also shows the opponent's friend code.
• Match report confirmed by both players: one player reports the score from their phone and the other confirms it. If the scores don't match, it becomes a dispute and the judge is notified.
• Judges: the organizer invites judges by @handle. They resolve disputes, set results and issue penalties, from a warning to disqualification.
• Per-match check-in: optional in live tournaments. Once paired, each player taps "I'm here"; whoever doesn't show up by the end of the late tolerance loses by no-show automatically. If neither shows up, it's a double loss (in the bracket, the organizer decides), and the organizer can reopen the match.
• No-show: without per-match check-in, the player reports a no-show and the opponent confirms or disputes it.
• Call a judge: players call a judge from the match (in a league, from the matchup) with a short reason; the call lands in the Organizer desk queue and staff get a notification on their phone.
• Penalties: the ones issued at the Organizer desk become a summary per player and per type, ready to copy; each player sees only their own.
• Drop: players who drop stop being paired, and the matches they already played stay in the standings.

Need to tell everyone something (schedule change, new room, a break)? Post an announcement to players: it stays on the tournament board, arrives as a phone notification and, if you tick the box, by email. Streaming it? Add your Twitch or YouTube link and feature the round's match with the Champions spectator code.

Multi-day tournament? Use rounds with deadlines: each round lasts as long as you set (for example, 2 days) and players agree on a time through the scheduler, proposing up to 3 slots. Caneko sends reminders about the deadline and the agreed time. When the deadline passes, the next round is paired automatically (you can turn this off).

Match not played by the deadline: the reported result stands. If only one of the two used the scheduler, that player wins by no-show. If both or neither did, it's a double loss in Swiss; in the top cut, the organizer decides.

Every Caneko tournament has a Rules tab: a summary the system builds from what you set up (format, best-of, round timer, open team sheet, check-in, tiebreakers, regulation), the organizer's rulebook (text and a link to the PDF) and the House rules, a standard text you write once that comes with every new tournament.

• House rules: conduct, late tolerance, what happens to players who vanish. Write them once, no rewriting every edition.
• Community logo and cover: shown on the community page, on tournament cards and on share cards.
• Squad crest: on the squad page, in the league table and in matchups.
• Tournament cover: inherits the community's if you don't upload one of your own.
• Brand color: highlights buttons and page details, with an automatic contrast check so text stays readable.
• Community page: upcoming tournaments, recent champions, circuit ranking, staff and House rules, with a calendar to subscribe to. Organizations confirmed by the Caneko team get the Verified organizer badge.

Drop the link in your group chat. Caneko generates pairing and result text to paste into WhatsApp, posts automatically to the organizer's Discord (in leagues too: round opened, lineups revealed, matchups and final standings) and notifies players on their phones. Anyone can add the tournament to their calendar, and the standings or bracket can go inside the community's website through the embed.

When the qualifying phase ends, the top cut (or the league playoffs) runs until there's a champion; in single elimination and the top cut, you can turn on a 3rd-place match. At the end you get a result card to share, the Report tab shows the top 8 and, with public teams, the most used Pokémon, items and Megas, and you duplicate the tournament (or use the template) for the next edition.

Running several tournaments in a season? Link them into a circuit: you set the points for each placement and whether only each player's best results count, and the ranking updates by itself every time a tournament ends. Players, results and standings also export to CSV, and the organization's metrics show attendance, drops and returning players.

Ready to run yours? Create a free tournament or see how Caneko works, step by step.