The final of a competition is the match or round in which the winner of the entire event is decided.

Overview

sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...

s competitions following a knockout system, where only two individuals or teams compete in each match, the final is usually played between the winners of two semifinals. However, if more than two entrants are required for each match, then qualification for the final may be through some other process such as winning ''heats''. The final is usually, but not always, the last match in a tournament to be played, and the winner of this match is declared the winner of the whole tournament. In many contests, the winner(s) and runner(s)-up receive

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

and

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

medals respectively. Another game, or competition, between the two players who lost in the semifinals is done to determine who receives the

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

. With multi-competitor finals, the grand final may determine medals placements, while the consolation final may set the lesser rankings. If the final round is contested in a "best-of" format (like "best-of-7"), the term is sometimes called "finals," (

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

) to denote that there is more than one game (like "the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

"). The NHL has referred to the "

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

Final" in the singular since the 2005–06 season, although media outlets typically use the term "Stanley Cup finals" (with a lowercase "f") or the traditional name " Stanley Cup Finals." The NHL refers to its semifinal round as the Conference Finals, because there are two separate ones being contested.

References

Terminology used in multiple sports Sports matches * {{Sports-stub

Overview

See also

References