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

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

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 semi-finals. 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 with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

and

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

medals respectively. Another game, or competition, between the two players who lost in the semi-finals is done to determine who receives the bronze medal. 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 eit ...

) to denote that there is more than one game (like "the NBA Finals"). The NHL has referred to the " Stanley Cup 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 Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, french: Finale de la Coupe Stanley) is the National Hockey League's (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America ...

." The NHL refers to its semi-final round as the Conference Finals, because there are two separate ones being contested.

References

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

See also

References