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 me ...
and
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
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 NHL refers to its semi-final round as the Conference Finals, because there are two separate ones being contested.
See also
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Grand final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...
*
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 ...
*
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
References
Terminology used in multiple sports
Sports matches
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