Knockout playoff
The knockout playoff is the round that follows the league phase. The clubs that finish from ninth to twenty-fourth play a two-legged tie, and the winners join the top eight in the round of sixteen.
Why it matters
It matters because it gives a second chance. A club that finishes in the middle of the table is not eliminated at once, and the playoff turns a mid-table finish into a route to the knockout stage.
Where it is used
It is used between the league phase and the round of sixteen. The playoff clubs are seeded by their final position, and their ties decide the last eight places in the bracket of the knockout rounds.
How to read it
Read the playoff as the bridge between the phases. It rewards the clubs that finished higher with a place in the last sixteen and gives the others a further tie, so the round links the table to the bracket.
What it means
the two-legged round for clubs finishing ninth to twenty-fourth
Knockout playoff is one of the working terms of the competition. This entry explains it as a mechanism that holds true from season to season, so it can be read on its own or alongside the other entries in the glossary of the tournament.
- The round after the league phase.
- Clubs finishing ninth to twenty-fourth take part.
- Played over two legs.
- Winners join the top eight.
- Seeded by the league phase position.
- A bridge from the table to the bracket.