PingPongArena's setup wizard opens on four format cards: Single Match, Classic Groups, Ladder, and Doubles. A fifth shape — a big open field of 16+ players — isn't a separate card; it's a variation you pick inside Classic Groups.
If you've been keeping a table tennis club standings spreadsheet alternative and are wondering how to organize a table tennis tournament for a small club, or you're weighing a swiss system vs round robin table tennis club night, this guide explains all five shapes in plain language so you pick the right card before you start typing in names.
The five shapes, compared
Each shape suits a different kind of night. Here is what each one feels like, which wizard card to tap, and who it fits best.
- 1v1 (Single Match): one best-of-sets duel between two named players. Pick the Single Match card. Best for a lunch-break mini-match, a decider, or a two-person grudge match.
- Club night (Classic Groups): small groups play round-robin, then group medals or a shared finals bracket. Pick the Classic Groups card, variation Classic or Group Medals. Best for a normal weekly club night with a handful of tables.
- Big Field (Giant Round Robin): everyone plays a big pool stage, then splits into exact-finish tier brackets (or tier round-robins) instead of one shared knockout. Pick the Classic Groups card, variation Giant RR Brackets or Giant RR Groups. Best for a large, open field of 16 or more players, or an event where you don't want a small elite final crowding out everyone else's placement matches.
- Casual ladder: winner climbs a table, loser drops one — the Kings Table mechanic. No fixed bracket; it runs as long as you let it. Pick the Ladder card. Best for a drop-in night where players arrive and leave at different times.
- Doubles: everything above, but played in fixed 2-player teams. Pick the Doubles card. Best for a pairs night, mixed doubles, or a doubles-only club event.
What each format actually asks you to set up
Once you know which shape fits, here's what the wizard actually asks for on each path.
- Single Match: you name two players and start straight away. No groups, no tables to configure beyond the match itself.
- Classic Groups: you choose Auto or Custom groups, a seeding method (Snake / By Rank / Random), a Finals YES/NO toggle, and best-of-sets for groups, consolation and finals separately.
- Ladder: you set Available Tables and Best of Sets, plus two extra toggles — Clarify All Winners (generates Gold and Silver/Bronze finals from the top two tables when you stop the ladder) and Track Consolation Winner (shows a "Table 3 champion" based on the longest win streak there).
- Doubles: same setup screen as Classic Groups, but the roster step registers teams (Team Title + two players) instead of individuals, with a bulk "paste roster, auto-pair" option.
- Big Field: chosen as a variation at Step 4 of the Classic Groups wizard, not as its own card — the wizard's Step 1 splash screen still shows only the four format cards, with Big Field found inside Classic Groups' Step 4 variation selector.
Quick decision guide
If you only read one section, read this one: match your night to the question that fits it.
- Do you have two people who just want to play one match? Single Match.
- Is this your normal club night with groups of 3–6 players per table? Classic Groups.
- Do you have 16 or more players and want everyone to play a full pool before any bracket exists? Classic Groups, Giant RR Brackets/Groups variation.
- Are players arriving and leaving at different times, with no fixed start/end? Ladder.
- Is everyone playing in fixed pairs? Doubles.
Honest limits
There is no format switch mid-event — once matches exist, the format locks. Pick carefully, or start a fresh tournament from the wizard if you chose wrong.
Free-plan events cap at 16 players; Club raises that to 32. Doubles and the Giant Round Robin variations are not available on Free at all.
For the underlying scoring and bracket mechanics behind any of these formats — best-of rules, snake seeding, tie-break criteria — see the tournament formats and scoring rules guides; this guide only covers which format to pick, not how sets and points are scored.
Common questions
Is this a swiss system or a round robin for a table tennis club?
PingPongArena's Classic Groups format is a round-robin inside each small group, not a Swiss system — matches are fixed in advance rather than paired round-by-round on current standings. For a large field, the Giant Round Robin variation extends the same round-robin pool stage before splitting into tier brackets.
How do I organize a table tennis tournament for a small club?
For a normal weekly night, pick the Classic Groups card: small groups play round-robin, then the top finishers go into a shared finals bracket or each group crowns its own medals.
Can I switch formats after the tournament has started?
No. The format locks once matches exist. If you picked the wrong card, start a fresh tournament from the wizard rather than trying to switch mid-event.
Which formats are available on the Free plan?
Single Match, Classic Groups and Ladder are available on Free, capped at 16 players. Doubles and the Giant Round Robin variations require the Club plan or above.
What's the difference between Big Field and a normal Classic Groups night?
Both start from the same pool-stage group round-robin. A normal Classic Groups night sends the top finishers into one shared finals bracket. Big Field instead splits everyone into tier brackets by their exact finishing position, so a large field doesn't funnel down to one small elite final.