Losing sports player entering due to player withdrawal
The 1958 World Cup football qualifying playoff of Israel against "lucky loser" Wales, who were the eventual quarter-finalists in the tournament.
A lucky loser is a sports competitor (player or team) who loses a match in a knockout tournament or loses in qualifying, but who then enters the main draw, usually when another competitor withdraws during the tournament because of illness, injury, or other reasons. The lucky loser then re-enters the competition, normally in place of the withdrawn competitor.
In the event of a lucky loser's re-entry to a competition, it usually occurs before all competitors in the main draw have started their first match in the tournament.
Lucky losers as tennis tournament winners and finalists
In March 1980, Kay McDaniel won a WTA minor league title in Atlanta as a lucky loser,[5] but the WTA recognizes Andrea Jaeger as the first lucky loser to win a WTA title, in Las Vegas in 1980.[6]Olga Danilović won a WTA Tour event as a lucky loser in Moscow in 2018, where some sources have claimed she is the first woman to win a main tour WTA singles title as a lucky loser.[7] In October 2019, Coco Gauff defeated Jeļena Ostapenko 6–3, 1–6, 6–2 at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz tournament at the age of 15 to become the third woman to accomplish the feat.[8] The next to do so was Maria Timofeeva, who won the title at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. She defeated Kateryna Baindl in the final, after losing to Anna Sisková in the final qualifying round. Not only was she a lucky loser, it was also her first main-draw appearance in a WTA tournament. She became the first player to win on debut since Angelique Widjaja in 2001.[9]
Just two weeks after Timofeeva's triumph in Budapest, Nao Hibino became the fifth woman to win a WTA title as a lucky loser, defeating Linda Nosková in the final of the Prague Open.[10] And it was only three more weeks before yet another lucky loser triumphed, this one being Sara Sorribes Tormo at the Tennis in the Land tournament in Cleveland, Ohio.[11]
Vitalia Diatchenko joined the list of such winners when triumphing in the inaugural WTA 125 series tournament in Angers in 2021, although this is not regarded as a full WTA title. Not only did she win the title as a lucky loser, but she came back from a set and 0-4 down in the second round to defeat Daniela Vismane, the player who had beaten her in the final qualifying round.[12]
In tennis, the rule for choosing a player to enter the main draw as a lucky loser is as follows: from all players eliminated in the final round of qualifying, the highest-ranked player in the ATP or WTA rankings is the first one to enter the draw, followed by the second highest-ranked player and so on (if more players withdrew before the start of the tournament). On rare occasions that there are more late withdrawals than losers in the last qualifying rounds or players eligible for lucky losers are not available, a player who lost in the penultimate round of qualifying may enter as lucky loser.
Prior to the 2005 Wimbledon Championships, American player Justin Gimelstob faced George Bastl from Switzerland in the final qualification round. Gimelstob, who was the highest-ranked player remaining in the qualifying tournament, aggravated a chronic back complaint during his second qualification match against Vladimir Voltchkov. Gimelstob planned to withdraw before the match with Bastl, and informed his opponent of his intent. However, officials suggested that Gimelstob play at least one game, as it was almost certain someone would withdraw from the main draw before the tournament started, giving Gimelstob a good chance of getting a berth as a lucky loser (as well as giving him time for his back to recover).[14] Gimelstob did indeed enter the main draw as a lucky loser after the withdrawal of Andre Agassi, reaching the third round, where he lost to Lleyton Hewitt.
While Gimelstob's behavior was not generally considered unethical, it raised concerns by pointing out that any player in a similar position would have little incentive to play a competitive match. For example, a high-ranking player paired against a lower-ranked friend might deliberately lose the match to help his friend gain entry to the tournament, if the first player had already clinched a lucky loser spot. The possibility of bribery was also a concern.
Shortly thereafter, a new policy was introduced in Grand Slam tournaments. Since 2006, a random draw has been held to determine the order in which players enter the Main Draw rather than using rankings.[15] This element of uncertainty helps to ensure that final-round qualifying matches remain competitive. However, this rule does not apply in all other tournaments.
Association football
After three teams which qualified for the 1950 World Cup withdrew, several teams which had failed to qualify were invited to replace them, but declined.
The Intercontinental Cup was intended to be contested by the winners of the European Cup and the Copa Libertadores, but on several occasions, the European champions declined to participate and were replaced by the runners-up. Atlético Madrid in 1975 became the only European loser to win the Intercontinental Cup.[17]
Manchester United withdrew from the 1999–2000 FA Cup as their first fixture in the tournament clashed with the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil.[18] A lucky loser from the second round ties were selected to take the final place in the third round draw, guaranteed an away tie.[19]Darlington, who were defeated by Gillingham in the second round, were selected and drawn away to Aston Villa. Villa won the tie 2–1[20] and went on to reach the final, where they were defeated by Chelsea.[21]
Mamelodi Sundowns won the 2016 CAF Champions League despite losing to AS Vita Club in the second qualifying round, which originally sent the team down to the 2016 CAF Confederation Cup. They were reinstated to the Champions League after losing the Confederation Cup play-off as Vita Club was found guilty of fielding an ineligible player in their preliminary round tie against Mafunzo and was disqualified.
In general, each conference conducts a tournament at the conclusion of its regular season to determine which team gets its automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Each conference determines its own format for its tournament, including how many of its teams participate and how match-ups are determined. Some conferences have member teams that are not eligible for the NCAA tournament due to either being in transition to Division I or sanctions as a result of rules violations. While some conferences exclude such teams from the conference tournament, others do not. A team in transition to Division I is generally not eligible for the NCAA tournament during its first four years as a Division I team. Some conferences exclude teams from the conference tournament for part, but not all, of the transition period.
If a conference allows ineligible teams to participate in its tournament, it must have a system in place to determine to which team the automatic bid will be awarded, should an ineligible team win the conference tournament. In 2023, six of the 32 Division I conferences allowed some or all of their ineligible teams to participate in the conference tournament. Five of these placed no restriction on participation; one, the Northeast Conference, allowed teams in their third and fourth years of transition to participate.
The rules used to determine the automatic bid for conferences allowing ineligible teams to participate in 2023 conference tournaments were as follows:
ASUN Conference: If a team that is not eligible for the NCAA tournament won the ASUN tournament, the conference's automatic bid would go to the conference's regular-season champion. In the case of a tie for first place, the automatic bid would go to the tied team that advanced furthest in the conference tournament. If all tied teams are eliminated in the same round of the conference tournament, the automatic bid would go to the highest seeded team in accordance with the conference's tiebreaking procedures.[22]
Northeast Conference: If a reclassifying institution won the NEC tournament, the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament would go to the NEC tournament runner-up.[23]
Ohio Valley Conference: If a team that is not eligible for the NCAA tournament won the conference tournament, the conference's automatic bid would go to the tournament runner-up. If that team is also not eligible, i.e. two ineligible teams met in the tournament final, the automatic bid would go to the highest seeded tournament-eligible team.[24]
Southland Conference: If a team that is not eligible for the NCAA tournament won the Southland Conference tournament, the conference's automatic bid would go to the regular-season champion.[25]
Summit League: If a team that is not eligible for the NCAA tournament won the Summit League tournament, the conference's automatic bid would go to the highest seeded postseason eligible team.[26]
Western Athletic Conference: If a team that is not eligible for the NCAA tournament won the conference tournament, the conference's automatic bid would go to the highest seeded tournament-eligible team.[27]
Since many teams are selected for the NCAA tournament despite losing in their conference tournament, and it is not uncommon for them to win the NCAA tournament, not every such team can be branded a lucky loser. However, many conferences are regarded as weaker and will clearly have only one team representing each of them at the NCAA tournament. Further, the seeding of a team that receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament implicitly confirms or disproves the team would have received an at-large bid. Therefore, a team that qualifies for the NCAA tournament despite losing in its conference tournament and clearly would not have received an at-large bid has characteristics typical of a lucky loser.
In 2022, the Bellarmine Knights won the ASUN Tournament but were ineligible for the NCAA tournament, because they were in the second year of their four-year transition period from Division II. The Jacksonville State Gamecocks, who lost in the ASUN tournament semifinals, were awarded the conference's automatic bid, because they were the conference's regular-season champions.[28] The Gamecocks lost their first-round game in the NCAA tournament to Auburn, 80–61.[29]
The Merrimack Warriors were ineligible for the 2023 NCAA tournament, because they were just a few months away from completing the mandated four-year reclassification process from Division II to Division I. Merrimack's victory in the semifinals of the conference tournament was completed before the second semifinal between the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and the Saint Francis Red Flash began,[30] which meant both teams knew that the winner of their semifinal game would get the automatic bid. The Knights defeated the Red Flash, 70–50, to earn the automatic bid.[31] Three days later, Fairleigh Dickinson became a lucky loser, when it lost the NEC tournament championship game to Merrimack, 67–66.[32] Fairleigh Dickinson went on to defeat the Texas Southern Tigers, 84–61, in a First Four contest on March 15,[33][34] before its 63–58 upset of the Purdue Boilermakers at Nationwide Arena two days later, to become the second-ever underdog to win a #1 vs. #16 match.[35][36] Fairleigh Dickinson was eliminated from the NCAA tournament with a 78–70 loss to the Florida Atlantic Owls in the second round on March 19.[37]
Because conferences do not determine which team gets their automatic bid the same way, a lucky loser college basketball team may qualify for the NCAA tournament either before or after it loses in its conference tournament. In the 2022 ASUN tournament, when Jacksonville State, the 2022 ASUN regular-season champion, lost its semifinal game, Bellarmine had already defeated Liberty in the other semifinal. Therefore, Jacksonville State had an opportunity to become a lucky loser, if Bellarmine (which was ineligible) were to defeat Jacksonville in the ASUN tournament final, because the ASUN gives its automatic bid to the regular-season champion, if the tournament champion is ineligible. Had Bellarmine lost the ASUN tournament final, Jacksonville would have earned the ASUN's automatic bid.
In contrast, the Northeast Conference gives the automatic bid to its tournament runner-up, if the tournament winner is ineligible. Since Merrimack was ineligible in 2023, and had already won its semifinal game to reach the tournament final before the second semifinal between Fairleigh Dickinson and Saint Francis (PA) began, those two teams were assured of the automatic bid with a semifinal victory. Since Fairleigh Dickinson's loss in the Northeast Conference tournament came after it had secured a berth in the NCAA tournament, its lucky loser status was acquired in a game in which it could not be eliminated.
The NCAA Bowling Championship is a sanctioned women's championship in college athletics. Unlike many NCAA sports, only one National Collegiate championship is held each season with teams from Division I, Division II, and Division III competing together. Seventeen teams, nine of them automatic qualifiers and the other eight being at-large selections, are chosen by the NCAA Bowling Committee to compete in the championship. The championship was first held in April 2004.
A wild card is a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that fails to qualify in the normal way; for example, by having a high ranking or winning a qualifying stage. In some events, wildcards are chosen freely by the organizers. Other events have fixed rules. Some North American professional sports leagues compare the records of teams which did not qualify directly by winning a division or conference.
The 1991 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 14, 1991, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana. A total of 63 games were played.
This is a list of NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament bids by school, and is updated through 2024. There are currently 68 bids possible each year. Schools not currently in Division I are in italics and some have appeared under prior names. Teams in bold will participate in the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Vacated appearances are excluded from the Bids table and noted below it.
The ASUN Conference men's basketball tournament is the conference championship tournament in basketball for the ASUN Conference, formerly known as the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) and Atlantic Sun Conference. The tournament has been held every year since 1979, except for 1992–93.
Viktoriya Konstantinova Tomova is a Bulgarian professional tennis player. She reached a career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 64, achieved on 5 February 2024. Her best doubles ranking is No. 254, achieved on 11 August 2014. Tomova is the current No. 1 Bulgarian female player.
The Northeast Conference baseball tournament is the conference baseball championship of the NCAA Division I Northeast Conference (NEC). In the current format, established in 2023 after the NEC absorbed the former baseball league of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), the top six regular-season finishers among teams eligible for postseason competition advance to the double-elimination tournament. The winner of the tournament, if eligible to participate, receives an automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship.
The 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2014-15 season. The 77th edition of the tournament began on March 17, 2015, and concluded with the championship game on April 6, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Northeast Conference men's basketball tournament is the conference championship tournament in basketball for the Northeast Conference (NEC). It has been held every year since the NEC was established in the 1981–82 season. The tournament is an eight-team single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The bracket is reseeded after the quarterfinals, with the highest remaining seed playing the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals. The tournament winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA basketball tournament.
The 2016–17 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's basketball team represented Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. FGCU played their home games at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida and were led by fourth-year head coach Joe Dooley as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the regular season 26–8, 12–2 in ASUN play to win the regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the ASUN tournament, they defeated Stetson, Kennesaw State, and North Florida to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to Florida State.
The 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball national champion for the 2021–22 season. The 83rd annual edition of the tournament began on March 15, 2022, and concluded with the championship game on April 4 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, with the Kansas Jayhawks defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels, 72–69, overcoming a 16-point first-half deficit, to claim the school's fourth national title.
Emma Navarro is an American professional tennis player. Navarro has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 20 by the WTA, achieved on March 18, 2024, and a doubles ranking of No. 231, reached on January 29, 2024. She played college tennis at Virginia and won the NCAA Singles Championship in 2021. She won her first WTA Tour title at the 2024 Hobart International.
The 2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2022–23 season. The 84th annual edition of the tournament began on March 14, 2023, and concluded with the UConn Huskies defeating the San Diego State Aztecs, 76–59 in the championship game on April 3 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The 2021 ASUN men's basketball tournament was the conference postseason tournament for the ASUN Conference. The tournament was the 42nd year the league has conducted a postseason tournament. The tournament was held March 4–7, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida. Quarterfinals were played at both Swisher Gymnasium and UNF Arena, while the semifinals and finals were held solely at UNF Arena. The eligible winner received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The 2022 ASUN men's basketball tournament was the conference postseason tournament for the ASUN Conference. The tournament was the 43rd year the league has conducted a postseason tournament. The tournament was held March 1, 3, 5, and 8, 2022 at campus sites of the higher seeds. The winner, Bellarmine, did not receive the conference's automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament due to not being eligible because of a transition from Division II. Instead the regular season conference champion, Jacksonville State, was awarded the conference's automatic bid.
This is a list of qualifying teams in the 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. A total of 68 teams are entered into the tournament. Thirty-two of the teams qualified via automatic bids, usually earned by winning their conference tournaments, while the remaining 36 teams were selected via "at-large" bids, which are extended by the NCAA Selection Committee. Teams are seeded from 1 to 16 within each of the four regionals, while the Selection Committee also seeded the entire field from 1 to 68.
The 2021–22 Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers women's basketball team represented Mount St. Mary's University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Mountaineers, led by first-year head coach Antoine White, played their home games at Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, Maryland as members of the Northeast Conference.
The 2022–23 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights men's basketball team represented Fairleigh Dickinson University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Knights, led by first-year head coach Tobin Anderson, played their home games at the Rothman Center in Hackensack, New Jersey as members of the Northeast Conference. They finished the regular season 17–14, 10–6 in NEC play to finish in a tie for second place. As the No. 2 seed in the NEC tournament, they defeated St. Francis Brooklyn in the quarterfinals and Saint Francis (PA) in the semifinals. In a unique circumstance, the semifinal between Saint Francis and Fairleigh Dickinson decided the NEC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament because Merrimack was in a transition period from Division II to Division I and ineligible for the NCAA Tournament. The Knights lost in the championship game to Merrimack, but still earned a No. 16 seed in the East region. In the First Four, they defeated Texas Southern to advance to the First Round. There they became only the second No. 16 seed ever to upset a No. 1 seed by defeating Purdue, in the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history in terms of point spread. The Knights lost in the Second Round to Florida Atlantic.
The 2022–23 Jacksonville State Gamecocks men's basketball team represented Jacksonville State University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gamecocks, led by seventh-year head coach Ray Harper, played home games at the Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville, Alabama as second-year members of the ASUN Conference. They finished the season 13–18, 6–12 to finish in a tie for 11th place. They failed to qualify for the ASUN tournament.
The 2023 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Northeast Conference for the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The tournament took place on three dates between March 1 and 7, 2023, and all tournament games were played in the home arenas of the higher-seeded school. The winner, Merrimack, did not receive the conference's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament due to not being eligible because of a transition from Division II. Instead, the runner-up, Farleigh Dickinson, was awarded the conference's automatic bid by winning the seminfinal game over Saint Francis (PA).
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