In a league tournament each team competes with every other team participating in the tournament. Winners are decided on the basis of the points acquired after all the competitions. For each win a team may be awarded 2 points, for draw 1 point and for a loss no point is awarded. Formulae to find the number of matches in a league tournament – n (n – l)/2, where n = number of teams participating in the tournament. 

For example : 

The number of matches in a league tournament of 8 teams = 8 (8 – l)/2 = 28 matches. In a single league tournament, every team competes with every other team participating in the tournament once. In a double league tournament, every team competes with every other team participating in the tournament twice. 

Advantages of league tournament: 

• Luck factor does not have a role to play as each team gets to play with all the teams. 

• If a good team has lost a match, it still can be winner of the tournament because it has other matches to play. 

• There is less pressure on players to perform well because each match is not crucial. 

• More number of matches for players to show their talent and also for the selectors to spot the talent. 

Disadvantages of league tournament: 

1. It takes more time to finish the tournament. Number of matches in a league tournament is more compared to the knock-out tournament. 

2. It is not economical. 

3. Each match is not crucial. So, some matches may become boring for spectators, riding to cyclic method.