In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
This form of championship is used in individual head-to-head competitions and is particularly associated with combat sports such as wrestling, boxing and mixed martial arts.
This format is predominant in American sports such as baseball, ice hockey and basketball, and on test cricket.
Although this system is mostly identified with the United States and Canada, it is frequently found in other North American countries, and is also standard in sports influenced by North America (e.g. basketball, baseball, ice hockey) as well as most football codes other than soccer.
The playoffs (known in some countries, notably Australia, as the "finals series") are a tournament where teams play head-to-head in knockout competition.