Wild card (sports)
Encyclopedia
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament
or playoff
berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.
or Wimbledon. Countries which fail to produce athletes able to meet performance requirements to compete are granted "wild cards", which enable them to send competitors to tournaments even if those competitors' abilities are below the required standards. In some instances, wild cards are given to the host nation in order to boost their chances. However, in Olympic and World Championship competitions in track and field and swimming, nations are automatically allowed to enter two competitors. Thus these are not to be considered wild cards which are always granted by the tournament organizers. In some other sports in Olympics, such as judo, archery and badminton, wild card practice is in use, and they are granted by the respective sport federations. On rare occasions, a competitor who gained entry by wild card succeeds in winning a medal; Kye Sun-Hui won gold in judo at the 1996 Summer Olympics
, and Goran Ivanišević
won the 2001 Wimbledon Championships
.
s leagues, wild card refers to a team that qualifies for the championship playoffs without winning their specific subdivision (usually called a conference or division) outright. The number of wild card teams varies. In most cases, the rules of the league call for the wild card team to survive an extra round and/or to play the majority of their postseason games away from home.
The term should not be confused with playoff formats that call for a set number of teams to qualify per division. The American Football League
's 1969 playoffs (qualifying the top two finishers from each division), the National Basketball Association
's 1967-1970 playoffs (qualifying the top four finishers from each division) and 1970-1972 playoffs (qualifying the top two finishers in each division), and the National Hockey League
's 1968-1974 and 1982-1993 playoffs (qualifying the top four finishers from each division) should not be confused with wild-card playoff formats. When a wild-card playoff format is used, the number of teams that may qualify per division is not fixed; the divisional champion will usually qualify automatically, but non-division finishers qualify based on record either in the league overall or within a conference.
In Major League Baseball
, the wild-card playoff
spot is given to the team in each league with the best record among the non-division winners. This was implemented after the league expanded to 28 teams and realigned its two leagues to have three divisions. Since a three team playoff would require one team to receive a bye, the wild card was created to field a fourth team. The wild card has been in effect since 1995
, although it was first intended to be used in 1994
, when the playoffs were canceled due to the players' strike.
The advantages of the wild card format are that it gives non-first place teams a chance to make it to the post season, particularly when the division has a clearly dominant first place team. It can also provide excitement late in the season in such a situation, and keep fans of non-first place teams interested. Also, since the wild card is not confined to one division over another, fans are treated to a league-wide race for the fourth spot. Critics of the wild card, such as broadcaster Bob Costas
in his book Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball, have argued that it diminishes the importance of the regular season by permitting a non-first place team to make the playoffs, and that while it can create a league-wide wild card race, that race is for second place and takes away what would otherwise be a pennant race between the first and second place teams, and can lead to teams playing for the wild card rather than playing to win the division. As of November 2010, MLB is considering a 10-team playoff to address this issue, which will require the wild-card teams to survive a one-game playoff or an entire series to reach the divisional round, thus providing an incentive to win their division.
A wild-card team must surrender home-field advantage the first two rounds of the playoffs. For the World Series
, however, home-field advantage is determined beforehand, without reference to wild-card status. Prior to 2003
, it was decided by alternating each year between the American and National Leagues. Since 2003, it has been granted to the winner of the All-Star Game
. In the 2002 World Series
, both the Anaheim Angels
and the San Francisco Giants
were wild-card teams. The World Series champions in 1997
, 2003
, 2004
and 2011
were also wild-card teams.
In the Division Series, the wild-card team (which could be considered analogous to the fourth seed in other sports tournaments) plays the team with the best record in the league as long as the two teams are in different divisions. An MLB rule prohibits teams in the same division from facing each other in the Division Series. In the event that a wild-card team is in the same division as the team with the best record, the former will play the second-best team in the league while the latter will face the third-best. This parallels the policy of the NFL after the NFL/AFL merger, when the league opted to include a wild-card team in each conference’s playoffs. (From 1970 to 1989, NFL teams in the same division couldn't meet in the divisional playoffs. This policy ensured that the two best teams in a given league could face off in the league championship, even if both were from the same division.)
(90-72) had a better record than playoff team New York Yankees
(87-74) who won the AL East and the World Series.: Non-playoff team Seattle Mariners
(93-69), who placed second in the AL West, had a better record than playoff team Minnesota Twins (90-72), winners of the AL Central.: Non-playoff team New York Yankees
(89-73), who placed third in the AL East, had a better record than playoff team Chicago White Sox
(89-74), winners of the AL Central (including a one-game playoff
with the Minnesota Twins
).: Non-playoff team Texas Rangers
(87-75), who placed second in the AL West, had a better record than playoff team Minnesota Twins
(87-76), winners of the AL Central (including a one-game playoff
with the Detroit Tigers
).
(88-74) and New York Mets
(88-74) each had better records than playoff team Houston Astros
(84-78), winners of the NL Central division.: Non-playoff team San Francisco Giants
(90-72), second place finishers in the NL West, had a better record than playoff team Atlanta Braves
(88-74), winners of the NL East.: Non-playoff teams Philadelphia Phillies
(88-74), Florida Marlins
(83-79) and New York Mets
(83-79), second, third, and fourth place finishers in the NL East, had better records than playoff team San Diego Padres
(82-80), who won the NL West.: Non-playoff team Philadelphia Phillies
(85-77) finished second in the NL East and behind NL wild-card team Los Angeles Dodgers
but had a better record than playoff team St. Louis Cardinals
(83-78) who won the NL Central and the World Series.: Non-playoff teams San Diego Padres
(89-74), who finished in third place in the NL West, and New York Mets
(88-74), finishing second in the NL East, had better records than playoff team Chicago Cubs
(85-77) who won the NL Central.: Non-playoff teams New York Mets
(89-73), second place in the NL East, Houston Astros
(86-75), third place in the NL Central, St.. Louis Cardinals
(86-76), fourth place in the NL Central, and Florida Marlins
(84-77), third place in NL East, had better records than playoff team Los Angeles Dodgers
(84-78), who won the NL West.
, each of the two conferences sends two wild-card teams along with four division champions to its postseason. The first round of the playoffs is called the "Wild Card Round". In this round, each conference's two best (by regular-season record) division champions are exempted from play and granted automatic berths in the "Divisional Round". The four division champions are seeded from #1 through #4, while the two wild card teams are seeded #5 and #6; within these separations, seeding is by regular-season record. In the "Wild Card Round", the #6 team (a wild card team) plays against the #3 team (a division champion) and the #5 team (a wild card team) plays against the #4 team (a division champion). The division champions have automatic home-field advantage in these games. In the "Divisional Round", the worst seeded remaining team plays the #1 seeded team, while the best seeded remaining team that played in the wildcard round play the #2 seed. Both the #1 seed and #2 seed have home-field advantage in the divisional round. See NFL playoffs
.
The NFL was the first league ever to use the wild-card format. When the league realigned into two conferences of three divisions each in 1970, it wanted an even four-team playoff field in each conference. This was established by having the three division champions in each conference joined by the best second-place finisher in the conference. At first, this team was referred as the "Best Second-Place Team" (or sometimes simply as the "Fourth Qualifier"). The media, however, began referring to the qualifying teams as "wild cards." Eventually, the NFL officially adopted the term. During the 1975, 1976, and 1977 seasons, the divisional playoffs featured the #1 seed hosting the wild card team and the #2 seed hosting the #3 seed unless the #1 seed and wild card team were divisional rivals. In that case, the #1 seed hosted the #3 seed and the #2 seed hosted the wild card team. (This policy is currently used by Major League Baseball
in its Division Series
.) From 1970 through 1974, the NFL used a rotation to determine which teams would host conference semifinal and final games, and which teams would play which other teams (coincidentally, baseball also used a rotation when it began to have this number of teams, for both of the aforementioned purposes, from 1995-1997 before switching to the seeding method).
The number of wild-card qualifiers was expanded to two per conference in 1978 — the divisional winners were granted a bye week whilst the wild card teams played (hence the origin of the phrase "Wild-Card Round"). Like wild card teams before, the wild card game winner played the #1 seed, or the #2 seed if they and the #1 seed were divisional rivals. The playoffs were expanded again to three wild cards per conference in 1990 with the lowest ranked divisional winner losing its bye (and divisional rivals could now meet in the divisional playoffs). Following the addition of the Houston Texans
in 2002, the league added a fourth division to each conference. The league decided not to change the number of playoff teams, and thus the number of wild card qualifiers was reduced to two per conference.
Wild card Super Bowl champions
Other Wild card Super Bowl participants
The 1980 Raiders, 2005 Steelers, and 1992 Bills tied for first in their division but lost a tiebreaker.
While not a wild card team, the 1969
Kansas City Chiefs
were the first non-division winner to win the Super Bowl
. They finished second in the Western Division of the American Football League
, and in that season, the last before the merger, the AFL went from having its two division winners meeting for the league title to adding a second round in which the second place team in each division qualified for the post-season. These teams played cross-division in the semifinal round. Thus the Chiefs, who finished second in the West, defeated the East Division champion New York Jets
in the AFL semifinals and then defeated the West Division champion Oakland Raiders
to advance to Super Bowl IV
, where they beat the Minnesota Vikings
. Because the term "wild card" was not instituted until the following year, the Chiefs are not included in the above list, but are recognized as the first team to win the Super Bowl without winning a division title.
and National Hockey League
include wild-card teams in their playoff structures, the term "wild card" is seldom used in the NBA or NHL; instead, each playoff team is most commonly denoted by its seeding position within the conference.
In the NHL, division champions within each conference are given the #1 through #3 seeds based on their regular-season records. The five wild-card teams are awarded the #4 through #8 seeds, also based on their regular-season records. The division champions (first, second, and third seeds) and the best wild-card team (fourth seed) are given home ice advantage in the opening playoff series, in which they face the eighth-, seventh-, sixth- and fifth-seeded wild card teams, respectively.
The initial bracketing of the NBA playoffs by seed is identical to that of the NHL. However, the NBA playoffs have one feature unique in North American professional sports—home court advantage is determined strictly by regular-season record, without regard to seeding.
Before the 2006-07 NBA season
, the NBA seeded its teams in the same manner as the NHL. Now, the NBA seeds the three division winners and the wild-card team with the best record by regular-season record. This means that the wild-card with the best record can now get a seed as high as #2 (if that team is in the same division as the team with the best record in the conference); however, the next four wild-card teams will still be limited to the #5 through #8 seeds. This change was made to ensure that the two best teams in each conference could not meet until the conference final, and also (allegedly) to try and eliminate incentives for a playoff-bound team to deliberately lose
games at the end of the regular season in order to "choose" a higher-seeded team that has won fewer games (and, due to the unique home-court rules of the NBA, possibly gain home-court advantage for that series).
In the NBA, the winner of the #1 vs. #8 series goes on to face the winner of the #5 vs. #4 series, while the winner of the #2 vs. #7 series faces the winner of the #6 vs. #3 series. Notice that the winner of the #1 vs. #8 series will usually play against a wild-card team in the second round of the playoffs; this is arranged deliberately to "reward" the #1 seeded team by giving it the most winnable matchups in the first and second rounds.
In the NHL, however, the play-off format differs slightly from that of the NBA. In the NHL, the highest winning seed of the first round plays the lowest winning seed of the first round in the next round of the play-offs. For example, if the #1, #4, #6, and #7 seeds win their respective first round series then the second round of the play-offs will match the #1 seed (highest) versus the #7 seed (lowest) and the #4 seed (2nd highest) versus the #6 seed (second lowest). Home ice advantage in each NHL playoff series prior to the Stanley Cup Finals is granted by superior seed, even if the "wild card" team had a better regular season record. For the Finals, the team with the better record will receive home ice advantage.
, the top level of soccer (football) in both countries, used a wild card format in its 2011 playoffs
. The top three teams from each of its two conferences automatically qualified for the conference semifinals, while the four remaining teams with the highest point totals in league play, without regard to conference, earned "wild cards" into the playoffs. The wild card matches were single games, with the #7 seed hosting the #10 seed and the #8 seed hosting the #9 seed. The lowest surviving seed then played the Supporters' Shield winner (i.e., the team with the highest point total), while the other surviving wild card played the top seed in the other conference.
The "wild card" format was scrapped after only one season. In 2012, the top five teams from each conference will qualify for the playoffs.
tournaments, a wild card refers to a tournament entry awarded to a player at the discretion of the organizers. All ATP
and WTA
tournaments have a few spots set aside for wild cards in both the main draw, and the qualifying draw, for players who otherwise would not have made either of these draws with their professional ranking. They are usually awarded to players from the home country, promising young players, players that are likely to draw a large crowd, or players who were once ranked higher and are attempting a comeback (e.g. Alicia Molik
at the 2006 US Open).
In 2001, Goran Ivanišević
won the Wimbledon
Men's Singles Championships having been handed a wild-card entry by the organising All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
. In 2009, Kim Clijsters
won the US Open tournament also by entering into tournament thanks to the wild card granted.
the term 'wild card' is used for competitors only involved in individual rounds of a championship, usually their local round. Local riders taking advantage of their local knowledge (often having raced that circuit on that bike before) and affording to take risks without planning for a championship, often upset established runners. Makoto Tamada
and Shaky Byrne
have both taken double victories in Superbike World Championship
rounds in their home countries.
The most famous wild card entry perhaps was the late Daijiro Kato
with finishing 3rd at his first appearance in 1996 and then winning the Japanese 250cc Grand Prix back to back in 1997 and 1998 on his way to become the most successful 250cc World Champion of all time in 2001.
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Each Grand Prix host Federation (FMNR) may nominate 3 wild card entries for the 125 cc and 250 cc classes in their own Grand Prix only.
The MSMA (Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers’ Association) may, at each event, nominate 1 wild card entry for the 250 cc and MotoGP classes.
The FIM
may, at each event, nominate 2 wild card entries for the 125 cc and 250 cc classes and FIM
/DORNA
may, at each event, nominate 1 wild card entry for the MotoGP class.
Superbike World Championship
Each Event host Federation (FMNR) may nominate 4 wild card entries for the Superbike class
and 2 wild card entries for the Supersport and Superstock classes, in their own event only.
The FIM
may nominate 2 wild card entries for the Superbike class.
Motorcycle Speedway
In Motorcycle Speedway
, wild cards compete in the Speedway Grand Prix
events in which there is 1 wild card per competition (until 2005 there were 2 per Grand Prix.). So far only 3 wild cards have won a Grand Prix, those were Mark Loram in 1999
, Martin Dugard in 2000
and most recently Hans Andersen in 2006
who later that year replaced a permanent rider, and went on to win another GP.
either, although the Concorde Agreement
in modern-day Formula One
requires all teams to participate in every event. John Love came close to winning the 1967 South African Grand Prix
in a wild card type situation, long before the term had been coined. Although the term is rarely used in NASCAR
, the concept of a road course ringer
is similar. Before the late-1990s, NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series races in the West
and Northeast
respectively would have several drivers from the Winston West and Busch North series, as the series regulations were very similar, and until the mid-2000s, ARCA
drivers would usually attempt Cup races in the Midwest
and at restrictor-plate races.
During the period of the mid-1980s until 2004, individual NASCAR races utilized the "Promoter's Option" (also known as Provisionals) to allow a top driver/team that did not qualify for the race, the opportunity for a "wild card" type starting position at the end of the grid. This allowed track owners to advertise and guarantee to fans that the most popular drivers would participate in the race (pleasing fans in attendance, and preventing no-shows) even if the driver had an unfortunate mishap (e.g., blown engine) or crash during time trials. Starting in 2005, only the Former Champion's Provisional remains.
During the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
(a non-points exhibition event) one driver who fails to qualify for the race is awarded a wild card spot via "Fans Choice" vote. In 2008, Kasey Kahne
, was selected as a wild card via fan vote, and went on to win the race.
Starting in 2011
, NASCAR's top-level Sprint Cup Series will use "wild cards" in a different context, namely that of qualifying for the season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup. In previous seasons, the top 12 drivers in championship points after the first 26 races of the season automatically qualified for the Chase, with their points reset to a point unreachable by any other driver. Under the new system, only the top 10 drivers will automatically qualify. The other two Chase qualifiers will be the two drivers ranked from 11th through 20th after 26 races who have the most race wins, with tiebreakers used as necessary to restrict the number of "wild cards" to two.
-wide competition for elite basketball
clubs, once had one "wild card" advancing from its first phase, officially the Regular Season, to its second, called the Top 16. The rule was in place through the 2007–08 season.
At that time, the competition began each year with 24 clubs, divided into three groups. (Today, the competition starts with a preliminary stage of 16 teams playing down to two survivors, who join 22 other teams in the Regular Season.) Then as now, the groups played a double round-robin for the Regular Season, with eight clubs eliminated and the remaining clubs advancing to the Top 16.
Under the rules in place through 2007–08, the top five clubs in each group automatically advanced. The final "wild card" spot in the Top 16 went to the sixth-place club with the best overall record, with three potential tiebreaking steps. A coin toss is not indicated as a possible step.
Starting in 2008–09, the "wild card" was abolished when the Regular Season was reorganized into four groups with 6 teams apiece. Now, the top four teams in each group advance to the Top 16. No change to the tiebreakers was made.
, rugby union
's analogue to the Euroleague, also has "wild card" teams advancing to its knockout stages. Starting in 2009–10, the competition organiser, European Rugby Cup
(ERC), instituted a system that allows other "wild card" teams to parachute into ERC's second-tier competition, the European Challenge Cup
.
Like the Euroleague Regular Season, the Heineken Cup starts each season with 24 clubs and divides them into pools, with each team playing a double round-robin within its pool. However, Heineken Cup pools consist of four clubs instead of the Euroleague's six, resulting in six pools. Eight clubs advance to the knockout stages. The top club in each pool advances; the two "wild card" places are filled by the two second-place clubs with the best overall records. Since 2009–10, the three second-place teams with the next-best records have parachuted into the Challenge Cup. The tiebreaking procedure, used to determine overall seeding, is almost as elaborate as that of the NFL, with a total of seven steps (a coin flip is the last).
Prior to 2009–10, the Challenge Cup also had "wild card" teams entering its knockout stages. That competition begins with 20 teams, divided into four-team pools as in the Heineken Cup, resulting in five pools. The top club in each pool advanced to the knockout stage, along with the three second-place teams with the best records, using the same tiebreaking procedure as the Heineken Cup. Starting in 2009–10, only the winner of each pool enters the knockout stage, to be joined by the teams parachuting in from the Heineken Cup.
In its previous incarnations as Super 12 and Super 14 (each number reflecting the number of teams in the competition), it used a Shaughnessy playoff system
in which the top four teams advanced to a knockout stage. The expansion to 15 teams led to major changes in the competition format.
The competition is now divided into three conferences of five teams each, with every conference consisting solely of teams from one of the participating countries. At the end of the regular season, the winners of each conference receive playoff berths. These teams are joined by three "wild cards", specifically the three non-winners with the most competition points without regard to conference. (Tiebreakers will be employed as necessary.)
, the playoffs are done after an elimination (in 2005-06, a classification) round where the top two teams with the best records are given semi-final byes, the next 3 are given quarterfinal byes, the next 4 are given entry to the wildcard phase, and the tenth team is eliminated.
The winner of the wild card playoffs, varying in format from a round-robin, a single-elimination or sudden death, usually meets the strongest quarterfinalist (the 3rd seed). The wild card winner's next opponent for the quarterfinals rested while the wild card phase was ongoing so the chance of advancing to the semi-finals (in which a team rested longer) is slim.
The only wild card champion are the 7th-seeded Barangay Ginebra Kings
in the 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference
after 7 years of championship drought they made an epic run all the way to the throne, in which the top 2 teams were given semifinal byes while the bottom eight went through a knock-out wild card tournament. Since the addition of the quarterfinal bye, no wild card has entered the Finals, although the Air21 Express
won the third-place trophy at the 2005-06 PBA Fiesta Conference
.
(which starting in the 2008-2009 figure skating
season will be merged into a single two-division event), the hosting federation may issue a wild card invitation to one of their own skaters should no skater from the host country qualify for the event through the Grand Prix
circuit. Use of the wild card has not been common; however, it was used at the 2007-2008 Junior Grand Prix Final
by the Polish federation.
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
or playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.
International sports
In international sports, the term is perhaps best known in reference to big international sporting events such as The Olympic GamesOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
or Wimbledon. Countries which fail to produce athletes able to meet performance requirements to compete are granted "wild cards", which enable them to send competitors to tournaments even if those competitors' abilities are below the required standards. In some instances, wild cards are given to the host nation in order to boost their chances. However, in Olympic and World Championship competitions in track and field and swimming, nations are automatically allowed to enter two competitors. Thus these are not to be considered wild cards which are always granted by the tournament organizers. In some other sports in Olympics, such as judo, archery and badminton, wild card practice is in use, and they are granted by the respective sport federations. On rare occasions, a competitor who gained entry by wild card succeeds in winning a medal; Kye Sun-Hui won gold in judo at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Judo at the 1996 Summer Olympics
This page shows the final results of the Judo Competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.Kye Sun-Hui surprised spectators by winning gold in the women's extra-lightweight event. She had obtained a wildcard entry to the Games.-Men's events:...
, and Goran Ivanišević
Goran Ivaniševic
Goran Ivanišević is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He is best remembered for being the only person to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a wildcard. He achieved this in 2001, having previously been runner-up at the championships in 1992, 1994 and 1998. Ivanišević is famous...
won the 2001 Wimbledon Championships
2001 Wimbledon Championships
The 2001 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom the event was part of the 2001 ATP Tour and 2001 WTA Tour. The tournament was held from June 25 to July 9, 2001...
.
North America
In North American professional sportSport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s leagues, wild card refers to a team that qualifies for the championship playoffs without winning their specific subdivision (usually called a conference or division) outright. The number of wild card teams varies. In most cases, the rules of the league call for the wild card team to survive an extra round and/or to play the majority of their postseason games away from home.
The term should not be confused with playoff formats that call for a set number of teams to qualify per division. The American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's 1969 playoffs (qualifying the top two finishers from each division), the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's 1967-1970 playoffs (qualifying the top four finishers from each division) and 1970-1972 playoffs (qualifying the top two finishers in each division), and the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
's 1968-1974 and 1982-1993 playoffs (qualifying the top four finishers from each division) should not be confused with wild-card playoff formats. When a wild-card playoff format is used, the number of teams that may qualify per division is not fixed; the divisional champion will usually qualify automatically, but non-division finishers qualify based on record either in the league overall or within a conference.
Major League Baseball
- See also: Major League Baseball Wild CardMajor League Baseball Wild CardIn Major League Baseball, the wild-card playoff spot is given to the team in each league with the best record among the non-division winners. It was established for Major League Baseball's playoffs in 1994 with the intention of helping the best teams that did not win their division to still have a...
, List of AL Wildcard winners, List of NL Wildcard winners, and Major League Baseball division winnersMajor League Baseball division winnersThis is a list of division champions and wild-card winners in Major League Baseball.-Four-division alignment :*Team names link to the season in which each team playedYearAL EastAL WestNL EastNL West...
(and wild-card winners)
In Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, the wild-card playoff
Major League Baseball postseason
The Major League Baseball postseason is an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of Major League Baseball's regular season. It consists of one best-of-five series and two best-of-seven series...
spot is given to the team in each league with the best record among the non-division winners. This was implemented after the league expanded to 28 teams and realigned its two leagues to have three divisions. Since a three team playoff would require one team to receive a bye, the wild card was created to field a fourth team. The wild card has been in effect since 1995
1995 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Atlanta Braves over Cleveland Indians ; Tom Glavine, MVP*All-Star Game, July 11 at The Ballpark in Arlington: National League, 3-2; Jeff Conine, MVP-Other champions:...
, although it was first intended to be used in 1994
1994 in baseball
-Headline events of the year:As a result of a players' strike, the MLB season ends prematurely on August 11, 1994. No postseason is played...
, when the playoffs were canceled due to the players' strike.
The advantages of the wild card format are that it gives non-first place teams a chance to make it to the post season, particularly when the division has a clearly dominant first place team. It can also provide excitement late in the season in such a situation, and keep fans of non-first place teams interested. Also, since the wild card is not confined to one division over another, fans are treated to a league-wide race for the fourth spot. Critics of the wild card, such as broadcaster Bob Costas
Bob Costas
Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...
in his book Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball, have argued that it diminishes the importance of the regular season by permitting a non-first place team to make the playoffs, and that while it can create a league-wide wild card race, that race is for second place and takes away what would otherwise be a pennant race between the first and second place teams, and can lead to teams playing for the wild card rather than playing to win the division. As of November 2010, MLB is considering a 10-team playoff to address this issue, which will require the wild-card teams to survive a one-game playoff or an entire series to reach the divisional round, thus providing an incentive to win their division.
A wild-card team must surrender home-field advantage the first two rounds of the playoffs. For the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, however, home-field advantage is determined beforehand, without reference to wild-card status. Prior to 2003
2003 in baseball
-Headline event of the year:*The Florida Marlins become World Series champions, holding off a dynastic New York Yankees team, 4 games to 2.-Major League Baseball:*Regular Season Champions*World Series Champion - Florida Marlins...
, it was decided by alternating each year between the American and National Leagues. Since 2003, it has been granted to the winner of the All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
. In the 2002 World Series
2002 World Series
The 2002 World Series was a best-of-seven playoff series to determine the champion of Major League Baseball for the 2002 season. It was the 98th such contest between the champions of the American League and National League , and featured the AL champion Anaheim Angels against the NL champion San...
, both the Anaheim Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
and the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
were wild-card teams. The World Series champions in 1997
1997 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 18, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, FloridaThe first World Series game in the state of Florida, Game 1 featured a youngster and a veteran facing each other on the mound...
, 2003
2003 World Series
The 2003 World Series marked the 99th baseball World Series event. The Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in six games, 4–2.-Background:...
, 2004
2004 World Series
The 2004 World Series was the Major League Baseball championship series for the 2004 season. It was the 100th World Series and featured the American League champions, the Boston Red Sox, against the National League champions, the St. Louis Cardinals...
and 2011
2011 World Series
The 2011 World Series was the 107th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion St...
were also wild-card teams.
In the Division Series, the wild-card team (which could be considered analogous to the fourth seed in other sports tournaments) plays the team with the best record in the league as long as the two teams are in different divisions. An MLB rule prohibits teams in the same division from facing each other in the Division Series. In the event that a wild-card team is in the same division as the team with the best record, the former will play the second-best team in the league while the latter will face the third-best. This parallels the policy of the NFL after the NFL/AFL merger, when the league opted to include a wild-card team in each conference’s playoffs. (From 1970 to 1989, NFL teams in the same division couldn't meet in the divisional playoffs. This policy ensured that the two best teams in a given league could face off in the league championship, even if both were from the same division.)
Wild-card World Series champions
- 19971997 World Series-Game 1:Saturday, October 18, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, FloridaThe first World Series game in the state of Florida, Game 1 featured a youngster and a veteran facing each other on the mound...
Florida Marlins1997 Florida Marlins seasonThe 1997 Florida Marlins season started off with the team trying to improve on their record from 1996. Their manager was Jim Leyland. They played home games at Pro Player Stadium... - 20022002 World SeriesThe 2002 World Series was a best-of-seven playoff series to determine the champion of Major League Baseball for the 2002 season. It was the 98th such contest between the champions of the American League and National League , and featured the AL champion Anaheim Angels against the NL champion San...
Anaheim Angels2002 Anaheim Angels seasonThe Anaheim Angels 2002 season was the franchise's 42nd, and it ended with the team's first American League pennant and World Series championship.... - 20032003 World SeriesThe 2003 World Series marked the 99th baseball World Series event. The Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in six games, 4–2.-Background:...
Florida Marlins2003 Florida Marlins seasonThe 2003 Florida Marlins season was a season in American baseball. The Marlins were the National League Wild Card Winners, the National League Champions, and the World Series Champions.-Offseason:... - 20042004 World SeriesThe 2004 World Series was the Major League Baseball championship series for the 2004 season. It was the 100th World Series and featured the American League champions, the Boston Red Sox, against the National League champions, the St. Louis Cardinals...
Boston Red Sox2004 Boston Red Sox seasonThe Boston Red Sox 2004 season was the 103rd Major League Baseball season for the Boston Red Sox franchise. Managed under Terry Francona, the team finished with a 98–64 record... - 20112011 World SeriesThe 2011 World Series was the 107th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion St...
St. Louis Cardinals2011 St. Louis Cardinals seasonThe St. Louis Cardinals' 2011 season was the 130th season for the franchise in St. Louis, Missouri, the 120th season in the National League, and the sixth season at Busch Stadium III. The Cardinals began their season at home against the San Diego Padres on March 31, coming off a 86-76 season and...
Other Wild-card World Series participants
- 20002000 World Series-Game 1:Saturday, October 21, 2000 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe opener fell on two anniversaries. Twenty-five years prior, Boston Red Sox's catcher Carlton Fisk ended Game 6 of the 1975 World Series with his famous home run off the left field foul pole in Fenway Park in Boston to beat...
New York Mets2000 New York Mets seasonThe New York Mets' 2000 season was the 39th regular season for the Mets. They went 94-68 and finished 2nd in the NL East, but earned the NL Wild Card. They made it to the World Series where they were defeated by their crosstown rival New York Yankees. They were managed by Bobby Valentine... - 20022002 World SeriesThe 2002 World Series was a best-of-seven playoff series to determine the champion of Major League Baseball for the 2002 season. It was the 98th such contest between the champions of the American League and National League , and featured the AL champion Anaheim Angels against the NL champion San...
San Francisco Giants2002 San Francisco Giants seasonThe 2002 San Francisco Giants season was the 120th in franchise history, and the franchise's 45th season in San Francisco. The season ended with the Giants winning the National League pennant but losing to the Anaheim Angels in the 2002 World Series.... - 20052005 World SeriesThe 2005 World Series, the 101st Major League Baseball championship series, saw the American League champion Chicago White Sox sweep the National League champion Houston Astros four games to none in the best-of-seven-games series, winning their third championship and first since 1917.Home-field...
Houston Astros2005 Houston Astros seasonThe Houston Astros' 2005 season was a season in which the Houston Astros qualified for the postseason for the second consecutive season. The Astros overcame a sluggish 15-30 start to claim the wild card playoff spot, and would go on to win the National League pennant to advance to the World Series... - 20062006 World SeriesThe 2006 World Series, the 102nd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, began on October 21 and ended on October 27, and matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals won the Series in five games, taking...
Detroit Tigers2006 Detroit Tigers seasonThe 2006 Detroit Tigers won the American League Pennant. They represented the AL in the World Series before falling to the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 1. The season was their 106th since they entered the AL in 1901.- Regular season :... - 20072007 World Series-Game 1:Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsThe Red Sox cruised to a blowout win in Game 1 behind ALCS MVP Josh Beckett, who struck out nine batters, including the first four he faced, en route to his fourth win of the 2007 postseason...
Colorado Rockies2007 Colorado Rockies seasonThe Colorado Rockies' 2007 season started off with the team trying to improve on their 2006 record . They finished with a franchise record of 90 wins in 163 games and earned a playoff berth as the National League Wild Card team. The Rockies swept their first seven playoff games en route to winning...
Record disparities
Since the MLB wild-card format was introduced in 1994, there have been several instances in which a team failed to make the playoffs despite having a better record than another team within its own league that made the playoffs by winning its division. However, since each division plays a different schedule, records across divisions are not always directly comparable.- Note: These type of disparity scenarios also occurred before the wild-card format as recently as in the National League when the 97-65 Philadelphia Phillies1993 Philadelphia Phillies seasonThe 1993 Philadelphia Phillies season saw the Phillies capture the National League East championship. The Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves in the 1993 National League Championship Series in six games, before losing the World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays.-Regular season:After finishing in...
made the playoffs and the 103-59 San Francisco Giants1993 San Francisco Giants seasonThe 1993 Giants season was their 111th in Major League Baseball and their 36th in San Francisco. In the offseason, Barry Bonds left the Pirates to sign a lucrative free agent contract worth a then-record $43.75 million over 6 years with the Giants, with whom his father spent the first 7 years of...
did not.
American League
: Non-playoff team Cleveland Indians2000 Cleveland Indians season
-Offseason:* November 16, 1999: Chris Coste was signed as a free agent by the Indians.* February 18, 2000: Mark Whiten was signed as a free agent by the Indians.-Notable transactions:...
(90-72) had a better record than playoff team New York Yankees
2000 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees' 2000 season was the 98th season for the Yankees in New York, and their 100th overall going back to their origins in Baltimore. New York was managed by Joe Torre. The team finished 1st in the AL East with a record of 87–74, 2.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox, after...
(87-74) who won the AL East and the World Series.: Non-playoff team Seattle Mariners
2003 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners 2003 season was their 27th since the franchise creation, and ended the season finishing 2nd in the American League West, finishing with a record of 93-69.-Offseason:...
(93-69), who placed second in the AL West, had a better record than playoff team Minnesota Twins (90-72), winners of the AL Central.: Non-playoff team New York Yankees
2008 New York Yankees season
The 2008 New York Yankees season was the 106th season for the New York Yankees franchise. The Yankees hosted the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday July 15, 2008. It was the 83rd and last season at Yankee Stadium prior to the team's move to a new ballpark just north of the current...
(89-73), who placed third in the AL East, had a better record than playoff team Chicago White Sox
2008 Chicago White Sox season
The 2008 Chicago White Sox Season is the organization's 109th season in Chicago and 108th in the American League. The White Sox won the American League Central division title for the first time since 2005. They finished the regular season tied with the Minnesota Twins and won a one-game playoff...
(89-74), winners of the AL Central (including a one-game playoff
2008 American League Central tie-breaker game
The 2008 American League Central tie-breaker game was a one-game playoff for Major League Baseball's American League Central division. The game took place on September 30, 2008 between the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins at US Cellular Field. It was necessary after both teams finished the...
with the Minnesota Twins
2008 Minnesota Twins season
The Minnesota Twins season was the 48th season for the franchise in Minnesota, and the 108th overall in the American League. After tying the Chicago White Sox for first in the AL Central Division with an 88–74 record, the team lost a one game playoff to finish second and miss the league...
).: Non-playoff team Texas Rangers
2009 Texas Rangers season
The Texas Rangers' 2009 season was the 49th in franchise history and the team's 38th year in Arlington, Texas.2009 signified the continuation of a strategy implemented by General Manager Jon Daniels in the summer of 2007. The plan to improve the club emphasized the acquisition and development of...
(87-75), who placed second in the AL West, had a better record than playoff team Minnesota Twins
2009 Minnesota Twins season
The Minnesota Twins season was the 49th season for the franchise in Minnesota, and the 109th overall in the American League. It was their final season at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome with their new stadium, Target Field, opening in 2010. They ended the regular season as AL Central champions...
(87-76), winners of the AL Central (including a one-game playoff
2009 American League Central tie-breaker game
The 2009 American League Central tiebreaker game was a one-game playoff for Major League Baseball's American League Central divisional championship. The game took place on October 6, 2009 between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. It was necessary after...
with the Detroit Tigers
2009 Detroit Tigers season
The 2009 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 109th season. The Tigers' new slogan for 2009 is "Always a Tiger." It replaces the 2006–2008 slogan "Who's Your Tiger?"...
).
National League
: Non-playoff teams Los Angeles Dodgers1997 Los Angeles Dodgers season
The 1997 Los Angeles Dodgers season, under manager Bill Russell, was a season in American baseball. It was competitive all season long before finally fading down the stretch; the Dodgers finished in second place behind their longtime rivals, San Francisco Giants, in the Western Division of the...
(88-74) and New York Mets
1997 New York Mets season
The New York Mets' 1997 season was the 36th regular season for the Mets. They went 88-74 and finished 3rd in the NL East. They were managed by Bobby Valentine. They played home games at Shea Stadium.-Offseason:...
(88-74) each had better records than playoff team Houston Astros
1997 Houston Astros season
The 1997 Houston Astros season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Houston Astros attempting to win the National League Central.-Opening Day starters:*Bobby Abreu*Brad Ausmus*Jeff Bagwell*Derek Bell*Sean Berry*Craig Biggio*Luis Gonzalez...
(84-78), winners of the NL Central division.: Non-playoff team San Francisco Giants
2001 San Francisco Giants season
-Offseason:*November 18, 2000: Bill Mueller was traded by the San Francisco Giants to the Chicago Cubs for Tim Worrell. *January 11, 2001: Eric Davis was signed as a Free Agent with the San Francisco Giants. -Regular season:...
(90-72), second place finishers in the NL West, had a better record than playoff team Atlanta Braves
2001 Atlanta Braves season
The 2001 Atlanta Braves season saw the team finish first in the NL East Division with an 88-74 record - the worst among playoff teams in 2001, and also the worst for the Braves since 1990 , when they had the worst record in baseball.The Braves swept the favored Houston Astros in the NLDS before...
(88-74), winners of the NL East.: Non-playoff teams Philadelphia Phillies
2005 Philadelphia Phillies season
The Philadelphia Phillies season was the 123rd season in the history of the franchise. The Phillies finished in second place in the National League East with a record of 88-74, two games behind the Atlanta Braves, and one game behind the NL Champion Houston Astros, who won the NL Wild-Card race...
(88-74), Florida Marlins
2005 Florida Marlins season
The Florida Marlins' 2005 season started off with the team trying to improve on their season from 2004. Their manager was Jack McKeon. They played home games at Dolphin Stadium...
(83-79) and New York Mets
2005 New York Mets season
The New York Mets' 2005 season was the 44th regular season for the Mets. They went 83-79 and finished 3rd in the NL East. They were managed by Willie Randolph. They played home games at Shea Stadium. The 2005 season is also noteworthy for being Mike Piazza's last season as a New York Met...
(83-79), second, third, and fourth place finishers in the NL East, had better records than playoff team San Diego Padres
2005 San Diego Padres season
-Opening Day starters:Played at Coors Field on April 4, 2005. The Colorado Rockies defeated the Padres 12-10.-Notable transactions:*June 7, 2005: Josh Geer was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 3rd round of the 2005 amateur draft. Player signed July 1, 2005.-Roster:-Starters by position:Note:...
(82-80), who won the NL West.: Non-playoff team Philadelphia Phillies
2006 Philadelphia Phillies season
The 2006 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 124th season in the history of the franchise. The Phillies finished in second place in the National League East, 12 games behind the New York Mets, and three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Wild-Card race. The Phillies were managed by...
(85-77) finished second in the NL East and behind NL wild-card team Los Angeles Dodgers
2006 Los Angeles Dodgers season
In 2006, the Los Angeles Dodgers looked to improve their record from 2005. The team switched General Managers from Paul DePodesta to Ned Colletti, and hired Grady Little as the new manager. The Dodgers were able to win 88 games...
but had a better record than playoff team St. Louis Cardinals
2006 St. Louis Cardinals season
The St. Louis Cardinals 2006 season was the team's 125th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 115th season in the National League. The season started out with a bang, as the team raced out to a 31-16 record by late May...
(83-78) who won the NL Central and the World Series.: Non-playoff teams San Diego Padres
2007 San Diego Padres season
The San Diego Padres' 2007 season began with the Padres' attempt to win a 3rd consecutive NL West title. After finishing 162 games in a tie with the Colorado Rockies for both the NL Wild Card and second place in the NL West, they were defeated in a tie-breaker which placed them third overall in...
(89-74), who finished in third place in the NL West, and New York Mets
2007 New York Mets season
The New York Mets' 2007 season was the 46th regular season for the Mets. The Mets were defending their first divisional championship since 1988. While the Atlanta Braves were counted as possible competition, the Philadelphia Phillies were predicted as the front-runners, albeit by their own star...
(88-74), finishing second in the NL East, had better records than playoff team Chicago Cubs
2007 Chicago Cubs season
The Chicago Cubs' 2007 season began with the Cubs trying to rebound after a season in which they finished last in their division for the first time since .-Offseason:...
(85-77) who won the NL Central.: Non-playoff teams New York Mets
2008 New York Mets season
The 2008 New York Mets season was the franchise's 47th season. The Mets finished the season with an 89–73 record, second place in the National League East, three games behind the Philadelphia Phillies, and one game worse than the wild card winners, the Milwaukee Brewers...
(89-73), second place in the NL East, Houston Astros
2008 Houston Astros season
The Houston Astros' 2008 season is the 47th season for the Houston Astros. The Astros are attempting to return to the postseason, after missing the past two postseasons. They must do it without second baseman Craig Biggio, who became a member of the coveted 3,000 hit club last year.-Off Season:On...
(86-75), third place in the NL Central, St.. Louis Cardinals
2008 St. Louis Cardinals season
The St. Louis Cardinals' 2008 season was the 127th season for the franchise in St. Louis, Missouri and the 117th season in the National League. The Cardinals, coming off a 78-84 season that was their worst since 1999, improved by eight games, going 86-76 in 2008...
(86-76), fourth place in the NL Central, and Florida Marlins
2008 Florida Marlins season
The Florida Marlins' 2008 season was the 16th season for the Major League Baseball franchise. Fredi González returned for his second season as manager...
(84-77), third place in NL East, had better records than playoff team Los Angeles Dodgers
2008 Los Angeles Dodgers season
The 2008 Los Angeles Dodgers season features the Dodgers celebrating their Golden Anniversary in Southern California under new manager Joe Torre as they won the National League West for the first time since 2004, and returned to the postseason after missing the playoffs in 2007. They swept the...
(84-78), who won the NL West.
National Football League
In the NFLNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, each of the two conferences sends two wild-card teams along with four division champions to its postseason. The first round of the playoffs is called the "Wild Card Round". In this round, each conference's two best (by regular-season record) division champions are exempted from play and granted automatic berths in the "Divisional Round". The four division champions are seeded from #1 through #4, while the two wild card teams are seeded #5 and #6; within these separations, seeding is by regular-season record. In the "Wild Card Round", the #6 team (a wild card team) plays against the #3 team (a division champion) and the #5 team (a wild card team) plays against the #4 team (a division champion). The division champions have automatic home-field advantage in these games. In the "Divisional Round", the worst seeded remaining team plays the #1 seeded team, while the best seeded remaining team that played in the wildcard round play the #2 seed. Both the #1 seed and #2 seed have home-field advantage in the divisional round. See NFL playoffs
NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a tie-breaking procedure exists in the...
.
The NFL was the first league ever to use the wild-card format. When the league realigned into two conferences of three divisions each in 1970, it wanted an even four-team playoff field in each conference. This was established by having the three division champions in each conference joined by the best second-place finisher in the conference. At first, this team was referred as the "Best Second-Place Team" (or sometimes simply as the "Fourth Qualifier"). The media, however, began referring to the qualifying teams as "wild cards." Eventually, the NFL officially adopted the term. During the 1975, 1976, and 1977 seasons, the divisional playoffs featured the #1 seed hosting the wild card team and the #2 seed hosting the #3 seed unless the #1 seed and wild card team were divisional rivals. In that case, the #1 seed hosted the #3 seed and the #2 seed hosted the wild card team. (This policy is currently used by Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
in its Division Series
Division Series
In baseball, the Division Series is the official name for the first round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Currently, a total of four series are played in this opening round, two each for both the American League and the National League.-1981 season:...
.) From 1970 through 1974, the NFL used a rotation to determine which teams would host conference semifinal and final games, and which teams would play which other teams (coincidentally, baseball also used a rotation when it began to have this number of teams, for both of the aforementioned purposes, from 1995-1997 before switching to the seeding method).
The number of wild-card qualifiers was expanded to two per conference in 1978 — the divisional winners were granted a bye week whilst the wild card teams played (hence the origin of the phrase "Wild-Card Round"). Like wild card teams before, the wild card game winner played the #1 seed, or the #2 seed if they and the #1 seed were divisional rivals. The playoffs were expanded again to three wild cards per conference in 1990 with the lowest ranked divisional winner losing its bye (and divisional rivals could now meet in the divisional playoffs). Following the addition of the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 2002, the league added a fourth division to each conference. The league decided not to change the number of playoff teams, and thus the number of wild card qualifiers was reduced to two per conference.
Wild card Super Bowl champions
- 19801980 NFL seasonThe 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws...
Oakland Raiders1980 Oakland Raiders season-Staff:HC: Tom FloresAst: Ray Willsey , Lew Erber , Sam Boghosian , Earl Leggett , Charlie Sumner , Chet Franklin , Steve Ortmayer , Bob Mischak , Joe Madro , Willie Brown -Regular season:...
-Super Bowl XVSuper Bowl XVSuper Bowl XV was an American football game played on January 25, 1981 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1980 regular season...
(played in 1981) - 19971997 NFL seasonThe 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
Denver Broncos1997 Denver Broncos seasonThe Denver Broncos finished the 1997 NFL season by winning Super Bowl XXXII. They went 12–4 during the regular season. The Broncos were the third team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl but not win the Division Title.- Season summary :...
-Super Bowl XXXIISuper Bowl XXXIISuper Bowl XXXII was an American football game played on January 25, 1998 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1997 regular season...
(played in 1998) - 20002000 NFL seasonThe 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
Baltimore Ravens2000 Baltimore Ravens seasonThe Baltimore Ravens concluded the 2000 NFL season with a 12–4 record, good for second place in the AFC central, and earning them a spot in the playoffs as a wild card entrant...
-Super Bowl XXXVSuper Bowl XXXVSuper Bowl XXXV was played on January 28, 2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 2000 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Baltimore Ravens defeated the National Football Conference champion New York...
(played in 2001) - 20052005 NFL seasonThe 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
Pittsburgh Steelers2005 Pittsburgh Steelers seasonThe 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season began with the team trying to improve on their 15–1 record from 2004 in which they lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field. The Steelers, with the sixth and final seed to the playoffs, became just the second team ever to win...
-Super Bowl XLSuper Bowl XLSuper Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
(played in 2006) - 20072007 NFL seasonThe 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
New York Giants2007 New York Giants seasonThe 2007 New York Giants season was the 83rd season for the New York Giants in the National Football League. The Giants finished the regular season 10–6 and in second place in the NFC East, improving upon their 8–8 record in 2006 in which they finished third in their division...
-Super Bowl XLIISuper Bowl XLIISuper Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
(played in 2008) - 20102010 NFL seasonThe 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...
Green Bay Packers2010 Green Bay Packers seasonThe 2010 Green Bay Packers season was the 90th season in the National Football League for the Packers and the 92nd season for the team overall. With a record of 10–6, the Packers entered the playoffs as the NFC's sixth seed...
-Super Bowl XLVSuper Bowl XLVSuper Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
(played in 2011)
Other Wild card Super Bowl participants
- 19751975 NFL seasonThe 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:...
Dallas Cowboys1975 Dallas Cowboys season-NFC Divisional Playoff:at Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota*TV: CBS Gary Bender, Johnny UnitasThe "Hail Mary" Game-NFC Championship Game:at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles*TV: CBS...
-Super Bowl XSuper Bowl XSuper Bowl X was an American football game played on January 18, 1976 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1975 regular season....
(played in 1976) - 19851985 NFL seasonThe 1985 NFL season was the 66th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XX when the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots.-Major rule changes:...
New England Patriots1985 New England Patriots seasonThe 1985 New England Patriots season was the 16th season for the team in the National Football League and 26th season overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division. They lost in Super Bowl XX to the Chicago Bears...
-Super Bowl XXSuper Bowl XXSuper Bowl XX was an American football championship game played on January 26, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1985 regular season...
(played in 1986) - 19921992 NFL seasonThe 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League.Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots–Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was rescheduled to October 18. Both teams originally had that...
Buffalo Bills1992 Buffalo Bills seasonThe 1992 Buffalo Bills season was the 33rd season for the team in the National Football League. The Buffalo Bills finished the National Football League's 1992 season with a record of 11 wins and 5 losses, and finished second in the AFC East division...
-Super Bowl XXVIISuper Bowl XXVIISuper Bowl XXVII was a football game played on January 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1992 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football Conference champion...
(played in 1993) - 19991999 NFL seasonThe 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
Tennessee Titans1999 Tennessee Titans seasonThe 1999 Tennessee Titans season was the Titans' 40th season and their 30th in the National Football League. It was the first season for the club under the moniker "Titans," while the nickname "Oilers" was retired by the NFL...
-Super Bowl XXXIVSuper Bowl XXXIVSuper Bowl XXXIV featured the National Football Conference champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference champion Tennessee Titans in an American football game to decide the National Football League champion for the 1999 regular season...
(played in 2000)
The 1980 Raiders, 2005 Steelers, and 1992 Bills tied for first in their division but lost a tiebreaker.
While not a wild card team, the 1969
1969 American Football League season
The 1969 American Football League season was the tenth regular season of the American Football League, and the last one before the AFL-NFL Merger...
Kansas City Chiefs
1969 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 1969 Kansas City Chiefs season resulted in a 11–3 record and a 23–7 victory in Super Bowl IV over the NFL’s heavily-favored Minnesota Vikings. The team beat their rivals, the Oakland Raiders in the final AFL Championship Game, claiming their third AFL Championship in franchise history...
were the first non-division winner to win the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
. They finished second in the Western Division of the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
, and in that season, the last before the merger, the AFL went from having its two division winners meeting for the league title to adding a second round in which the second place team in each division qualified for the post-season. These teams played cross-division in the semifinal round. Thus the Chiefs, who finished second in the West, defeated the East Division champion New York Jets
1969 New York Jets season
The 1969 New York Jets season was the tenth season for the team in the final season of the American Football League . Trying to defend their AFL championship and Super Bowl III title, they won the AFL Eastern Division again with a 10–4 record...
in the AFL semifinals and then defeated the West Division champion Oakland Raiders
1969 Oakland Raiders season
Kansas City Chiefs 17, Oakland Raiders 7-Scoring Summary:*OAK – Smith 3 run *KC – Haynes 1 run *KC – Holmes 5 run *KC – Field goal Stenerud 22-Awards and honors:* Daryle Lamonica, Co-AFL MVP...
to advance to Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
, where they beat the Minnesota Vikings
1969 Minnesota Vikings season
1969 was the ninth year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 50th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings again won the NFL Central Division title, as finished with a record of 12 wins and two losses, plus playoff wins over the Los Angeles Rams in the Western...
. Because the term "wild card" was not instituted until the following year, the Chiefs are not included in the above list, but are recognized as the first team to win the Super Bowl without winning a division title.
NBA and NHL
Although the National Basketball AssociationNational Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
and National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
include wild-card teams in their playoff structures, the term "wild card" is seldom used in the NBA or NHL; instead, each playoff team is most commonly denoted by its seeding position within the conference.
In the NHL, division champions within each conference are given the #1 through #3 seeds based on their regular-season records. The five wild-card teams are awarded the #4 through #8 seeds, also based on their regular-season records. The division champions (first, second, and third seeds) and the best wild-card team (fourth seed) are given home ice advantage in the opening playoff series, in which they face the eighth-, seventh-, sixth- and fifth-seeded wild card teams, respectively.
The initial bracketing of the NBA playoffs by seed is identical to that of the NHL. However, the NBA playoffs have one feature unique in North American professional sports—home court advantage is determined strictly by regular-season record, without regard to seeding.
Before the 2006-07 NBA season
2006-07 NBA season
The 2006–07 NBA season was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 31, 2006 and ran through April 18, 2007. The league fielded 30 teams, each playing an 82 game regular season schedule. The top eight seeds from each conference reached the NBA...
, the NBA seeded its teams in the same manner as the NHL. Now, the NBA seeds the three division winners and the wild-card team with the best record by regular-season record. This means that the wild-card with the best record can now get a seed as high as #2 (if that team is in the same division as the team with the best record in the conference); however, the next four wild-card teams will still be limited to the #5 through #8 seeds. This change was made to ensure that the two best teams in each conference could not meet until the conference final, and also (allegedly) to try and eliminate incentives for a playoff-bound team to deliberately lose
Match fixing
In organised sports, match fixing, game fixing, race fixing, or sports fixing occurs as a match is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. Where the sporting competition in question is a race then the incident is referred to as...
games at the end of the regular season in order to "choose" a higher-seeded team that has won fewer games (and, due to the unique home-court rules of the NBA, possibly gain home-court advantage for that series).
In the NBA, the winner of the #1 vs. #8 series goes on to face the winner of the #5 vs. #4 series, while the winner of the #2 vs. #7 series faces the winner of the #6 vs. #3 series. Notice that the winner of the #1 vs. #8 series will usually play against a wild-card team in the second round of the playoffs; this is arranged deliberately to "reward" the #1 seeded team by giving it the most winnable matchups in the first and second rounds.
In the NHL, however, the play-off format differs slightly from that of the NBA. In the NHL, the highest winning seed of the first round plays the lowest winning seed of the first round in the next round of the play-offs. For example, if the #1, #4, #6, and #7 seeds win their respective first round series then the second round of the play-offs will match the #1 seed (highest) versus the #7 seed (lowest) and the #4 seed (2nd highest) versus the #6 seed (second lowest). Home ice advantage in each NHL playoff series prior to the Stanley Cup Finals is granted by superior seed, even if the "wild card" team had a better regular season record. For the Finals, the team with the better record will receive home ice advantage.
Major League Soccer
Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
, the top level of soccer (football) in both countries, used a wild card format in its 2011 playoffs
2011 MLS Cup Playoffs
The 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs will be the sixteenth post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began on October 26 with the play-in round and will conclude on November 20 with the championship match. It will be the first playoff-series to include ten...
. The top three teams from each of its two conferences automatically qualified for the conference semifinals, while the four remaining teams with the highest point totals in league play, without regard to conference, earned "wild cards" into the playoffs. The wild card matches were single games, with the #7 seed hosting the #10 seed and the #8 seed hosting the #9 seed. The lowest surviving seed then played the Supporters' Shield winner (i.e., the team with the highest point total), while the other surviving wild card played the top seed in the other conference.
The "wild card" format was scrapped after only one season. In 2012, the top five teams from each conference will qualify for the playoffs.
Professional Tennis
In professional tennisTennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
tournaments, a wild card refers to a tournament entry awarded to a player at the discretion of the organizers. All ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
and WTA
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
tournaments have a few spots set aside for wild cards in both the main draw, and the qualifying draw, for players who otherwise would not have made either of these draws with their professional ranking. They are usually awarded to players from the home country, promising young players, players that are likely to draw a large crowd, or players who were once ranked higher and are attempting a comeback (e.g. Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik is a Australian professional female tennis player. She reached a career high singles rank of number 8 and also won a bronze medal for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Molik also reached a career high doubles ranking of number 6, and won two grand slam doubles titles, at the...
at the 2006 US Open).
In 2001, Goran Ivanišević
Goran Ivaniševic
Goran Ivanišević is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He is best remembered for being the only person to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a wildcard. He achieved this in 2001, having previously been runner-up at the championships in 1992, 1994 and 1998. Ivanišević is famous...
won the Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
Men's Singles Championships having been handed a wild-card entry by the organising All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club , also known as the All-England Club, based at Aorangi Park, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass...
. In 2009, Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....
won the US Open tournament also by entering into tournament thanks to the wild card granted.
Motorcycle racing
In motorcycle racingMotorcycle racing
Motorcycle sport is a broad field that encompasses all sporting aspects of motorcycling. The disciplines are not all "races" or timed-speed events, as several disciplines test a competitor's various riding skills.-Motorcycle racing:...
the term 'wild card' is used for competitors only involved in individual rounds of a championship, usually their local round. Local riders taking advantage of their local knowledge (often having raced that circuit on that bike before) and affording to take risks without planning for a championship, often upset established runners. Makoto Tamada
Makoto Tamada
is a Japanese professional motorcycle racer. He is one of the few riders to win races in both MotoGP and Superbike World Championship. For he will ride for the Paul Bird Kawasaki Corse team in the Superbike World Championship.-Early years:After a junior career in minibikes, he won a regional 250cc...
and Shaky Byrne
Shane Byrne (motorcycle racer)
Shane 'Shakey' Byrne , often known as Shakey, is a British motorcycle road racer. He is a two-time champion of the British Superbike Championship , a race winner in the Superbike World Championship and a former competitor in MotoGP.-Early days:While working as a road tester for Colin Schiller's...
have both taken double victories in Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...
rounds in their home countries.
The most famous wild card entry perhaps was the late Daijiro Kato
Daijiro Kato
was a Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and the 2001 World Champion in the 250cc class.-Biography:Kato was born in Saitama, and started racing miniature bikes at an early age, becoming a four-time national champion in the Japanese pocket-bike championship.He began road racing in 1992, and...
with finishing 3rd at his first appearance in 1996 and then winning the Japanese 250cc Grand Prix back to back in 1997 and 1998 on his way to become the most successful 250cc World Champion of all time in 2001.
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Each Grand Prix host Federation (FMNR) may nominate 3 wild card entries for the 125 cc and 250 cc classes in their own Grand Prix only.
The MSMA (Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers’ Association) may, at each event, nominate 1 wild card entry for the 250 cc and MotoGP classes.
The FIM
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....
may, at each event, nominate 2 wild card entries for the 125 cc and 250 cc classes and FIM
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....
/DORNA
Dorna Sports
Dorna Sports, S.L. is the commercial rights holder for the motorcycling sport of MotoGP.Established in 1988 as an international sports management and marketing company, it is headquartered in Madrid, with offices in Barcelona, London and Tokyo...
may, at each event, nominate 1 wild card entry for the MotoGP class.
Superbike World Championship
Each Event host Federation (FMNR) may nominate 4 wild card entries for the Superbike class
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...
and 2 wild card entries for the Supersport and Superstock classes, in their own event only.
The FIM
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....
may nominate 2 wild card entries for the Superbike class.
Motorcycle Speedway
In Motorcycle Speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
, wild cards compete in the Speedway Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. As of 2008, all of the events take place in Europe.- Event format :...
events in which there is 1 wild card per competition (until 2005 there were 2 per Grand Prix.). So far only 3 wild cards have won a Grand Prix, those were Mark Loram in 1999
1999 Speedway Grand Prix
The 1999 Speedway Grand Prix season was the fifth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and was used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes...
, Martin Dugard in 2000
2000 Speedway Grand Prix
The 2000 Speedway Grand Prix season was the sixth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and was used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes...
and most recently Hans Andersen in 2006
2006 Speedway Grand Prix
The 2006 Speedway Grand Prix season is the twelfth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and is used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :...
who later that year replaced a permanent rider, and went on to win another GP.
Auto racing
Wild Card entries are not unknown in auto racingAuto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
either, although the Concorde Agreement
Concorde Agreement
The Concorde Agreement is a contract between the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile , the Formula One teams and the Formula One Administration which dictates the terms by which the teams compete in races and take their share of the television revenues and prize money...
in modern-day Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
requires all teams to participate in every event. John Love came close to winning the 1967 South African Grand Prix
1967 South African Grand Prix
The 1967 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Kyalami on January 2, 1967.- Race report :For the first time, the Kyalami circuit near Johannesburg was being used. There were some changes in the driver line-ups: John Surtees was driving for Honda, Mike Spence signed for BRM whilst...
in a wild card type situation, long before the term had been coined. Although the term is rarely used in NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
, the concept of a road course ringer
Road course ringer
Road course ringer, also known as Road course specialist, Road course expert, or Road runner, is a term used to describe a non-NASCAR driver who is hired by a NASCAR team to race, specifically, on road courses...
is similar. Before the late-1990s, NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series races in the West
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
and Northeast
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
respectively would have several drivers from the Winston West and Busch North series, as the series regulations were very similar, and until the mid-2000s, ARCA
Automobile Racing Club of America
Automobile Racing Club of America is an auto racing sanctioning body in the United States, founded in 1953 by John Marcum. The current president of ARCA is Ron Drager. The ARCA RE/MAX Series races stock cars similar to those seen in past years in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and indeed most cars...
drivers would usually attempt Cup races in the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
and at restrictor-plate races.
During the period of the mid-1980s until 2004, individual NASCAR races utilized the "Promoter's Option" (also known as Provisionals) to allow a top driver/team that did not qualify for the race, the opportunity for a "wild card" type starting position at the end of the grid. This allowed track owners to advertise and guarantee to fans that the most popular drivers would participate in the race (pleasing fans in attendance, and preventing no-shows) even if the driver had an unfortunate mishap (e.g., blown engine) or crash during time trials. Starting in 2005, only the Former Champion's Provisional remains.
During the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, formerly known as The Winston until 2004, then the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge from 2004 until 2007, is a race open to race winners from the previous season as well as the current season, plus the past ten event winners and past decade's Cup Series champions...
(a non-points exhibition event) one driver who fails to qualify for the race is awarded a wild card spot via "Fans Choice" vote. In 2008, Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kenneth Kahne is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #5 Farmers Insurance Group Chevrolet Impala for Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series....
, was selected as a wild card via fan vote, and went on to win the race.
Starting in 2011
2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 63rd season of professional stock car racing in the United States. The season included 36 races and two exhibition races, beginning with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The...
, NASCAR's top-level Sprint Cup Series will use "wild cards" in a different context, namely that of qualifying for the season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup. In previous seasons, the top 12 drivers in championship points after the first 26 races of the season automatically qualified for the Chase, with their points reset to a point unreachable by any other driver. Under the new system, only the top 10 drivers will automatically qualify. The other two Chase qualifiers will be the two drivers ranked from 11th through 20th after 26 races who have the most race wins, with tiebreakers used as necessary to restrict the number of "wild cards" to two.
Use outside North America
Although the term "wild card" is not generally used in this context outside North America, a few competitions effectively employ such a system to determine one or more places in a future phase of a competition.Euroleague
The Euroleague, a EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
-wide competition for elite basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
clubs, once had one "wild card" advancing from its first phase, officially the Regular Season, to its second, called the Top 16. The rule was in place through the 2007–08 season.
At that time, the competition began each year with 24 clubs, divided into three groups. (Today, the competition starts with a preliminary stage of 16 teams playing down to two survivors, who join 22 other teams in the Regular Season.) Then as now, the groups played a double round-robin for the Regular Season, with eight clubs eliminated and the remaining clubs advancing to the Top 16.
Under the rules in place through 2007–08, the top five clubs in each group automatically advanced. The final "wild card" spot in the Top 16 went to the sixth-place club with the best overall record, with three potential tiebreaking steps. A coin toss is not indicated as a possible step.
Starting in 2008–09, the "wild card" was abolished when the Regular Season was reorganized into four groups with 6 teams apiece. Now, the top four teams in each group advance to the Top 16. No change to the tiebreakers was made.
Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup
The Heineken CupHeineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
, rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
's analogue to the Euroleague, also has "wild card" teams advancing to its knockout stages. Starting in 2009–10, the competition organiser, European Rugby Cup
European Rugby Cup
European Rugby Cup is the organising body of two European rugby union club tournaments; the Heineken Cup and the Amlin Challenge Cup. The organisation was established in 1995 and is headquartered in Dublin...
(ERC), instituted a system that allows other "wild card" teams to parachute into ERC's second-tier competition, the European Challenge Cup
European Challenge Cup
The European Challenge Cup, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Amlin Challenge Cup, is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup. The cup was known as the Parker Pen Shield from 2001 to 2003 and Parker Pen Challenge Cup from 2003 to 2005. The European...
.
Like the Euroleague Regular Season, the Heineken Cup starts each season with 24 clubs and divides them into pools, with each team playing a double round-robin within its pool. However, Heineken Cup pools consist of four clubs instead of the Euroleague's six, resulting in six pools. Eight clubs advance to the knockout stages. The top club in each pool advances; the two "wild card" places are filled by the two second-place clubs with the best overall records. Since 2009–10, the three second-place teams with the next-best records have parachuted into the Challenge Cup. The tiebreaking procedure, used to determine overall seeding, is almost as elaborate as that of the NFL, with a total of seven steps (a coin flip is the last).
Prior to 2009–10, the Challenge Cup also had "wild card" teams entering its knockout stages. That competition begins with 20 teams, divided into four-team pools as in the Heineken Cup, resulting in five pools. The top club in each pool advanced to the knockout stage, along with the three second-place teams with the best records, using the same tiebreaking procedure as the Heineken Cup. Starting in 2009–10, only the winner of each pool enters the knockout stage, to be joined by the teams parachuting in from the Heineken Cup.
Super Rugby
The Super Rugby competition, involving regional franchises from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, adopted a new playoff system with "wild cards" when it expanded to 15 teams in 2011.In its previous incarnations as Super 12 and Super 14 (each number reflecting the number of teams in the competition), it used a Shaughnessy playoff system
Shaughnessy playoff system
The Shaughnessy playoff system is a method of determining the champion of a sports league that is not in a divisional alignment. It involves the participation of the top four teams in the league standings in a single elimination tournament...
in which the top four teams advanced to a knockout stage. The expansion to 15 teams led to major changes in the competition format.
The competition is now divided into three conferences of five teams each, with every conference consisting solely of teams from one of the participating countries. At the end of the regular season, the winners of each conference receive playoff berths. These teams are joined by three "wild cards", specifically the three non-winners with the most competition points without regard to conference. (Tiebreakers will be employed as necessary.)
Philippine Basketball Association
In the Philippine Basketball AssociationPhilippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
, the playoffs are done after an elimination (in 2005-06, a classification) round where the top two teams with the best records are given semi-final byes, the next 3 are given quarterfinal byes, the next 4 are given entry to the wildcard phase, and the tenth team is eliminated.
The winner of the wild card playoffs, varying in format from a round-robin, a single-elimination or sudden death, usually meets the strongest quarterfinalist (the 3rd seed). The wild card winner's next opponent for the quarterfinals rested while the wild card phase was ongoing so the chance of advancing to the semi-finals (in which a team rested longer) is slim.
The only wild card champion are the 7th-seeded Barangay Ginebra Kings
Barangay Ginebra Kings
The Barangay Ginebra Kings is a professional basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association founded in 1979 and owned by the Ginebra San Miguel, Inc., a subsidiary of the San Miguel Corporation...
in the 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference
2004 PBA Fiesta Conference
The 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference, or known as the 2004 Gran Matador Brandy-PBA Fiesta Conference for sponsorship reasons, was tournament held by the Philippine Basketball Association and the first ever edition of the PBA Fiesta Conference....
after 7 years of championship drought they made an epic run all the way to the throne, in which the top 2 teams were given semifinal byes while the bottom eight went through a knock-out wild card tournament. Since the addition of the quarterfinal bye, no wild card has entered the Finals, although the Air21 Express
Air21 Express
The Barako Bull Energy is a Philippine Basketball Association team that began in 2002.Barako Bull is owned by Energy Food and Drinks Inc., a subsidiary of the Linaheim Corporate Services, owners of the defunct Laguna Lakers of the Metropolitan Basketball Association...
won the third-place trophy at the 2005-06 PBA Fiesta Conference
2005-06 PBA Fiesta Conference
-Second seed playoff:-Bracket:-Survivor playoffs:-Air21–San Miguel series:-Alaska–Sta. Lucia series:-Red Bull–Alaska series:-Talk 'N Text–Air21 series:-Purefoods–Air21 series:...
.
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final
For both the junior and senior Grand Prix of Figure Skating FinalGrand Prix of Figure Skating Final
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final is an international, senior-level figure skating competition. It is the culmination of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Skaters compete in men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing....
(which starting in the 2008-2009 figure skating
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
season will be merged into a single two-division event), the hosting federation may issue a wild card invitation to one of their own skaters should no skater from the host country qualify for the event through the Grand Prix
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of international invitational competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Elite figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing...
circuit. Use of the wild card has not been common; however, it was used at the 2007-2008 Junior Grand Prix Final
2007-2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix
The 2007–2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the 11th season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the Junior-level complement to the 2007–2008 Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which is for Senior-level skaters...
by the Polish federation.