How do I start the second stage of my league?

Open your league and use Start second stage. It is an explicit three step action: preview, start, and reset if you need to undo.

The preview shows a snapshot of the standings, the seeding it proposes with each team’s rating and group position, how many teams qualify, and which first stage matches are still unplayed. You can drag teams to reseed by hand. This screen is also the only place where the second stage rules can still be changed: how many teams go to each bracket, whether to add a third place match, two legs, tiebreak, extra time and penalties. Once the matches are generated those settings are locked.

Some things block the start: the league is not two stage, the schedule is not generated, the second stage already started, a match is in progress, or the bracket size is not 2, 4, 8, 16 or 32. Other things only warn you and still let you start: unplayed fixtures, too few played matches, or a team qualifying without a single game.

Starting closes every first stage group, which freezes the unplayed fixtures. The preview names how many. Reset unfreezes them, as long as no second stage match has started.

Both formats work the same way: a playoff bracket, and two final groups.