<P> Frequently, pool stages within a wider tournament are conducted on a round - robin basis . Examples with single round - robin scheduling include the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Football Championship, and UEFA Cup (2004--2009) in football, Super Rugby (rugby union) in the Southern Hemisphere during its past iterations as Super 12 and Super 14 (but not in its later 15 - and 18 - team formats), the Cricket World Cup, Indian Premier League Twenty - 20 Cricket, The International (Dota 2) and many American Football college conferences, such as the Big 12 (which currently has 10 members). The group phases of the UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores de América are contested as a double round - robin, as are most basketball leagues outside the United States, including the regular - season and Top 16 phases of the Euroleague; the United Football League has used a double round - robin for both its 2009 and 2010 seasons . </P> <P> Season ending tennis tournaments also use a round robin format prior to the semi on stages </P> <P> In theory, a round - robin tournament is the fairest way to determine the champion from among a known and fixed number of participants . Each participant, whether player or team, has equal chances against all other opponents . The element of luck is seen to be reduced as compared to a knockout system since one or two bad performances need not cripple a competitor's chance of ultimate victory . Final records of participants are more accurate as they represent the results over a longer period against the same opposition . This can also be used to determine which teams are the poorest performers and thus subject to relegation if the format is used in a multi-tiered league . This is also helpful to determine the final rank of all competitors, from strongest to weakest, for purposes of qualification for another stage or competition as well as for prize money . In team sport the (round - robin) major league champions are generally regarded as the "best" team in the land, rather than the (elimination) cup winners . </P> <P> Moreover, in tournaments such as the FIFA or ICC world cups, a first round stage consisting of a number of mini round robins between groups of 4 teams guards against the possibility of a team travelling possibly thousands of miles only to be eliminated after just one poor performance in a straight knockout system . The top one, two, or occasionally three teams in these groups then proceed to a straight knockout stage for the remainder of the tournament . </P>

How many games in a 10 team round robin