Wild card (sports)
A wild card is an invitation to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to a team or individual that does not qualify via an automatic bid. In some events, organizers choose these entries freely. Other events have fixed rules governing who receives the spot. North American professional sports leagues compare records of teams that did not win their division outright. These non-qualifiers often finish as runner-ups to division winners but still earn postseason access based on league-wide performance.
In international sports, the term appears most prominently in Olympic Games and professional tennis tournaments. National Olympic Committees representing underrepresented nations may receive Universality Places for eligible sports like judo, archery, and badminton. Kye Sun-Hui won gold in judo at the 1996 Summer Olympics after receiving such a wildcard entry. Goran Ivanišević claimed the 2001 Wimbledon Championships title despite being ranked world number 125 following a shoulder injury. Kim Clijsters won the 2009 US Open after accepting a wildcard entry during her comeback from retirement. Lin Dan secured the 2013 BWF World Championships through similar discretionary selection by tournament organizers.
The NFL became the first major league to adopt the wild card format when it merged with the AFL in 1970. Before this merger, only division champions could compete for the championship. The Kansas City Chiefs finished second in the Western Division of the American Football League yet won Super Bowl IV in 1969 without holding that top spot. From 1975 to 1977, the divisional playoffs featured the number one seed hosting the wild card team while the number two seed faced the number three seed. By 1978, leagues expanded to include two wild card qualifiers per conference, creating what is now known as the Wild Card Round. In 1990, the NFL added a third wild card slot per conference, bringing total playoff participants to twelve teams before expanding further to fourteen teams in 2020.
In motorcycle racing, wildcards apply to competitors participating only in individual rounds of a championship. Makoto Tamada and Shaky Byrne each achieved double victories in Superbike World Championship events held within their home countries. Daijiro Kato finished third at his debut appearance in 1996 before winning back-to-back Japanese 250cc Grand Prix races in 1997 and 1998. Car racing wildcards typically involve part-time entries that do not compete across an entire season. Simona de Silvestro and Renee Gracie entered the 2016 Bathurst 1000 through such wildcard systems. These one-off participants often score championship points despite lacking full-season status.
NCAA tournaments grant automatic berths to conference tournament winners while filling remaining slots with at-large bids chosen by selection committees. The men's basketball field includes sixty-eight teams: thirty-two automatic qualifiers plus thirty-six at-large selections. Chicago State was the most recent independent school to join the Northeast Conference prior to the 2024, 25 season after competing without conference affiliation. Bowl games sometimes issue at-large bids when conferences cannot fulfill tie-in contracts. The 2009 Humanitarian Bowl featured Bowling Green Falcons from the Mid-American Conference after TCU Horned Frogs moved to the Fiesta Bowl. Selection Sunday reveals these choices on television, marking a pivotal moment for unranked programs seeking postseason opportunities.
FIBA Basketball World Cup invited four wildcards starting in 2006 to complete its twenty-four-team field. Italy, Puerto Rico, Serbia and Montenegro, and Turkey received spots in 2006, with Turkey reaching the quarterfinals. Euroleague reintroduced wildcards beginning in the 2016, 17 season after abolishing them earlier. European Rugby Champions Cup allows three wildcard places filled by second-place clubs with best overall records across pools. Super Rugby expanded to eighteen teams in 2016, increasing wildcards to four slots split between Australasian and African groups. UEFA European Championship adopted six groups of four teams starting in 2016, allowing four third-ranked teams to qualify as wildcards alongside group winners.
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Common questions
What is a wild card in sports?
A wild card is an invitation to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to a team or individual that does not qualify via an automatic bid. Organizers choose these entries freely in some events while other events have fixed rules governing who receives the spot.
Who won gold in judo at the 1996 Summer Olympics after receiving a wildcard entry?
Kye Sun-Hui won gold in judo at the 1996 Summer Olympics after receiving such a wildcard entry. National Olympic Committees representing underrepresented nations may receive Universality Places for eligible sports like judo, archery, and badminton.
When did the NFL become the first major league to adopt the wild card format?
The NFL became the first major league to adopt the wild card format when it merged with the AFL in 1970. Before this merger, only division champions could compete for the championship.
How many teams are in the NCAA men's basketball field including wildcards?
The men's basketball field includes sixty-eight teams consisting of thirty-two automatic qualifiers plus thirty-six at-large selections. Selection Sunday reveals these choices on television marking a pivotal moment for unranked programs seeking postseason opportunities.
Which countries received FIBA Basketball World Cup wildcards starting in 2006?
Italy, Puerto Rico, Serbia and Montenegro, and Turkey received spots in 2006 to complete its twenty-four-team field. Turkey reached the quarterfinals while other invited teams participated as part of the four wildcards introduced that year.