Embed a Tournament Bracket on WordPress: Plugin or Embed Code
There are two ways to put a Score7 tournament on a WordPress page. Install the Score7 plugin and add its tournament block, with no code at all, or paste the embed code into a Custom HTML block. Both show the same frame: your bracket, matches or standings, updating on your page as you enter results.
Before you start
- A tournament on Score7. The frame shows the same pages anyone with the tournament's link can open. If the tournament has a password, readers of your WordPress page are asked for it before the tournament loads.
- The embed dialog. Open the tournament, go to Settings and click Show embed code. Both the embed code and the plugin download live in that dialog. Embedding is a Premium feature: see tournament embedding for what it includes.
- For the plugin only: a WordPress administrator. Only a site administrator can install a plugin. The plugin needs WordPress 6.0 or newer.
Option 1: the Score7 plugin (no code)
This is the easier path for most WordPress sites. You paste the tournament's address, not HTML.
- In the embed dialog, click Download the Score7 plugin. You get a
.zipfile: keep it as it is, do not unzip it. - In WordPress, go to Plugins, Add New Plugin, Upload Plugin, choose the file, then Install Now and Activate.
- Edit your page and add the Score7 tournament block.
- Paste the tournament's address into the block. Copy it from your browser while the tournament is open on score7.io.
- Pick what the frame shows, then publish.
The block offers these options:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Section | Which part of the tournament the frame opens on. The list shows only the sections this tournament actually has, such as overview, participants, matches or standings. |
| Show the tournament title and logo | Shows or hides the header above the content. |
| Show the section tabs inside the frame | Lets readers switch sections without leaving your page. |
| Theme | Light, dark, or follow the reader's device. |
| Language of the tournament | A fixed language, or follow the reader's browser. |
| Show the Score7 credit under the tournament | A small "Powered by Score7" line under the frame. On by default, and you can untick it. |
If the address does not look like a Score7 tournament, the block tells you so in the editor. If Score7 cannot find a tournament at that address, the published page shows a short message instead of an empty frame.
Using the classic editor
The plugin also adds a shortcode, for pages that do not use blocks:
[score7_tournament url="https://www.score7.io/tournaments/your-tournament" theme="light"]
It takes tab, tabs, theme, lang and attribution, with the same values as the block. The tournament title and logo always show in a shortcode frame.
Option 2: paste the embed code
Use this when you would rather not install a plugin, or when your site is not on WordPress at all. The code works on any page that accepts HTML.
- In the embed dialog, set the options: Display Title and Logo, Show tab navigation, Initial tab, Theme and Language. The code updates as you change them.
- Click the code box to select it all, and copy it.
- In WordPress, add a Custom HTML block, paste the code and publish.
The code has three parts: the frame itself, the "Powered by Score7" line, and a short script that sizes the frame to its content. Without the script the frame stays at its starting height of 600 pixels, so long brackets scroll inside it.
One WordPress catch: WordPress removes frames and scripts from a page saved by a user who is not allowed to post unfiltered HTML. Authors and Contributors are not, and on a multisite network only super admins are. If the embed disappears after you save, that is why: ask an administrator to paste it, or use the plugin.
Ready to try it? See how tournament embedding works, then open your tournament's Settings and click Show embed code: the dialog walks you through both options.
What the frame does once it is live
- It updates itself. While results are coming in, the frame checks for changes about once a minute and reloads the tournament when something changed. After a quieter spell it checks every five minutes, and it stops checking a tournament that has not changed for a day. It pauses while the frame is off screen or the browser tab is in the background, and after 30 minutes without the reader touching the frame, and picks up again when the reader comes back.
- It sizes itself to the content, with the plugin or with the full embed code, so a bracket does not end up cropped.
- It loads when the reader gets there. The frame waits until the reader scrolls near it, so a tournament at the bottom of a long page does not slow down the top.
- It wears your colour. If you set a colour for the tournament, the frame uses it.
- It shows the tournament while the organizer has Premium. If the organizer's Premium lapses, the frame shows a notice instead of the tournament until it is renewed.
Plugin or code: which one?
| Plugin | Embed code | |
|---|---|---|
| Needs code on your page | No | Yes, one paste |
| Who can set it up | An administrator installs it once, then anyone who edits pages | Whoever is allowed to post unfiltered HTML |
| Section list | Shows the sections this tournament has | Shows the tournament's public tabs |
| Score7 credit line | A tick box | Part of the code |
| Works outside WordPress | No | Yes |
If you run a WordPress site and have admin access, the plugin is the shorter road. If you move between several sites or platforms, keep the embed code.
When something looks wrong
- The page shows nothing, or "could not be found". Check that the address matches the one in your browser while the tournament is open on score7.io.
- The frame has its own scroll bar. The sizing script was removed. Use the plugin, or have an administrator paste the code.
- The frame shows a notice about an expired Premium subscription. The organizer's Premium has lapsed. Renewing it brings the tournament back in the same frame.
- The frame opens on the wrong section. Change Section in the block, or Initial tab in the embed dialog and paste the new code.
For more on sharing a tournament beyond your website, see the tournament maker that embeds cleanly on your website, sharing a bracket with a QR code and making a tournament private with a password.