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A game seven is the final game of a best-of-seven series. This game can occur in the postseasons for Major League Baseball (MLB) (League Championship Series and World Series), the National Basketball Association (NBA) (all rounds of the NBA playoffs), and the National Hockey League (NHL) (all rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs). The game is generally played at the site of the team holding the home advantage across the series. It can also happen on the television game show Jeopardy! with its Tournament of Champions format since Season 38, where a player must win three games to win the final (2-2-2 tie leads to a Game Seven).
The nature of a best-of-seven series requires that the series be tied 3–3 going into game seven, such that either team can take the series (advancing further in the playoffs or winning the championship) by winning the game. Because of this decisive nature, game sevens add an element of drama to their sports. Aside from North American sports leagues, game sevens are also a fixture in many other sports around the world, mostly in baseball, basketball, and ice hockey leagues. Most codes of football do not employ a best-of-seven series (or any best-of- x series in general), hence game sevens are not played in those leagues. Some playoff rounds (such as MLB's current Division Series) are played in a best-of-five format, such that game five has similar qualities to those described above, though the suspense and drama have less time to build in a shorter series. Furthermore, the World Series of 1903, 1919, 1920, and 1921 were played in a best-of-nine format, though none of the four went to a decisive game nine.
The game seven is comparable to a final or to a single game in a single-elimination tournament or to a one-game playoff. A championship series' game seven is equivalent to the Super Bowl game in the National Football League in that the game's winner is the league's champion for the season.
Taiwan Series that were decided in game seven include:
| Capacity audience. | |||
| Uni-President Lions | Sinon Bulls | Capacity audience. Lo Min-ching homered the fifth time and then the sixth in the series. | |
| Capacity audience. Yofu Tetsu saved the Elephants. | |||
| Sinon Bulls | Uni-President Lions | Capacity audience. Chang Chia-hao hit the winning triple in the ninth inning. | |
| Capacity audience. Nelson Figueroa became the first player taking three starting wins in CPBL playoff history. | |||
| Capacity audience. Luther Hackman closed the game. | |||
| Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions | Brother Elephants | Capacity audience. Lions win their third consecutive championship. | |
| Capacity audience. Pat Misch pitched the only no hitter ever in Taiwan Series. Lamigo overcomes a 3–1 series deficit to win their second consecutive championship. |
In the World Series, there have been 41 decisive game sevens through the 2025 season; visiting teams have won 22 of those games. Four non-decisive game sevens have been played, in the World Series contested as best-of-nine series (1903, 1919, 1920, 1921); none went to a game nine.
World Series decided by a game seven:
| Rookie Babe Adams tosses a six hit shutout for his third win of the series. | ||||
| This decisive contest was actually Game 8, as Game 2 had ended in a tie. | ||||
| Longest game seven in innings. In the 12th, Muddy Ruel doubled after a dropped foul popfly by Giants catcher Hank Gowdy. Ruel scored on a game-winning RBI double by Earl McNeely. | ||||
| Pittsburgh became the first team in a best-of-seven series to win the series when trailing 3–1. | ||||
| Grover Cleveland Alexander strikes out Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded to end the seventh and preserve the Cardinals lead. Two innings later Babe Ruth is caught stealing to end the World Series. | ||||
| St. Louis Cardinals | Last postseason game for the Athletics while based in Philadelphia. | |||
| St. Louis Cardinals | Dizzy Dean's second win, a six-hit shutout on one day of rest, gives the Cardinals the title. | |||
| A sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly scored the winning runs. | ||||
| Cubs last World Series appearance until 2016. | ||||
| Enos Slaughter's famous mad dash scored the deciding run to win the game and the series. | ||||
| This was the Series that featured Cookie Lavagetto's pinch-hit that spoiled Bill Bevens' no-hit bid and Al Gionfriddo's catch to rob Joe DiMaggio of a home run. | ||||
| New York Yankees | Brooklyn Dodgers | Billy Martin's game saving infield catch preserves the Yankees lead and helps win the game and the series. | ||
| Dodgers' only championship in Brooklyn. The home team won all games of the series except for Game 7. | ||||
| Jackie Robinson's final Major League game. Last postseason game at Ebbets Field and Dodgers' last postseason game before moving to Los Angeles. As in the 1955 World Series, the only game won by the visiting team was Game 7. | ||||
| The Braves' only championship in Milwaukee. | ||||
| The Yankees overcome a 3–1 deficit. This was the Braves' last postseason game in Milwaukee. | ||||
| Bill Mazeroski hit a walk-off home run to win the Pirates the championship. Last postseason game in Forbes Field. Last postseason game for Yankees' manager Casey Stengel. Highest scoring game 7 in World Series history. As of 2021, this the most recent time that a Pittsburgh sports franchise has clinched a championship in Pittsburgh. | ||||
| With runners on second and third and two outs, Willie McCovey's line drive to Bobby Richardson ended the game. First 1–0 game seven score. | ||||
| Last postseason game at Busch Stadium I. | ||||
| Pitching through immense pain and on two days rest, Sandy Koufax throws a 3-hit shutout to win the Series and World Series MVP. The home team won all games of the series except for Game 7. | ||||
| Bob Gibson wins his third game of the Series and also homers. | ||||
| Mickey Lolich outduels Bob Gibson for his third win of the Series. The Tigers rallied from a 3–1 deficit to win the series. First Game 7 loss by the Cardinals in the World Series. | ||||
| The home team won all games of the series, except for Game 7. | ||||
| The A's first championship in Oakland. | ||||
| Oakland Athletics | Bert Campaneris and Reggie Jackson hit the only Oakland home runs in this game to set the tone for victory and the series. | |||
| One night after Carlton Fisk's famous home run, the Reds rebound to take the Series, overcoming a 3–0 deficit with two runs in the 6th and runs in the 7th and 9th inning. | ||||
| The Pittsburgh Pirates, powered by NLCS and World Series MVP Willie Stargell, rally from a 3–1 deficit to win the series. The Pirates were the last team to win a game seven on the road until 2014. | ||||
| Joaquín Andújar earns his second win of the Series and Bruce Sutter his second save. | ||||
| The Royals also won the 1985 American League Championship Series in seven games, becoming the first team to win two game sevens in the same postseason. Royals became first team to win the World Series after losing the first two games at home. The Royals were the last team to come back from 3–1 down to win a title in any of the five major men's professional sports leagues until the Cleveland Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA Finals after trailing 3–1. The Royals are so far the only team to come back from 3–1 deficits to win both their League Championship Series and the World Series in the same MLB postseason. | ||||
| Mets become the first team to be one strike away from elimination and come back to win the World Series. Bill Buckner's infamous 10th-inning fielding error at first base allowed the Mets to win Game 6 in a walk-off and force Game 7. | ||||
| The home team won all 7 games of the series for the first time in MLB history. | ||||
| Minnesota Twins | 1–0 extra innings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis | As in 1987, the home team won all games of the series. The Twins won in the bottom of the 10th on a walk-off single by Gene Larkin scoring Dan Gladden after scoreless innings of play. Jack Morris goes all ten innings for the Twins and is named the Series MVP. Twins centerfielder Kirby Puckett hit a famous walk-off home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning of the previous night's game to force this decisive game. | |
| Florida becomes the first wild card team to win the World Series. The Marlins rallied for one run in the bottom of the ninth to tie and won in the eleventh on an Édgar Rentería RBI single off Charles Nagy. | ||||
| Arizona rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth for a come-from-behind win, capped off by Luis Gonzalez hitting the winning RBI single off closer Mariano Rivera. As in both 1987 and 1991, the home team won all games of the series. | ||||
| John Lackey became the second rookie pitcher to win a World Series game seven. | ||||
| Cardinals became the second team to be one strike away from elimination and come back to win the series, which they did twice. Just like the 1991 series, a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning of game six, forced this decisive game with David Freese providing the firepower. | ||||
| The Giants became the first NL team to win a game seven on the road since 1979. NLCS MVP and eventual World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner, normally a starter, pitched five scoreless innings of relief on two days rest to save the Giants' third title in five years. | ||||
| Chicago Cubs' first World Series win since 1908. Game played between the two teams (Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs) with the longest active championship droughts. Dexter Fowler the first player ever to lead off a World Series Game 7 with a home run. The Cubs are the first Major League Baseball team to come back from a 3–1 series deficit to win the World Series since the 1985 Royals and the first since the 1979 Pirates to do so by winning Games 6 & 7 on the road. Most recent World Series game seven to be decided in extra innings. First extra-innings game seven to be won by the road team. | ||||
| First instance of back-to-back game sevens since 2001–2002. First World Series championship for the Astros, who became the first AL team to win a World Series Game 7 on the road since 1972. The Astros became the second team to win two winner-take-all game sevens in the same postseason since the Kansas City Royals in 1985. First major professional sports championship in Houston since 1995. | ||||
| This is the first best-of-seven postseason series in any of the major North American sports where the visiting team won all seven games. This was the Nationals' first World Series win and the first time a Washington-based team won the World Series since 1924. | ||||
| Los Angeles overcame a 3–0 deficit, with Miguel Rojas tying the game on his home run in the 9th before Will Smith gave Los Angeles the lead on the first ever extra-inning home run in a Game 7 with his home run in the 11th. Dodgers became fifth road team to win Game 7 of a World Series. | ||||
| New York forced a game seven after trailing 0–3 in the series. | |||||
| The teams alternated wins throughout the series. | |||||
| Minneapolis Lakers | The teams alternated wins throughout the series. | ||||
| The home team won all games of this series. | |||||
| Only game seven in NBA history to go into two overtimes. | |||||
| Boston Celtics | St. Louis Hawks | 122–103 | Boston Garden, Boston | The teams alternated wins throughout the series. Last time the NBA Finals were played in March. | |
| Boston Celtics | 110–107 (OT) | Boston Garden, Boston | Most recent NBA Finals game seven to go into overtime. | ||
| Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 95–93 | Boston Garden, Boston | Last NBA Finals until 2016 that a team down 3–1 rallied to force a game seven. | |
| Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | Final game for Celtics Bill Russell and Sam Jones. Jerry West was Finals MVP, the first time the award was given, and only time it has gone to a player on the losing team. | |||
| New York Knicks | Los Angeles Lakers | Notable for Willis Reed's return from injury. The teams alternated wins throughout the series. | |||
| The final four games were each won by the road team. | |||||
| Last NBA Finals game seven won by the away team until 2016. | |||||
| Last NBA Finals until 2014 that followed a 2–2–1–1–1 format. | |||||
| Second consecutive championship for Los Angeles. Coach Pat Riley had promised fans a repeat during the prior season's championship celebration. | |||||
| Pat Riley became the first head coach to appear in an NBA Finals game seven with two different teams (Lakers in 1984 and 1988, Knicks in 1994). | |||||
| Detroit was attempting to repeat as champions, having defeated the Lakers in the prior season's NBA Finals. | |||||
| Fifth time that the Celtics and Lakers met in a game 7. Kobe Bryant won his second consecutive Finals MVP award, scoring 10 of his game high 23 points in the fourth quarter, as well as grabbing 15 rebounds to clinch the victory for the Lakers. | |||||
| Third consecutive NBA Finals for Miami, and their second consecutive championship. Last NBA Finals to use a 2–3–2 format. | |||||
| First away team to win game 7 of the NBA Finals since 1978. The Cavaliers also became the first team in the four major men's professional sports leagues to come back from 3–1 down in a championship round since the 1985 Kansas City Royals and first team ever to do so in the NBA Finals. First major professional sports championship in Cleveland since 1964. | |||||
| Oklahoma City Thunder win first NBA championship since relocating from Seattle. Youngest team since the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers to win an NBA championship. |
The game sevens where the Gagarin Cup was awarded are:
| Inaugural season for the Kontinental Hockey League after it was reorganized from the former Russian Superleague. | ||
| 2010 | Ak Bars Kazan | |
The game sevens where Liiga awarded gold medals and the Kanada-malja include:
The game sevens where the Stanley Cup was awarded are:
| Toronto came back down 0–3 in the series to win the Stanley Cup. The Leafs were the first team in North American professional sports to win a playoff series after trailing 0–3. It remains the only time in the Stanley Cup Finals where a team won a championship series after trailing 0–3. | ||||
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Detroit Red Wings | Detroit was down 0–3 in the series and rallied to force game seven before losing. | ||
| 4–3 (2OT) | Olympia Stadium, Detroit | Longest game seven in a Stanley Cup Finals. | ||
| Detroit Red Wings | 2–1 (OT) | Olympia Stadium, Detroit | Most recent Stanley Cup Finals game seven to be decided in overtime. | |
| Detroit Red Wings | 3–1 | Olympia Stadium, Detroit | Red Wings' last Stanley Cup victory until . The home team won all games of the series. | |
| First game seven that ended in a shutout. | ||||
| The home team won all games of the series. | ||||
| Montreal Canadiens | Chicago Black Hawks | The home team won all games of the series except for game seven. Chicago led 2–0 in the deciding game at home before allowing three unanswered goals and losing the game. | ||
| Flyers rallied from a 3–1 series deficit to force a decisive game, but lost. | ||||
| Canucks represented Canada's last Stanley Cup Finals appearance until Calgary Flames. Rangers won their first Stanley Cup since 1940. | ||||
| Long-time Boston Bruins captain Ray Bourque won the Stanley Cup in the last of his 22 seasons in the NHL. | ||||
| The home team won all games of the series. This was Ken Daneyko's final playing season with New Jersey, as he retired after the Devils' Cup win. | ||||
| Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk won his Stanley Cup after 22 seasons. | ||||
| First Stanley Cup Finals featuring two former World Hockey Association teams. The Hurricanes became the first Stanley Cup champion to miss the playoffs in the previous season and the following season. This was Rod Brind'Amour's first and only Stanley Cup in his 21-year playing career. | ||||
| The home team won all games of the series, except for game seven. First time the away team won game seven of a championship round, in any major professional sport, since the 1979 World Series. | ||||
| The home team won all games of the series, except for game seven. Not only does Boston became the first city to win all four major sports championships in the 21st century, but also Vancouver failed to become the third city to win the Stanley Cup after hosting the Olympic Games the previous year. | ||||
| St. Louis becomes the last of the five surviving teams from the 1967 NHL expansion to win the Stanley Cup. Jordan Binnington becomes the first rookie goaltender to register 16 postseason wins in NHL history. The road team won five of the seven games of the series, except for games one and four. This is also the first championship for a team based in St. Louis since 2011. | ||||
| Florida won the first three games of the series by a combined score of 11–4. Edmonton rallied back from a 3–0 series deficit, forcing a seventh game in the series in which they had the opportunity to overcome the deficit. However, Florida avoided a historic reverse sweep and won the last game of the series at home. This marked the first time that the home team had won a game seven of a championship round since the 2013 NBA Finals, which was coincidentally the last time that a team based in the Miami area won a championship up to that point. |
| Charlie Williams led all scorers with 35 points as Pittsburgh won the inaugural ABA Finals. |
| The teams alternated wins throughout the series. |
| Dallas forced Game 7 after winning Game 5 and Game 6. |
| Indiana became the first (and only) ABA team to win a playoff series after being down 3–1. |
| Donnie Freeman led all scorers with 32 points. |
| Rick Barry scored 52 points, the most points scored in a Game 7 in NBA/ABA history. |
| Indiana forced Game 7 after being down 3–1 but Utah became first team to win a Game 7 on the road. |
| Home team won every game of the series. Utah won their first (and so far only) professional basketball championship. |
| Teams alternated victories in the series. |
| Road team won Game 7, with Indiana getting revenge on Utah. |
| Series lasted three weeks with a nine-day gap between Game 2 and 3 due to venue scheduling issues. |
| Indiana won on the road for their third and last ABA championship. |
| Pacers trailed 42–29 at halftime. |
| Indiana forced a Game 7 after being down 3–0 before the Stars won. |
| Nets went on a 17–4 with the game tied late to win the series. |
| Teams alternated victories in the series. Final game of the Colonels, who did not join the NBA with the merger of the ABA and NBA. |
| Trailing 2-1 in the third period with ten minutes to play, Ralph Backstrom and Jan Popiel each scored goals for Chicago to lift them over New England. |
| Cougars had four goal-scorers in the second period as they once again defeated a team on the road. |
| By winning Game 7 after losing Game 5 and 6, New England narrowly avoided losing a series after leading 3-1; series was won on the road. |
| Poul Popiel scores go-ahead goal at 7:49 in the first period. |
| The home team won every game of the series as five different Jets players score goals, with Anders Hedberg and Bobby Hull leading the way with two each. |
| Quebec won the Avco World Trophy in the only championship final to go seven games with a six-goal second period. |
| Home team won every game of the WHA Semifinals. Oilers score four goals in the second period, with two coming from Wayne Gretzky. |
More common, and not enumerated here, are teams that have forced and won a seventh game after being down three games to one.
| NHL |
| Nippon Professional Baseball |
| NHL |
| Nippon Professional Baseball |
| MLB |
| NHL |
| Liiga |
| NHL |
| Kontinental Hockey League |
| Philippine Basketball Association |
Mike Richards and Jeff Carter are the only players to have been a part of two comebacks from being down 0–3, having played for both the 2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers and the 2013–14 Los Angeles Kings.
| NHL |
| NHL |
| NBA |
| ABA |
| NHL |
| Nippon Professional Baseball |
| NBA |
| NBA |
| NHL |
| NHL |
| Liiga |
| ECHL (ice hockey) |
| MLB |
| NBA |
| Liiga |
| NHL |
The New York Islanders are the only team to have twice fallen behind 0–3 and then forced a game seven in the same postseason; in the 1975 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals (which they won) and then the 1975 Stanley Cup Semifinals (which they lost).
| Has occurred once in the NBA Finals (0–1) |
| Has occurred three times in the Stanley Cup Finals (1–2) |
| Has never occurred in the World Series |
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