group stage
Noun
Meaning
group stage (plural group stages)
(sports) the stage of a competition where teams in the same group play each other, usually before the knockout stage.
Examples
Each group played a single round-robin cycle, where the top two teams from each group advanced to the Group stage.
In the 2008–09 season, Anorthosis Famagusta FC was the first Cypriot team to qualify for the UEFA Champions League Group stage.
Waveney Light Opera Group stage My Fair Lady at Beccles Public Hall this April.
Stage of elimination: Group stage - third in Group E (