diff --git a/app/channels/application_cable/connection.rb b/app/channels/application_cable/connection.rb
index 8d6c2a1..347b72c 100644
--- a/app/channels/application_cable/connection.rb
+++ b/app/channels/application_cable/connection.rb
@@ -2,5 +2,12 @@
 
 module ApplicationCable
   class Connection < ActionCable::Connection::Base
+    def connect
+      MetricsRegistry.action_cable_connected
+    end
+
+    def disconnect
+      MetricsRegistry.action_cable_disconnected
+    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
index f13d19f..97043de 100644
--- a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 class ApplicationController < ActionController::API
   include DeviseTokenAuth::Concerns::SetUserByToken
 
+  around_action :record_request_metrics
   before_action :configure_permitted_parameters, if: :devise_controller?
 
   rescue_from ActionController::ParameterMissing do |e|
@@ -19,6 +20,23 @@ class ApplicationController < ActionController::API
 
   private
 
+  def record_request_metrics
+    start_time = Process.clock_gettime(Process::CLOCK_MONOTONIC)
+    metrics_status = nil
+    yield
+  rescue StandardError => e
+    metrics_status = ActionDispatch::ExceptionWrapper.status_code_for_exception(e.class.name)
+    raise
+  ensure
+    MetricsRegistry.record_http_request(
+      method: request.request_method,
+      controller: controller_path,
+      action: action_name,
+      status: metrics_status || response.status,
+      duration: Process.clock_gettime(Process::CLOCK_MONOTONIC) - start_time
+    )
+  end
+
   def require_owner!(owner)
     render_forbidden_error if owner != current_user
   end
diff --git a/app/controllers/metrics_controller.rb b/app/controllers/metrics_controller.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..378fed3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/controllers/metrics_controller.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+class MetricsController < ApplicationController
+  def index
+    render plain: MetricsRegistry.render_prometheus,
+           content_type: 'text/plain; version=0.0.4'
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/controllers/tournaments_controller.rb b/app/controllers/tournaments_controller.rb
index bc29529..9478dc6 100644
--- a/app/controllers/tournaments_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/tournaments_controller.rb
@@ -12,15 +12,18 @@ class TournamentsController < ApplicationController
   end
 
   before_action :set_tournament_for_show, only: %i[show]
-  before_action :set_tournament, only: %i[update destroy set_timer timer sync_state test_sync]
-  before_action :authenticate_user!, only: %i[create update destroy set_timer test_sync]
-  before_action -> { require_owner! @tournament.owner }, only: %i[update destroy set_timer test_sync]
+  before_action :set_tournament,
+                only: %i[update destroy set_timer timer sync_state test_sync start_next_group_matches]
+  before_action :authenticate_user!, only: %i[create update destroy set_timer test_sync start_next_group_matches]
+  before_action -> { require_owner! @tournament.owner },
+                only: %i[update destroy set_timer test_sync start_next_group_matches]
   before_action :validate_create_params, only: %i[create]
   before_action :validate_update_params, only: %i[update]
   before_action :validate_set_timer_params, only: %i[set_timer]
   before_action :ensure_update_allowed!, only: %i[update]
   before_action :ensure_destroy_allowed!, only: %i[destroy]
   before_action :ensure_timer_update_allowed!, only: %i[set_timer]
+  before_action -> { require_writable_tournament!(@tournament) }, only: %i[start_next_group_matches]
   before_action :authorize_sync_request!, only: %i[sync_state]
   rescue_from ActiveRecord::RecordNotFound, with: :render_not_found_error
 
@@ -165,6 +168,20 @@ class TournamentsController < ApplicationController
     }, status: :bad_gateway
   end
 
+  # PATCH /tournaments/:id/start_next_group_matches
+  def start_next_group_matches
+    started_matches = TournamentGroupMatchStarter.start_next!(@tournament, logger:)
+    if started_matches.any?
+      push_sync_if_needed!(@tournament)
+      TournamentLiveBroadcast.call(@tournament.id)
+    end
+
+    render json: ActiveModelSerializers::SerializableResource.new(
+      started_matches,
+      each_serializer: LiveMatchSerializer,
+      include: %w[match_scores.team]
+    ).as_json
+  end
 
   private
 
diff --git a/app/services/metrics_registry.rb b/app/services/metrics_registry.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..36d50a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/services/metrics_registry.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,212 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+class MetricsRegistry
+  HTTP_LABELS = %i[method controller action status].freeze
+  REQUEST_DURATION_BUCKETS = [0.005, 0.01, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, 10].freeze
+  STARTED_AT = Process.clock_gettime(Process::CLOCK_MONOTONIC)
+
+  class << self
+    def record_http_request(method:, controller:, action:, status:, duration:)
+      labels = http_labels(method:, controller:, action:, status:)
+
+      synchronize do
+        @http_requests[labels] += 1
+        histogram = @http_request_duration[labels]
+        histogram[:count] += 1
+        histogram[:sum] += duration.to_f
+        REQUEST_DURATION_BUCKETS.each do |bucket|
+          histogram[:buckets][bucket] += 1 if duration.to_f <= bucket
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
+    def action_cable_connected
+      synchronize do
+        @action_cable_connections += 1
+        @action_cable_connections_total += 1
+      end
+    end
+
+    def action_cable_disconnected
+      synchronize do
+        @action_cable_connections = [@action_cable_connections - 1, 0].max
+      end
+    end
+
+    def render_prometheus
+      snapshot = snapshot_metrics
+
+      PrometheusRenderer.new(snapshot).render
+    end
+
+    def reset!
+      @mutex = Mutex.new
+      @http_requests = Hash.new(0)
+      @http_request_duration = Hash.new do |hash, labels|
+        hash[labels] = {
+          count: 0,
+          sum: 0.0,
+          buckets: REQUEST_DURATION_BUCKETS.index_with(0)
+        }
+      end
+      @action_cable_connections = 0
+      @action_cable_connections_total = 0
+    end
+
+    private
+
+    def synchronize(&block)
+      reset! if @mutex.nil?
+
+      @mutex.synchronize(&block)
+    end
+
+    def snapshot_metrics
+      synchronize do
+        {
+          http_requests: @http_requests.dup,
+          http_request_duration: @http_request_duration.transform_values do |histogram|
+            {
+              count: histogram.fetch(:count),
+              sum: histogram.fetch(:sum),
+              buckets: histogram.fetch(:buckets).dup
+            }
+          end,
+          action_cable_connections: @action_cable_connections,
+          action_cable_connections_total: @action_cable_connections_total,
+          uptime_seconds: Process.clock_gettime(Process::CLOCK_MONOTONIC) - STARTED_AT,
+          active_record_pool: active_record_pool_stats,
+          git_commit_sha: ENV.fetch('GIT_COMMIT_SHA', 'unknown')
+        }
+      end
+    end
+
+    def http_labels(method:, controller:, action:, status:)
+      {
+        method: method.to_s.upcase,
+        controller: controller.to_s,
+        action: action.to_s,
+        status: status.to_i.to_s
+      }.freeze
+    end
+
+    def active_record_pool_stats
+      return {} unless defined?(ActiveRecord::Base)
+
+      ActiveRecord::Base.connection_pool.stat
+    rescue StandardError
+      {}
+    end
+  end
+
+  class PrometheusRenderer
+    def initialize(snapshot)
+      @snapshot = snapshot
+      @lines = []
+    end
+
+    def render
+      render_build_info
+      render_http_requests
+      render_http_request_duration
+      render_action_cable_connections
+      render_process_metrics
+      render_active_record_pool
+
+      "#{lines.join("\n")}\n"
+    end
+
+    private
+
+    attr_reader :snapshot, :lines
+
+    def render_build_info
+      help('turniere_build_info', 'Build metadata for this process.')
+      type('turniere_build_info', 'gauge')
+      sample('turniere_build_info', 1, git_commit_sha: snapshot.fetch(:git_commit_sha))
+    end
+
+    def render_http_requests
+      help('turniere_http_requests_total', 'Total HTTP requests handled by Rails controllers.')
+      type('turniere_http_requests_total', 'counter')
+      snapshot.fetch(:http_requests).each do |labels, count|
+        sample('turniere_http_requests_total', count, labels)
+      end
+    end
+
+    def render_http_request_duration
+      help('turniere_http_request_duration_seconds', 'HTTP request duration in seconds.')
+      type('turniere_http_request_duration_seconds', 'histogram')
+      snapshot.fetch(:http_request_duration).each do |labels, histogram|
+        histogram.fetch(:buckets).each do |bucket, count|
+          sample('turniere_http_request_duration_seconds_bucket', count, labels.merge(le: format_number(bucket)))
+        end
+        sample('turniere_http_request_duration_seconds_bucket', histogram.fetch(:count), labels.merge(le: '+Inf'))
+        sample('turniere_http_request_duration_seconds_sum', histogram.fetch(:sum), labels)
+        sample('turniere_http_request_duration_seconds_count', histogram.fetch(:count), labels)
+      end
+    end
+
+    def render_action_cable_connections
+      help('turniere_action_cable_connections', 'Currently open ActionCable websocket connections.')
+      type('turniere_action_cable_connections', 'gauge')
+      sample('turniere_action_cable_connections', snapshot.fetch(:action_cable_connections))
+
+      help('turniere_action_cable_connections_total', 'Total ActionCable websocket connections opened.')
+      type('turniere_action_cable_connections_total', 'counter')
+      sample('turniere_action_cable_connections_total', snapshot.fetch(:action_cable_connections_total))
+    end
+
+    def render_process_metrics
+      help('turniere_process_uptime_seconds', 'Process uptime in seconds.')
+      type('turniere_process_uptime_seconds', 'gauge')
+      sample('turniere_process_uptime_seconds', snapshot.fetch(:uptime_seconds))
+
+      help('turniere_ruby_threads', 'Ruby threads visible in this process.')
+      type('turniere_ruby_threads', 'gauge')
+      sample('turniere_ruby_threads', Thread.list.count)
+    end
+
+    def render_active_record_pool
+      help('turniere_active_record_connection_pool', 'ActiveRecord connection pool state.')
+      type('turniere_active_record_connection_pool', 'gauge')
+      snapshot.fetch(:active_record_pool).each do |state, value|
+        sample('turniere_active_record_connection_pool', value, state:)
+      end
+    end
+
+    def help(name, text)
+      lines << "# HELP #{name} #{text}"
+    end
+
+    def type(name, type)
+      lines << "# TYPE #{name} #{type}"
+    end
+
+    def sample(name, value, labels = {})
+      lines << "#{name}#{labels_string(labels)} #{format_number(value)}"
+    end
+
+    def labels_string(labels)
+      return '' if labels.empty?
+
+      formatted = labels.map do |key, value|
+        %(#{key}="#{escape_label_value(value)}")
+      end
+
+      "{#{formatted.join(',')}}"
+    end
+
+    def escape_label_value(value)
+      value.to_s.gsub('\\', '\\\\\\').gsub("\n", '\\n').gsub('"', '\"')
+    end
+
+    def format_number(value)
+      return value.to_s if value.is_a?(Integer)
+
+      format('%.12g', value)
+    end
+  end
+end
+
+MetricsRegistry.reset!
diff --git a/app/services/tournament_group_match_starter.rb b/app/services/tournament_group_match_starter.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0fdd7d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/services/tournament_group_match_starter.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+class TournamentGroupMatchStarter
+  class << self
+    def upcoming_matches(tournament)
+      group_stage = tournament.group_stage
+      return [] if group_stage.nil?
+
+      next_matches = group_stage.groups.filter_map do |group|
+        group.matches.not_started.order(:position).first
+      end
+      lowest_position = next_matches.map(&:position).min
+      return [] if lowest_position.nil?
+
+      next_matches.select { |match| match.position == lowest_position }
+                  .sort_by { |match| [match.position, match.group.number, match.id] }
+    end
+
+    def start_next!(tournament, logger: Rails.logger)
+      started_matches = []
+
+      Match.transaction do
+        started_matches = upcoming_matches(tournament)
+        started_matches.each { |match| match.update!(state: :in_progress) }
+        recalculate_group_scores!(started_matches, logger:)
+      end
+
+      started_matches
+    end
+
+    private
+
+    def recalculate_group_scores!(matches, logger:)
+      matches.map(&:group).uniq.each do |group|
+        next if UpdateGroupsGroupScoresAndSave.call(group:).success?
+
+        logger.warn "Updating groups group score failed for #{group}"
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/services/tournament_matches_payload.rb b/app/services/tournament_matches_payload.rb
index dea06cc..2a8fedb 100644
--- a/app/services/tournament_matches_payload.rb
+++ b/app/services/tournament_matches_payload.rb
@@ -79,12 +79,7 @@ class TournamentMatchesPayload
     end
 
     def upcoming_group_matches(tournament)
-      group_stage = tournament.stages.find { |stage| stage.level == -1 }
-      return [] if group_stage.nil?
-
-      group_stage.groups.filter_map do |group|
-        group.matches.select { |match| match.state == 'not_started' }.min_by(&:position)
-      end
+      TournamentGroupMatchStarter.upcoming_matches(tournament)
     end
 
     def upcoming_playoff_matches(tournament)
diff --git a/config/routes.rb b/config/routes.rb
index 945366d..ce2aeb8 100644
--- a/config/routes.rb
+++ b/config/routes.rb
@@ -34,10 +34,12 @@ Rails.application.routes.draw do
       get :timer
       patch :timer, action: :set_timer
       patch :sync_state
+      patch :start_next_group_matches
       post :test_sync
     end
   end
   resources :match_scores, only: %i[show update]
   get 'healthz', to: 'health#index'
+  get 'metrics', to: 'metrics#index'
   get 'version', to: 'version#show'
 end
diff --git a/doc/metrics.md b/doc/metrics.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3fc684f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/metrics.md
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+# Metrics
+
+The backend exposes Prometheus text metrics at `GET /metrics`.
+
+The endpoint is unauthenticated so monitoring systems can scrape it directly. It
+reports per-process in-memory values:
+
+- `turniere_http_requests_total`
+- `turniere_http_request_duration_seconds`
+- `turniere_action_cable_connections`
+- `turniere_action_cable_connections_total`
+- `turniere_process_uptime_seconds`
+- `turniere_ruby_threads`
+- `turniere_active_record_connection_pool`
+- `turniere_build_info`
+
+This covers app-level request and websocket health. Logs, traces, host metrics,
+and multi-process aggregation should remain infrastructure concerns. If Puma is
+ever run with multiple worker processes, scrape each process or container replica
+and aggregate in the monitoring backend.
diff --git a/spec/controllers/tournaments_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/tournaments_controller_spec.rb
index 2f95deb..4777793 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/tournaments_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/tournaments_controller_spec.rb
@@ -888,4 +888,54 @@ RSpec.describe TournamentsController, type: :controller do
       expect(json.dig(:tournament, :sync_last_push_error)).to eq('connection refused')
     end
   end
+
+  describe 'PATCH #start_next_group_matches' do
+    let(:tournament) { create(:group_stage_tournament, group_count: 4, match_factory: :filled_group_match) }
+    let(:groups) { tournament.group_stage.groups.sort_by(&:number) }
+
+    before do
+      set_group_match_states(groups[0], %i[finished finished finished in_progress])
+      groups.drop(1).each do |group|
+        set_group_match_states(group, %i[finished finished in_progress not_started])
+      end
+    end
+
+    context 'as owner' do
+      before do
+        apply_authentication_headers_for tournament.owner
+      end
+
+      it 'starts only lowest pending catch-up matches and returns them' do
+        expect(TournamentLiveBroadcast).to receive(:call).with(tournament.id)
+
+        patch :start_next_group_matches, params: { id: tournament.to_param }
+
+        expect(response).to have_http_status(:ok)
+        body = deserialize_response(response)
+        expect(body.map { |match| match.dig(:group, :id) }).to match_array(groups.drop(1).map(&:id))
+        expect(body.map { |match| match[:position] }.uniq).to eq([3])
+        expect(body.map { |match| match[:state] }.uniq).to eq(['in_progress'])
+        expect(groups.drop(1).map { |group| group.matches.find_by!(position: 3).reload.state }.uniq)
+          .to eq(['in_progress'])
+      end
+    end
+
+    context 'as another user' do
+      before do
+        apply_authentication_headers_for create(:user)
+      end
+
+      it 'renders a forbidden error response' do
+        patch :start_next_group_matches, params: { id: tournament.to_param }
+
+        expect(response).to have_http_status(:forbidden)
+      end
+    end
+
+    def set_group_match_states(group, states)
+      group.matches.order(:id).each_with_index do |match, index|
+        match.update!(position: index, state: states.fetch(index))
+      end
+    end
+  end
 end
diff --git a/spec/e2e/http/api_surface_spec.rb b/spec/e2e/http/api_surface_spec.rb
index 8b7354f..02c6c3b 100644
--- a/spec/e2e/http/api_surface_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/e2e/http/api_surface_spec.rb
@@ -376,7 +376,6 @@ RSpec.describe 'Backend API surface HTTP E2E' do
     group = group_stage.fetch(:groups).min_by { |item| item.fetch(:number) }
     ordered_matches = group.fetch(:matches).sort_by { |item| item.fetch(:position) }
     first_match = ordered_matches.fetch(0)
-    second_match = ordered_matches.fetch(1)
     fourth_match = ordered_matches.fetch(3)
 
     upcoming_before = owner_client.get("/tournaments/#{tournament.fetch(:id)}/matches", params: { state: 'upcoming' })
@@ -408,7 +407,48 @@ RSpec.describe 'Backend API surface HTTP E2E' do
     expect(upcoming_match_for_group(upcoming_after_swap, group_id: group.fetch(:id)).fetch(:id)).to eq(fourth_match.fetch(:id))
 
     expect(upcoming_after_finish[:status]).to eq(200)
-    expect(upcoming_match_for_group(upcoming_after_finish, group_id: group.fetch(:id)).fetch(:id)).to eq(second_match.fetch(:id))
+    expect(upcoming_match_for_group(upcoming_after_finish, group_id: group.fetch(:id))).to be_nil
+    expect(upcoming_after_finish[:json].map { |match| match.fetch(:position) }.uniq)
+      .to eq([first_match.fetch(:position)])
+  end
+
+  it 'starts next group matches at the lowest pending position and returns started matches' do
+    tournament = create_group_stage_tournament(client: owner_client, public: false, name_prefix: 'Start Next Groups')
+    groups = tournament.fetch(:stages).find { |stage| stage.fetch(:level) == -1 }
+                       .fetch(:groups)
+                       .sort_by { |group| group.fetch(:number) }
+    matches_by_group = groups.to_h do |group|
+      [group.fetch(:id), group.fetch(:matches).sort_by { |match| match.fetch(:position) }]
+    end
+
+    first_start = owner_client.patch("/tournaments/#{tournament.fetch(:id)}/start_next_group_matches")
+    expect(first_start[:status]).to eq(200)
+    expect(first_start[:json].map { |match| match.dig(:group, :id) })
+      .to match_array(groups.map { |group| group.fetch(:id) })
+    expect(first_start[:json].map { |match| match.fetch(:position) }.uniq).to eq([0])
+
+    matches_by_group.fetch(groups.first.fetch(:id))[1..3].each do |match|
+      start_group_match!(match_id: match.fetch(:id))
+    end
+    groups.drop(1).each do |group|
+      matches_by_group.fetch(group.fetch(:id))[1..2].each do |match|
+        start_group_match!(match_id: match.fetch(:id))
+      end
+    end
+
+    expected_match_ids = groups.drop(1).map do |group|
+      matches_by_group.fetch(group.fetch(:id)).fetch(3).fetch(:id)
+    end
+    upcoming = owner_client.get("/tournaments/#{tournament.fetch(:id)}/matches", params: { state: 'upcoming' })
+    catch_up_start = owner_client.patch("/tournaments/#{tournament.fetch(:id)}/start_next_group_matches")
+
+    expect(upcoming[:status]).to eq(200)
+    expect(upcoming[:json].map { |match| match.fetch(:id) }).to match_array(expected_match_ids)
+
+    expect(catch_up_start[:status]).to eq(200)
+    expect(catch_up_start[:json].map { |match| match.fetch(:id) }).to match_array(expected_match_ids)
+    expect(catch_up_start[:json].map { |match| match.fetch(:position) }.uniq).to eq([3])
+    expect(catch_up_start[:json].map { |match| match.fetch(:state) }.uniq).to eq(['in_progress'])
   end
 
   def login_client(email:, password:)
@@ -506,6 +546,11 @@ RSpec.describe 'Backend API surface HTTP E2E' do
     expect(finish_response[:status]).to eq(200)
   end
 
+  def start_group_match!(match_id:)
+    start_response = owner_client.patch("/matches/#{match_id}", body: { state: 'in_progress' })
+    expect(start_response[:status]).to eq(200)
+  end
+
   def tournament_match_count(tournament)
     tournament.fetch(:stages).sum do |stage|
       stage.fetch(:matches, []).count + stage.fetch(:groups, []).sum { |group| group.fetch(:matches).count }
diff --git a/spec/e2e/http/metrics_spec.rb b/spec/e2e/http/metrics_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..412a1ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/e2e/http/metrics_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+require 'spec_helper'
+require 'securerandom'
+require_relative '../../../e2e/lib/action_cable_client'
+require_relative '../../../e2e/lib/api_client'
+
+RSpec.describe 'Metrics HTTP E2E' do
+  primary_env_vars = %w[TURNIERE_E2E_EMAIL TURNIERE_E2E_PASSWORD].freeze
+
+  before do
+    missing_vars = primary_env_vars.reject { |name| ENV.key?(name) }
+    skip("HTTP E2E requires #{missing_vars.join(', ')}") unless missing_vars.empty?
+  end
+
+  let(:base_url) { ENV.fetch('TURNIERE_E2E_BASE_URL', 'http://127.0.0.1:3000') }
+  let(:owner_email) { ENV.fetch('TURNIERE_E2E_EMAIL') }
+  let(:owner_password) { ENV.fetch('TURNIERE_E2E_PASSWORD') }
+  let(:anonymous_client) { TurniereE2E::ApiClient.new(base_url:) }
+
+  it 'exposes HTTP request metrics and live websocket connection metrics' do
+    health_response = anonymous_client.get('/healthz')
+    metrics_response = anonymous_client.get('/metrics')
+
+    expect(health_response[:status]).to eq(200)
+    expect(metrics_response[:status]).to eq(200)
+    expect(metrics_response.dig(:headers, 'content-type')).to include('text/plain')
+
+    metrics_body = raw_body(metrics_response)
+    expect(metrics_body).to include('# TYPE turniere_http_requests_total counter')
+    expect(metrics_body).to match(
+      /turniere_http_requests_total\{
+        (?=[^}]*method="GET")
+        (?=[^}]*controller="health")
+        (?=[^}]*action="index")
+        (?=[^}]*status="200")
+        [^}]*
+      \}\ [1-9]\d*/x
+    )
+    expect(metrics_body).to include('# TYPE turniere_http_request_duration_seconds histogram')
+
+    tournament = create_playoff_tournament
+    cable_client = TurniereE2E::ActionCableClient.new(base_url:)
+    cable_client.subscribe_timer!(tournament_id: tournament.fetch(:id))
+
+    expect(metric_value('turniere_action_cable_connections')).to be >= 1
+    expect(metric_value('turniere_action_cable_connections_total')).to be >= 1
+  ensure
+    cable_client&.close
+  end
+
+  def create_playoff_tournament
+    owner_client = login_client
+    unique = SecureRandom.hex(3)
+    response = owner_client.post('/tournaments', body: {
+                                   name: "Metrics #{unique}",
+                                   public: false,
+                                   teams: Array.new(4) { |index| { name: "Metrics-#{unique}-#{index + 1}" } }
+                                 })
+
+    expect(response[:status]).to eq(201)
+    response.fetch(:json)
+  end
+
+  def login_client
+    client = TurniereE2E::ApiClient.new(base_url:)
+    response = client.login!(email: owner_email, password: owner_password)
+
+    expect(response[:status]).to eq(200)
+    client
+  end
+
+  def metric_value(metric_name)
+    deadline = Process.clock_gettime(Process::CLOCK_MONOTONIC) + 10
+    loop do
+      value = latest_metrics_lines
+              .grep(/\A#{Regexp.escape(metric_name)}(?:\{| )/)
+              .map { |line| line.split.last.to_f }
+              .max
+      return value unless value.nil?
+
+      raise "#{metric_name} not reported" if Process.clock_gettime(Process::CLOCK_MONOTONIC) >= deadline
+
+      sleep 0.2
+    end
+  end
+
+  def latest_metrics_lines
+    response = anonymous_client.get('/metrics')
+    expect(response[:status]).to eq(200)
+    raw_body(response).lines.map(&:strip)
+  end
+
+  def raw_body(response)
+    response.dig(:json, :raw_body).to_s
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/requests/metrics_endpoint_spec.rb b/spec/requests/metrics_endpoint_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ead969f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/requests/metrics_endpoint_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+require 'rails_helper'
+
+RSpec.describe 'Metrics endpoint', type: :request do
+  before do
+    MetricsRegistry.reset!
+  end
+
+  it 'renders Prometheus text without authentication' do
+    get '/metrics'
+
+    expect(response).to have_http_status(:ok)
+    expect(response.media_type).to include('text/plain')
+    expect(response.body).to include('# TYPE turniere_build_info gauge')
+    expect(response.body).to include('# TYPE turniere_http_requests_total counter')
+    expect(response.body).to include('turniere_action_cable_connections 0')
+  end
+
+  it 'includes request metrics from previous controller requests' do
+    get '/healthz'
+    get '/metrics'
+
+    expect(response.body).to include(
+      'turniere_http_requests_total{method="GET",controller="health",action="index",status="200"} 1'
+    )
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/routing/metrics_routing_spec.rb b/spec/routing/metrics_routing_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..704ed59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/routing/metrics_routing_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+require 'rails_helper'
+
+RSpec.describe MetricsController, type: :routing do
+  describe 'routing' do
+    it 'routes to #index' do
+      expect(get: '/metrics').to route_to('metrics#index')
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/routing/tournaments_routing_spec.rb b/spec/routing/tournaments_routing_spec.rb
index 8c30c0d..3cb398a 100644
--- a/spec/routing/tournaments_routing_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/routing/tournaments_routing_spec.rb
@@ -28,12 +28,18 @@ RSpec.describe TournamentsController, type: :routing do
       expect(delete: '/tournaments/1').to route_to('tournaments#destroy', id: '1')
     end
 
-  it 'routes to #sync_state' do
-    expect(patch: '/tournaments/1/sync_state').to route_to('tournaments#sync_state', id: '1')
-  end
+    it 'routes to #sync_state' do
+      expect(patch: '/tournaments/1/sync_state').to route_to('tournaments#sync_state', id: '1')
+    end
 
-  it 'routes to #test_sync' do
-    expect(post: '/tournaments/1/test_sync').to route_to('tournaments#test_sync', id: '1')
+    it 'routes to #start_next_group_matches' do
+      expect(patch: '/tournaments/1/start_next_group_matches').to(
+        route_to('tournaments#start_next_group_matches', id: '1')
+      )
+    end
+
+    it 'routes to #test_sync' do
+      expect(post: '/tournaments/1/test_sync').to route_to('tournaments#test_sync', id: '1')
+    end
   end
 end
-end
diff --git a/spec/services/metrics_registry_spec.rb b/spec/services/metrics_registry_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a557250
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/services/metrics_registry_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+require 'rails_helper'
+
+RSpec.describe MetricsRegistry do
+  let(:health_labels) { 'method="GET",controller="health",action="index",status="200"' }
+
+  before do
+    described_class.reset!
+  end
+
+  describe '.record_http_request' do
+    it 'renders Prometheus counters and duration histogram buckets' do
+      described_class.record_http_request(
+        method: 'get',
+        controller: 'health',
+        action: 'index',
+        status: 200,
+        duration: 0.012
+      )
+
+      metrics = described_class.render_prometheus
+
+      expect(metrics).to include(
+        "turniere_http_requests_total{#{health_labels}} 1"
+      )
+      expect(metrics).to include(
+        "turniere_http_request_duration_seconds_bucket{#{health_labels},le=\"0.025\"} 1"
+      )
+      expect(metrics).to include(
+        "turniere_http_request_duration_seconds_count{#{health_labels}} 1"
+      )
+      expect(metrics).to match(
+        /turniere_http_request_duration_seconds_sum\{#{health_labels}\} 0\.012/
+      )
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe 'ActionCable connection metrics' do
+    it 'tracks open and total websocket connections' do
+      described_class.action_cable_connected
+      described_class.action_cable_connected
+      described_class.action_cable_disconnected
+
+      metrics = described_class.render_prometheus
+
+      expect(metrics).to include("turniere_action_cable_connections 1\n")
+      expect(metrics).to include("turniere_action_cable_connections_total 2\n")
+    end
+
+    it 'does not let open websocket connections become negative' do
+      described_class.action_cable_disconnected
+
+      metrics = described_class.render_prometheus
+
+      expect(metrics).to include("turniere_action_cable_connections 0\n")
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/services/tournament_group_match_starter_spec.rb b/spec/services/tournament_group_match_starter_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..77f2b24
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/services/tournament_group_match_starter_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+require 'rails_helper'
+
+RSpec.describe TournamentGroupMatchStarter do
+  let(:tournament) { create(:group_stage_tournament, group_count: 4, match_factory: :filled_group_match) }
+  let(:groups) { tournament.group_stage.groups.sort_by(&:number) }
+
+  before do
+    set_group_match_states(groups[0], %i[finished finished finished in_progress])
+    groups.drop(1).each do |group|
+      set_group_match_states(group, %i[finished finished in_progress not_started])
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '.upcoming_matches' do
+    it 'returns only groups whose next unstarted match is at the lowest pending position' do
+      matches = described_class.upcoming_matches(tournament)
+
+      expect(matches.map(&:group)).to match_array(groups.drop(1))
+      expect(matches.map(&:position).uniq).to eq([3])
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '.start_next!' do
+    it 'starts selected catch-up matches and returns them' do
+      started_matches = described_class.start_next!(tournament, logger: Logger.new(nil))
+
+      expect(started_matches.map(&:group)).to match_array(groups.drop(1))
+      expect(started_matches.map(&:position).uniq).to eq([3])
+      expect(started_matches.map { |match| match.reload.state }.uniq).to eq(['in_progress'])
+      expect(groups.first.matches.find_by!(position: 3).reload).to be_in_progress
+    end
+  end
+
+  def set_group_match_states(group, states)
+    group.matches.order(:id).each_with_index do |match, index|
+      match.update!(position: index, state: states.fetch(index))
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/services/tournament_live_payload_spec.rb b/spec/services/tournament_live_payload_spec.rb
index 21cb34b..8e5781d 100644
--- a/spec/services/tournament_live_payload_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/tournament_live_payload_spec.rb
@@ -49,6 +49,21 @@ RSpec.describe 'Tournament live payloads' do
       expect(matches.map(&:group_id)).to match_array(tournament.group_stage.groups.map(&:id))
     end
 
+    it 'returns only catch-up group matches for upcoming state' do
+      tournament = create(:group_stage_tournament, group_count: 4, match_factory: :filled_group_match)
+      groups = tournament.group_stage.groups.sort_by(&:number)
+
+      set_group_match_states(groups[0], %i[finished finished finished in_progress])
+      groups.drop(1).each do |group|
+        set_group_match_states(group, %i[finished finished in_progress not_started])
+      end
+
+      matches = described_class.matches_for(tournament, state: 'upcoming')
+
+      expect(matches.map(&:group_id)).to match_array(groups.drop(1).map(&:id))
+      expect(matches.map(&:position).uniq).to eq([3])
+    end
+
     it 'filters all matches belonging to a stage level' do
       tournament = create(:stage_tournament, stage_count: 2)
       stage = tournament.stages.find_by!(level: 1)
@@ -106,4 +121,10 @@ RSpec.describe 'Tournament live payloads' do
       )
     end
   end
+
+  def set_group_match_states(group, states)
+    group.matches.order(:id).each_with_index do |match, index|
+      match.update!(position: index, state: states.fetch(index))
+    end
+  end
 end