What comes next in the sequence: 8, 6, 5, 4, 7, ?

If you notice the series closely, you will see that;

8 has 7 sticks;
6 has 6 sticks;
5 has 5 sticks;
4 has 4 sticks &
7 has 3 sticks.

So in the series the number of matchsticks forming the numbers are reducing by 1 as the series progresses.

From this we can conclude that the next number will have only 2 sticks.

The number that can be formed using 2 sticks is the number 1.

Answer: 1