How to make a tournament bracket
- Type one player or team per line (up to 64).
- Choose Single elimination or Double elimination, and Random seeding or In list order (the first name is the top seed).
- Press Make bracket. Byes are added for you when the number of players is not 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64.
- After each match, tap the winner. They move to the next round; tap again to undo.
- Press Share link to send the bracket and its results, Print for a paper copy, or Full screen to show it on a TV or stream.
Your bracket stays in this browser, so you can close the page between matches and carry on later.
Single or double elimination?
- Single elimination: lose once and you are out. It is the fastest format: a tournament of 16 players needs 15 matches over 4 rounds.
- Double elimination: a first loss sends you to the losers bracket, and a second loss knocks you out. The winner of the losers bracket meets the winner of the winners bracket in the grand final. If the player from the losers bracket wins it, both have lost once, so a deciding match is played.
Double elimination is fairer to a player who has one bad match, but it takes about twice as many matches: 2 × players − 2, plus one if the deciding match is needed.
Seeding and byes
Seeds are placed the standard way, so the top two seeds can only meet in the final: 1 plays 16, 8 plays 9, and so on in a bracket of 16. With Random seeding the list is shuffled first with your browser's secure random numbers, so the draw is fair.
A bracket needs 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64 places. With any other number, the extra places become byes and go to the top seeds, who move straight to round 2. For example, 6 players fill a bracket of 8 with 2 byes, and 12 players fill a bracket of 16 with 4 byes.
How many rounds and matches?
In single elimination every match knocks out one player, so a tournament needs players minus 1 matches: 7 for 8 players, 31 for 32 players, 63 for 64. The number of rounds is how many times you can halve the bracket: 3 rounds for 8 places, 4 for 16, 5 for 32 and 6 for 64.
Ideas for your bracket
- Video game and esports nights, from racing games to chess.
- Office ping pong, darts, foosball or cornhole.
- Classroom contests: spelling bees, debates, best book of the year.
- Fun votes: best snack, best movie, best song, one head-to-head at a time.
- Sports days and family game nights.
Need teams first? Split everyone with the random team generator. Want everyone to play everyone instead? Use the round robin generator.
Questions
Is this bracket maker free?
Yes. Every feature is free, with no sign-up and no limits. Brackets are saved in your browser, and you can share them with a link.
How many players can a bracket have?
From 2 to 64 players or teams. When the number is not a power of 2, byes fill the empty places so that the top seeds skip round 1.
What is a bye in a tournament?
A free pass to the next round when there is no opponent. It happens when the number of players does not fill the bracket, for example 6 players in a bracket of 8. The generator gives byes to the top seeds.
How does double elimination work?
A player is out after two losses. First losses drop into the losers bracket. The two bracket winners meet in the grand final, and if the losers bracket player wins, a deciding match is played because both have now lost once.
Can other people see the results?
Press Share link and send it. The link holds the whole bracket and the results so far, and opens on any device. It is a snapshot: after new results, share a new link.
How are the seeds chosen?
With Random seeding the list is shuffled with your browser's secure random numbers. With In list order, the first name you typed is seed 1, the second is seed 2, and so on.
Can I print the bracket?
Yes. Press Print: the controls are hidden and only the bracket is printed.