Tournament Bracket Generator - Single Elimination

How to use this tool

Enter the team or player names, one per line.
Choose As typed, Standard seed, or Shuffle, then generate the bracket.
Click a participant to select them as the winner; click that winner again to undo.
Continue until the champion is crowned, then use Print for a paper or PDF copy.

Single-elimination bracket modes

This interactive generator runs single elimination: each match eliminates one participant, and the last remaining participant becomes champion. Choose As typed to pair names in list order, Standard seed to place the list as a traditional seeded bracket, or Shuffle to assign seeds randomly before using the standard layout. Double elimination, round robin, and Swiss are other tournament formats; this tool does not generate those schedules.

Pairings, seeds, and byes

In As typed mode, the first names play sequential pairs. If the bracket needs extra slots, every remaining participant gets an individual first-round BYE, which automatically advances them. For example, five names produce one game between the first two and separate BYEs for the other three; the bracket never schedules a BYE against another BYE. Standard seed mode arranges seed slots recursively so strong seeds meet later. An eight-player bracket pairs seeds 1/8, 4/5, 2/7, and 3/6. If some slots are missing, those BYEs go to the highest seeds. Names stay in this browser. Shuffle uses Fisher-Yates with secure random values from the browser's crypto API.

Seeds follow entry order in Standard seed mode; Shuffle first randomizes that order. The tool does not estimate player strength or let you edit seed numbers after generation. Click a selected winner again to undo it, or select the other participant to change the result. Invalid later results are cleared along that path while valid results on the other side stay in place. Use Print to open the browser's landscape-friendly print view for a paper copy or save-as-PDF workflow.

How many rounds does a bracket need?

For single elimination, the number of rounds is the ceiling of log₂(n):

Participants (n)	Rounds needed	Total games
2	1	1
4	2	3
8	3	7
16	4	15
32	5	31
64	6	63
n (any)	⌈log₂(n)⌉	n − 1

Every single-elimination bracket always plays exactly n − 1 games regardless of the number of rounds, because each game eliminates exactly one participant.

Other tournament formats

Double elimination gives a participant a second loss before elimination, while a round robin schedules every pair of participants and requires n(n−1)/2 games. The Swiss system pairs players with similar records over a fixed number of rounds. These formats can suit leagues or longer events, but their schedules are not part of this single-elimination generator.

Frequently asked questions

How many teams can the bracket support?

Enter 2–64 teams or players. The bracket expands to the next power-of-two size and automatically advances first-round BYEs. With five names, Standard seed mode creates one game between seeds 4 and 5 and gives seeds 1, 2, and 3 a BYE.

What is the difference between the pairing methods?

As typed pairs names in list order and gives each extra name an individual BYE match. Standard seed places entry-order seeds in a traditional bracket, such as 1/8, 4/5, 2/7, 3/6 for eight players. Shuffle uses secure browser randomness to assign seeds, then uses the standard layout.

Can I undo or change a winner?

Yes. Click the selected winner again to undo that result, or click the other participant to switch the winner. Any later result invalidated on that path is cleared; valid results on the other side remain.

Can I print the bracket or use another tournament format?

Use Print for a landscape-friendly browser print view or save-as-PDF workflow. The interactive generator supports single elimination only; double elimination, round robin, and Swiss formats are not generated here.