Single Elimination Bracket Generator
Free single elimination bracket generator for 3 to 64 teams. Printable blank brackets with numbered games, or fill in scores online. No account needed.
Create a single elimination tournament →Pick your size
Each size has its own page with a printable blank bracket, the full order of play and the numbers for that size.
| Teams | Games | Rounds | Byes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 teams | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 teams | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 teams | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 6 teams | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 7 teams | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| 8 teams | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 teams | 8 | 4 | 7 |
| 10 teams | 9 | 4 | 6 |
| 11 teams | 10 | 4 | 5 |
| 12 teams | 11 | 4 | 4 |
| 13 teams | 12 | 4 | 3 |
| 14 teams | 13 | 4 | 2 |
| 15 teams | 14 | 4 | 1 |
| 16 teams | 15 | 4 | 0 |
| 17 teams | 16 | 5 | 15 |
| 18 teams | 17 | 5 | 14 |
| 19 teams | 18 | 5 | 13 |
| 20 teams | 19 | 5 | 12 |
| 21 teams | 20 | 5 | 11 |
| 22 teams | 21 | 5 | 10 |
| 23 teams | 22 | 5 | 9 |
| 24 teams | 23 | 5 | 8 |
| 25 teams | 24 | 5 | 7 |
| 26 teams | 25 | 5 | 6 |
| 27 teams | 26 | 5 | 5 |
| 28 teams | 27 | 5 | 4 |
| 29 teams | 28 | 5 | 3 |
| 30 teams | 29 | 5 | 2 |
| 31 teams | 30 | 5 | 1 |
| 32 teams | 31 | 5 | 0 |
| 48 teams | 47 | 6 | 16 |
| 64 teams | 63 | 6 | 0 |
How single elimination works
Teams are paired off each round and the loser of every game is out. Each round halves the field until one team is left, so 8 teams take 3 rounds, 16 take 4 and 32 take 5.
A bracket only halves evenly from a power of two. When the number of teams is not one, the bracket is built for the next power of two up, and the empty slots become byes: the top seeds skip round 1. That is why a 6 team bracket has 2 byes and a 12 team bracket has 4.
Seeds are placed so the best teams meet as late as possible. Seed 1 plays the lowest seed, 1 and 2 are in opposite halves and can only meet in the final, and the top four seeds are in separate quarters.
Example: 8 teams
Questions
How many games are in a single elimination bracket?
Always one fewer than the number of teams. Every game eliminates exactly one team, and all but the champion are eliminated.
What is a bye?
A free pass through a round. When the number of teams is not a power of two (4, 8, 16, 32, 64), the highest seeds skip round 1 so the rest of the bracket lines up.
What size bracket do I need?
The next power of two at or above your number of teams: 5 to 8 teams use an 8-slot bracket, 9 to 16 a 16-slot bracket, 17 to 32 a 32-slot bracket. The empty slots become byes for the top seeds.
Is there a third-place game?
Not in the bracket itself. If you want one, the two semifinal losers play one extra game after the semifinals.