Generators

Tournament Bracket Generator

Create a single-elimination tournament bracket chart for 2 to 64 participants, padded with byes, with an SVG download.

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About this tool

The Tournament Bracket Generator turns a list of names into a single-elimination bracket chart. Enter 2 to 64 participants, one per line. The bracket is rounded up to the next power of two (4, 8, 16, 32 or 64), and an info line such as '6 participants → bracket size 8 (2 byes)' tells you the result. Every Round 1 match shows both entrants. Without seeding, entrants are paired in the order you typed them (1 vs 2, 3 vs 4 and so on) and the byes go to the last entrants, so no match is ever BYE against BYE. Tick Seed by rank to treat your list as a ranking: the standard seeding pattern puts seed 1 against the lowest seed, keeps the top two seeds apart until the final, and hands byes to the top seeds. Tick Shuffle first to randomise the order. Players with a bye appear straight away in the Round 2 column. The chart ends with the Final and a Winner box marked TBD. Download it as an SVG to print or annotate; results are not tracked, so fill in winners by hand.

Why use it

  • Handles any count from 2 to 64 by padding the bracket with byes up to the next power of two.

  • Seed by rank applies the standard 1-vs-lowest seeding pattern and gives byes to the top seeds.

  • Shuffle first gives an unbiased random draw in one click.

  • SVG download prints cleanly at any size and can be edited in vector tools.

  • Runs in your browser with no account or upload.

How to use

  1. Enter participant names in the text area, one per line (2 to 64).
  2. Tick Seed by rank if the list is in ranking order, so seed 1 meets the lowest seed and top seeds get the byes.
  3. Optionally tick Shuffle first to randomise the order before pairing.
  4. Click Generate bracket; the info line shows the participant count, bracket size and number of byes.
  5. Review the chart: both entrants in every Round 1 match, bye winners already in Round 2, then Final and a Winner box marked TBD.
  6. Click Download SVG to save bracket.svg for printing or editing.

When it helps

  • Organizing a sports tournament, poker night, or gaming competition.
  • Running a workplace or classroom bracket-style pool.
  • Setting up a trivia or quiz competition bracket.
  • Printing a single-elimination chart to fill in by hand during an event.

Examples

8-player bracket

Input

Players: Alice, Bob, Carol, Dave, Eve, Frank, Grace, Hank

Expected result

8 participants → bracket size 8. Round 1: Alice vs Bob, Carol vs Dave, Eve vs Frank, Grace vs Hank; then Round 2, Final, Winner (TBD).

6 players with byes

Input

Players: 6 listed names

Expected result

6 participants → bracket size 8 (2 byes). Entrants 5 and 6 each face a BYE and appear in Round 2.

Seeded 8-player bracket

Input

8 names in ranking order, Seed by rank ticked

Expected result

Round 1: seed 1 vs 8, 4 vs 5, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6. Seeds 1 and 2 can only meet in the final.

16 teams, shuffled

Input

16 team names, Shuffle first ticked

Expected result

16 participants → bracket size 16 in a random order. Columns: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Final, Winner.

Too many entries

Input

65 names

Expected result

Max 64 participants. (Nothing new is drawn until you remove a line.)

Tips

  • Bracket sizes jump at powers of two: 9 entrants already need a 16-slot bracket with 7 byes.
  • Use Shuffle first for casual office pools to add suspense; use Seed by rank when you have a ranking and want the strongest entrants kept apart.
  • Download the SVG and print it before the event as a hand-fillable backup.
  • Click Generate bracket again with Shuffle first ticked to re-draw the pairings; the bracket size stays the same.
  • Names longer than 18 characters are cut off in the chart, so use short team names or abbreviations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens when the number of participants is not a power of 2?
The bracket is padded to the next power of two. Each bye is paired with a real entrant, who moves straight to Round 2. Without seeding the last entrants in your list get the byes; with Seed by rank the top seeds do. For example, 6 names give an 8-slot bracket with 2 byes.
What is single elimination?
Single elimination: one loss means you are out. The bracket halves each round until one winner remains.
Does it support double elimination?
No. The tool draws single-elimination brackets only.
Can I randomize the pairings?
Yes. Tick Shuffle first and each Generate click shuffles the list before pairing. Without it, entrants are paired in the order you typed them.
Can I record results or advance winners?
No. The bracket is a static chart: only players with a bye are filled into Round 2, and the winner box says TBD. Download the SVG and fill in results by hand or in a vector editor. Nothing is saved between visits.
What does Seed by rank do?
It treats your list as a ranking (first line = seed 1) and places entrants with the standard seeding pattern: in an 8-player bracket the first round is 1 vs 8, 4 vs 5, 2 vs 7 and 3 vs 6, so the top two seeds can only meet in the final. When there are byes, the top seeds receive them.

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Glossary

Single elimination
A tournament format where one loss eliminates a participant. The bracket halves each round (16 → 8 → 4 → 2 → 1) until one undefeated winner remains.
Double elimination
A format where a participant must lose twice to be eliminated. Losers from the winners' bracket drop into the losers' bracket and can still win the tournament after one defeat.
Seeding
Pre-tournament ranking that places stronger participants on opposite sides of the bracket so they don't meet until later rounds, increasing the chance of a high-quality final.
Bye
A free pass to the next round, awarded when participant count is not a power of two; typically given to top seeds in round one.
Bracket
The visual tree structure that maps out matchups, advancement, and the path each participant takes to the final.
Losers' bracket
The secondary bracket in double-elimination where defeated participants compete for a second chance to advance to the grand final.
Grand final
The championship match in a double-elimination tournament between the winners' bracket champion and the losers' bracket champion; may include a reset match if the losers' bracket player wins game one.
Power of two
A number that fits perfectly into a bracket without byes (4, 8, 16, 32, 64); other counts require bye slots to fill the structure.
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