Free tournament bracket maker
Create a single-elimination bracket and verify the power-of-two expansion, explicit byes, seed order, rounds and resource slots before you publish it.
Setup
How the bracket generator works
- The engine chooses B, the next power of two at least as large as the active field. For 13 participants, B=16 and 3 first-round byes are required.
- A B-place single-elimination bracket contains B−1 main matches and log₂(B) rounds. Thus 13 participants produce 15 main matches across 4 rounds; a checked third-place match adds one separate match.
- The input order is the initial seed order on this page. Manual and deterministic random seeding exist in the engine, but the builder does not rearrange entries after generation.
Example: eight teams, then 13 participants
13 participants require 3 byes. The bracket has 4 rounds and 15 main matches: 8 first-round matches, 4 quarterfinals, 2 semifinals and 1 final. With 2 courts, the first round takes 4 slots; later rounds use 2, 1 and 1 slots.
When single elimination is the right choice
Choose single elimination when the event needs a short, decisive path and a participant may leave after one loss.
Choose round robin when every participant should meet every other participant: 13 participants would require 78 one-leg matches instead of 15 main knockout matches.
Rules and limitations
- The single-elimination engine accepts up to 256 active participants and up to 32 courts. Invalid inputs produce warnings rather than partial brackets.
- A knockout match cannot finish as a draw because the next match needs one winner. Organizers must provide the applicable tiebreak rule.
- The generator creates the bracket and supported browser exports; it does not create team discovery, registration or an Excel workbook.
Bracket maker questions
How does the bracket handle 13 participants?
It expands to 16 places, leaves 3 explicit first-round byes and still creates 15 main matches across 4 rounds.
Does a bye count as a win?
No. The available participant auto-advances from an absent slot without a recorded result.
Can a knockout match be a draw?
No. The production materializer marks a drawn elimination result invalid until a winner is recorded.
Can I print or post the bracket?
Yes. Export PDF, high-resolution PNG or editable SVG with your logo and colors.
Generate the bracket now
Enter participants in seed order and inspect byes, rounds and court slots in the live builder.
Open the bracket maker →