LeaguePour

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Single elimination bracket generator

Paste your teams or players, one per line, and get the full bracket: Round 1 matchups, who gets a bye, and how winners meet in each later round. Print it and tape it to the wall.

6 entries (up to 64). Order matters: the first names listed are seeded first.

6 entrants -> Round 1 (Quarterfinal): 4 matches -> Round 2 (Semifinal): 2 matches -> Round 3 (Final): 1 match.

2 entrants get a first-round bye (earliest registrants) and skip straight to Round 2.

Round 1 · Quarterfinal

  • The Board RoomBye - advances
  • Rack AttackBye - advances
  • Chalk TalkM1 · vsLast Call
  • Brew CrewM2 · vsHigh Fives

Round 2 · Semifinal

  • The Board RoomM3 · vsRack Attack
  • Winner of Match 1M4 · vsWinner of Match 2

Round 3 · Final

  • Winner of Match 3M5 · vsWinner of Match 4

Run this live with LeaguePour

This page doesn't save or publish anything - it's a calculator. LeaguePour does the live version: players sign up from a QR code, the bracket or schedule is generated from real registrations, staff enter scores, and standings update on a public page.

Set up your venueSee the demo

How the bracket is built

This uses the same logic LeaguePour runs for a live tournament. The bracket size is the next power of two at or above your entrant count. Any spare slots become first-round byes, given to the first names in your list. The remaining entrants are paired in order. From Round 2 on, winners meet in bracket order, so the path to the final is fixed before the first match is played.

When single elimination is the right format

  • • One night, limited boards or tables. It needs the fewest matches of any format.
  • • A big or unpredictable field. It handles 9 teams as easily as 32.
  • • You want a clear winner by closing time. Every round halves the field.

The trade-off: half the field plays once and goes home. If you want everyone to get several games - a weekly league, or a small field - use a round robin schedule instead. Our guide compares round robin vs. single elimination in detail.

Tips for running it on the night

  • • Close signup before you build the bracket - a late entry changes the byes.
  • • Number your boards or tables and write the match number next to each one.
  • • Decide the tiebreak and the time limit per match before Round 1, not during it.
  • • Announce who has a bye so those players know when they're actually up.

Questions

How are byes decided?

The bracket is sized to the next power of two (4, 8, 16, 32, 64). If you have fewer entrants than that, the difference is the number of byes, and they go to the first names in your list. Everyone else plays in Round 1, so Round 2 onward has no byes.

How many matches will a single elimination tournament have?

Always one fewer than the number of entrants, because every match eliminates exactly one. 16 teams is 15 matches; 11 teams is 10 matches.

Can I seed the bracket?

Yes - order is the seeding. Put your strongest entrants at the top of the list to give them the byes, or press Shuffle order for a random draw.

Does this save my bracket?

No. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere, and refreshing the page resets it. Print it or screenshot it to keep it.