Single elimination bracket generator
Lose once and you’re out. Seeded properly, byes placed fairly, winners advance as soon as you enter a score.
How seeding and byes work
Seeds are placed so the top two can only meet in the final, and the top four only in the semifinals. If your count isn’t a power of two (4, 8, 16, 32, 64), the bracket fills the gap with byes — and they always go to the highest seeds, so nobody is punished for being seeded well.
Example: with 13 entrants the bracket has 16 slots, so seeds 1, 2 and 3 skip the first round.
Third-place match
Turn it on to have the two semifinal losers play for bronze. It adds one match and is popular in school and club events where a podium matters.
Corrections that don’t break the bracket
If a score was entered wrong and the winner changes, you’ll see which later matches are affected before anything changes. Confirm, and those matches reopen with the right players.
When to choose it
Pick single elimination when time is short or you have many entrants. It needs only n − 1 matches, but half the field plays just once. If everyone should get several games, use round robin, Swiss or double elimination.
| Entrants | Single elimination | vs. round robin |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 6 |
| 6 | 5 | 15 |
| 8 | 7 | 28 |
| 12 | 11 | 66 |
| 16 | 15 | 120 |
| 24 | 23 | 276 |
| 32 | 31 | 496 |
| 48 | 47 | 1128 |
| 64 | 63 | 2016 |
FAQ
How many matches are in a single elimination bracket?
Always one fewer than the number of entrants: 16 teams need 15 matches. Add one if you play a third-place match.
How many rounds?
The number of times you can halve the field: 8 teams → 3 rounds, 16 → 4, 32 → 5, 64 → 6.
Can I randomize the seeding?
Yes. Choose “Random draw” when adding participants, or keep your list order as the seeding.
Single elimination brackets by size
Printable seeded draws with byes, match numbers and timings.