A single elimination bracket, also called a knockout bracket, is the simplest way to run a tournament: win and you move on, lose and you are done. This single elimination tournament maker builds the chart from your list, places the seeds the standard way, and adds byes when your field is not a perfect size.
Single elimination or round robin?
Knockout formats are fast and the stakes are clear, but half the field goes home after round one. A round robin gives everyone more games and a fairer ranking, but it takes much longer. Choose a bracket when time is short or you need one clear winner. Choose round robin when you want everyone to keep playing. Some organizers use a round robin first and then a bracket for the top finishers.
The n minus 1 rule
Every game eliminates exactly one entrant, and all but the champion must be eliminated. So the number of games is always the number of entrants minus one. Twelve entrants mean 11 games, and 64 entrants mean 63. The number of rounds is the entrant count rounded up to the next power of two, then counted in doublings: 12 entrants fit a 16-slot bracket, which has 4 rounds.
How standard seeding works
In a standard bracket, the two seeds in each first-round game add up to the bracket size plus one. In a 16-slot bracket every pair adds up to 17. Seeds 1 and 2 are placed in opposite halves, so they can only meet in the final. The first round of a 16-slot bracket reads, from top to bottom:
| Game | Seed | Seed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 16 |
| 2 | 8 | 9 |
| 3 | 5 | 12 |
| 4 | 4 | 13 |
| 5 | 3 | 14 |
| 6 | 6 | 11 |
| 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 8 | 2 | 15 |
If you have fewer entrants than slots, the missing opponents are byes. The top seeds get them first. With 12 entrants, seeds 1 to 4 skip round one. With 5 entrants, seeds 1 to 3 do.
When knockout works best
Knockout brackets shine when time is limited, when you need a clear winner, or when the crowd wants drama. They are less fair to a strong entrant who has one bad game, which is why seeding matters. Giving the top seeds weaker first opponents, and byes when the field is uneven, rewards a good season without extra rules. If you want every entrant to play the same number of games, switch to round robin instead.
Reference table
| Entrants | Slots | Byes | Rounds | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 8 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 10 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 9 |
| 16 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 15 |
| 18 | 32 | 14 | 5 | 17 |
| 32 | 32 | 0 | 5 | 31 |
| 48 | 64 | 16 | 6 | 47 |
| 64 | 64 | 0 | 6 | 63 |
Running it on the day
Plan your time one round at a time. The first round of a 16-slot bracket has 8 games, and each later round has half as many. If a game takes 20 minutes and you have two courts, round one takes about four waves, or roughly 80 minutes. Later rounds go quickly. Keep the "Matches to play" list open on a phone so whoever runs the desk can tap winners as they report in.
A few habits make the day smoother. Post the bracket before the first game so players know who they face and when. Tell everyone how long a game may last, and decide in advance what happens in a tie, such as a sudden-death point or a coin flip. Keep a short break after each round so the next one can start on time. If a team does not show up, its opponent simply advances, and you can record that by clicking the opponent's name.
The bracket does not draw a third-place game. If you want one, play it separately between the two semifinal losers. For common sizes, see the 16 team bracket and the 8 team bracket, or start from the main bracket maker.
Frequently asked questions
What is a single elimination bracket?
It is a tournament format where each loss knocks an entrant out. Winners move on to the next round until only one remains. It is also called a knockout bracket.
How many games are in a single elimination tournament?
Always one fewer than the number of entrants, because each game eliminates exactly one. A 24-entrant event has 23 games, and a 64-entrant event has 63.
How are byes decided?
Byes equal the bracket size minus your entrants, and they go to the top seeds. For example, 24 entrants use 32 slots, so 8 byes go to seeds 1 through 8.
Can seeds 1 and 2 meet before the final?
Not in a standard bracket. Seeds 1 and 2 sit in opposite halves, so they can only meet in the final, assuming both keep winning.
Does the bracket include a third-place game?
No. The chart ends at the final. If you want a third-place game, play it separately between the two semifinal losers.
What happens if I change an earlier result?
Clicking a different winner updates that game and clears the later results that depended on it. That keeps the bracket consistent if you made a mistake.