Understanding Bracket Sizes
Knockout brackets work best with powers of 2: 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 teams. Other numbers require byes (automatic advances) in the first round.
Step 1: Choose Your Team Count
Enter the number of teams. For non-power-of-2 numbers (like 12 or 24), the system adds byes so some teams advance automatically to round 2.
Step 2: Enter Team Names
Add team names in seeding order (strongest first). The bracket generator places them correctly so #1 vs #16 in round 1, #1 and #2 can only meet in the final.
Step 3: Understand Seeding
Proper seeding prevents top teams meeting early. In a 16-team bracket: 1v16, 8v9, 5v12, 4v13, 6v11, 3v14, 7v10, 2v15. This ensures balanced competition.
Don't know seeding? Use random draw for casual tournaments.
Step 4: Generate and Download
Click generate to create your bracket. Download as PDF for printing, or save to TournaCore for live scoring and online results.