Bracket Maker
Add your teams, pick a format, publish. This bracket maker builds the bracket, works out the byes, gives you a public link that updates itself as scores come in, and prints a wallchart for the venue — for 3 to 128 teams, in any team sport.
Build a bracket in five steps
- Add teams — type them, paste a list, upload a CSV, or open a registration page teams fill in themselves.
- Pick a format — single, double, consolation, group plus knockout, or round robin.
- Seed the draw — drag-and-drop, random, or automatically from group standings.
- Set the tie-break — extra time, straight to penalties, or a goal-difference decider.
- Publish — share the public URL, print the PDF, or put the bracket on the venue screen.
Bracket size at a glance
| Teams | Bracket size | Byes | Matches (single elim) | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| 8 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| 12 | 16 | 4 | 11 | 4 |
| 16 | 16 | 0 | 15 | 4 |
| 24 | 32 | 8 | 23 | 5 |
| 32 | 32 | 0 | 31 | 5 |
| 64 | 64 | 0 | 63 | 6 |
Byes go to the highest seeds, because a bye is a free win. The arithmetic behind bracket sizes, double elimination and consolation rounds is set out on the tournament bracket generator page.
Printing the bracket
A wallchart still earns its place at the clubhouse door. Pick the paper size by team count so the names stay readable from a metre away:
| Teams | Recommended paper | Orientation |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 8 | A4 | Landscape |
| 9–16 | A3 | Landscape |
| 17–32 | A2 | Landscape |
| 33–64 | A2, split over two sheets | Landscape |
Print after the draw, not after every round — the live page is what keeps people up to date, and the printed sheet is there for atmosphere and for anyone without a phone.
Sharing it on the day
- One link. The public bracket URL needs no login and no app install.
- QR poster. Put the code at the entrance, the kiosk and each pitch so parents scan once.
- Venue screen. The same bracket cycles full-screen on a TV alongside live scores and standings.
- Team chats. The link previews with the tournament name, so it looks like a fixture, not a stray URL.
Which page do you need?
| If you want to… | Go to |
|---|---|
| Build a bracket now and share it | This page |
| Understand formats, seeding and bye maths first | Tournament bracket generator |
| Print a bracket wallchart for the venue | Printable football bracket |
| Have everyone play everyone instead | Round robin generator |
| Draw seeded groups before the bracket | Tournament draw generator |
Pricing
Building a bracket costs nothing. Taking a tournament live is €1 per team up to 8 teams and €3 per team on the Club plan above that, with registration, payments, scheduling and live results included. See the pricing page.
Bracket maker — frequently asked questions
Team counts, formats, seeding, printing and sharing.
About the author
Peter co-founded CupHelp after years of organising youth football tournaments, and writes these guides from hands-on experience running cups and building the software clubs use to run them.
How we write these guides
Every guide on CupHelp is written by someone who organises football tournaments and builds the tooling for them, and reviewed by the team before publication. We revisit guides when pricing, formats or product behaviour change.
- Written from first-hand experience running tournaments, not outsourced to a generalist content writer.
- Match counts, formats and scheduling maths are checked against how the CupHelp scheduler actually behaves.
- Pricing shown here is kept in step with our pricing page.
- Spotted something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll correct it.
Reviewed by the CupHelp team before publication. Published 2026-04-12, last updated 2026-05-09. Read our editorial & corrections policy.