A 12 team bracket is drawn on 16 lines, the next power of two, so it has 16 − 12 = 4 byes. The byes go to the top: seeds 1–4 skip round 1. The bracket takes 4 rounds and 11 games, because every game knocks out one team until only the champion is left.
Printable 12 team bracket
Write your top team on the line marked 1, the next on 2 and so on (or draw names from a hat for a random bracket). A line marked Bye stays empty: the seed next to it moves straight on. Games are numbered in playing order, so you can call "game 3, court 2" on the day.
12 team bracketTournamentDate
Numbers on the left are seeds (1 = best team). Write each score in the small box next to the name.
Round of 16
1
Bye
Game 1
8
9
4
Bye
Game 2
5
12
2
Bye
Game 3
7
10
3
Bye
Game 4
6
11
Quarterfinals
Game 5
1
Game 6
4
Game 7
2
Game 8
3
Semifinals
Game 9
Game 10
Final
Game 11
Champion
Every game in order
The same bracket as a list, with the round names Bracket Maker uses.
Game
Round
Matchup
1
Round of 16
Seed 8 vs Seed 9
2
Round of 16
Seed 5 vs Seed 12
3
Round of 16
Seed 7 vs Seed 10
4
Round of 16
Seed 6 vs Seed 11
5
Quarterfinals
Seed 1 vs Winner of game 1
6
Quarterfinals
Seed 4 vs Winner of game 2
7
Quarterfinals
Seed 2 vs Winner of game 3
8
Quarterfinals
Seed 3 vs Winner of game 4
9
Semifinals
Winner of game 5 vs Winner of game 6
10
Semifinals
Winner of game 7 vs Winner of game 8
11
Final
Winner of game 9 vs Winner of game 10
Who plays in round 1
Only seeds 5–12 play in round 1: 8 teams in 4 games (8 vs 9, 5 vs 12, 7 vs 10 and 6 vs 11). In the quarterfinals, the 4 seeded teams join: seed 1 vs the winner of game 1, seed 4 vs the winner of game 2, seed 2 vs the winner of game 3 and seed 3 vs the winner of game 4.
Games in each round
Round of 16: 4 games; quarterfinals: 4 games; semifinals: 2 games; final: 1 game. With 4 courts or fields every round is played at once and the bracket takes 4 time slots; each round has to wait for the one before it.
How the seeds are placed
Bracket Maker uses the standard seeding order, so seeds 1 and 2 can only meet in the final and seeds 1–4 not before the semifinals. On the 16-line bracket the two seeds on each first-round line add up to 17; where the partner seed would be above 12, the line is a bye. Seed 1's first game is against the winner of game 1.
Third place and double elimination
A third-place game between the two semifinal losers adds one game, 12 in all. To give every team a second chance, double elimination with 12 teams plays 22 games, or 23 if the grand final is reset.
Open Bracket Maker, pick Single elimination and paste your 12 team names in seed order (or pick a random draw). It places the byes, moves the winners on as you enter scores and names the champion. Free, right here in your browser or offline in the Android app.
Frequently asked questions
How many games are in a 12 team bracket?
11 games over 4 rounds (4 + 4 + 2 + 1). A third-place game makes it 12.
How many byes does a 12 team bracket have?
4. The next bracket size is 16, so 16 − 12 = 4, and the byes go to seeds 1–4.
How many teams play in the first round?
8: seeds 5–12, in 4 games. The winners join the 4 teams with a bye in the quarterfinals.
How many rounds are in a 12 team bracket?
4: round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final.