A 18 team bracket is drawn on 32 lines, the next power of two, so it has 32 − 18 = 14 byes. The byes go to the top: seeds 1–14 skip round 1. The bracket takes 5 rounds and 17 games, because every game knocks out one team until only the champion is left.
Printable 18 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.
18 team bracketTournamentDate
Numbers on the left are seeds (1 = best team). Write each score in the small box next to the name.
Round of 32
1
Bye
Game 1
16
17
8
Bye
9
Bye
4
Bye
13
Bye
5
Bye
12
Bye
2
Bye
Game 2
15
18
7
Bye
10
Bye
3
Bye
14
Bye
6
Bye
11
Bye
Round of 16
Game 3
1
Game 4
8
9
Game 5
4
13
Game 6
5
12
Game 7
2
Game 8
7
10
Game 9
3
14
Game 10
6
11
Quarterfinals
Game 11
Game 12
Game 13
Game 14
Semifinals
Game 15
Game 16
Final
Game 17
Champion
Every game in order
The same bracket as a list, with the round names Bracket Maker uses.
Game
Round
Matchup
1
Round of 32
Seed 16 vs Seed 17
2
Round of 32
Seed 15 vs Seed 18
3
Round of 16
Seed 1 vs Winner of game 1
4
Round of 16
Seed 8 vs Seed 9
5
Round of 16
Seed 4 vs Seed 13
6
Round of 16
Seed 5 vs Seed 12
7
Round of 16
Seed 2 vs Winner of game 2
8
Round of 16
Seed 7 vs Seed 10
9
Round of 16
Seed 3 vs Seed 14
10
Round of 16
Seed 6 vs Seed 11
11
Quarterfinals
Winner of game 3 vs Winner of game 4
12
Quarterfinals
Winner of game 5 vs Winner of game 6
13
Quarterfinals
Winner of game 7 vs Winner of game 8
14
Quarterfinals
Winner of game 9 vs Winner of game 10
15
Semifinals
Winner of game 11 vs Winner of game 12
16
Semifinals
Winner of game 13 vs Winner of game 14
17
Final
Winner of game 15 vs Winner of game 16
Who plays in round 1
Only seeds 15–18 play in round 1: 4 teams in 2 games (16 vs 17 and 15 vs 18). In the round of 16, the 14 seeded teams join: seed 1 vs the winner of game 1, seed 8 vs seed 9, seed 4 vs seed 13, seed 5 vs seed 12, seed 2 vs the winner of game 2, seed 7 vs seed 10, seed 3 vs seed 14 and seed 6 vs seed 11.
Games in each round
Round of 32: 2 games; round of 16: 8 games; quarterfinals: 4 games; semifinals: 2 games; final: 1 game. With 8 courts or fields every round is played at once and the bracket takes 5 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 32-line bracket the two seeds on each first-round line add up to 33; where the partner seed would be above 18, 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, 18 in all. To give every team a second chance, double elimination with 18 teams plays 34 games, or 35 if the grand final is reset.
Open Bracket Maker, pick Single elimination and paste your 18 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 18 team bracket?
17 games over 5 rounds (2 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 1). A third-place game makes it 18.
How many byes does a 18 team bracket have?
14. The next bracket size is 32, so 32 − 18 = 14, and the byes go to seeds 1–14.
How many teams play in the first round?
4: seeds 15–18, in 2 games. The winners join the 14 teams with a bye in the round of 16.
How many rounds are in a 18 team bracket?
5: round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final.