Free 9 team round robin schedule: 36 games in 9 rounds of 4, one team sits out each round. Printable round-by-round table, each team's opponents and court times.
A round robin for 9 teams has 36 games: each team plays the other 8 once, and 9 × 8 ÷ 2 = 36. With an odd number of teams one team sits out each round, so the schedule takes 9 rounds of 4 games instead of 8, and every team sits out exactly once.
The 9 team schedule
Give each team a number from 1 to 9 (your top seed, or simply the first name on your list, is Team 1) and play the rounds in order. The 4 games of a round can be played at the same time, one per court or field. The last column shows the team that sits out.
Round
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Sits out
1
2 v 9
3 v 8
4 v 7
5 v 6
1
2
9 v 1
2 v 7
3 v 6
4 v 5
8
3
1 v 8
9 v 7
2 v 5
3 v 4
6
4
7 v 1
8 v 6
9 v 5
2 v 3
4
5
1 v 6
7 v 5
8 v 4
9 v 3
2
6
5 v 1
6 v 4
7 v 3
8 v 2
9
7
1 v 4
5 v 3
6 v 2
8 v 9
7
8
3 v 1
4 v 2
6 v 9
7 v 8
5
9
1 v 2
4 v 9
5 v 8
6 v 7
3
Each team's opponents
The same schedule by team: read across a row to see who that team plays in each round, with "—" in its bye round. Post it or hand it out so every team knows its next opponent.
Team
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
1
—
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
2
9
7
5
3
—
8
6
4
1
3
8
6
4
2
9
7
5
1
—
4
7
5
3
—
8
6
1
2
9
5
6
4
2
9
7
1
3
—
8
6
5
3
—
8
1
4
2
9
7
7
4
2
9
1
5
3
—
8
6
8
3
—
1
6
4
2
9
7
5
9
2
1
7
5
3
—
8
6
4
How long a 9 team round robin takes
Count time slots, not games. With 4 courts or fields a whole round is played at once, so the event takes 9 time slots. With fewer courts a round needs more than one slot (rounds played in order):
Courts
Time slots
1
36
2
18
3
18
4
9
Multiply the time slots by the length of one game, plus a few minutes to change over, to plan the day. On 2 courts that is 18 slots.
How the schedule is made
Bracket Maker uses the circle method with an empty spot added, so 9 teams fill a circle of 10. Team 1 stays in place, the others move one position each round, and whoever is drawn against the empty spot sits out that round. Teams sit out in this order: 1, 8, 6, 4, 2, 9, 7, 5, 3. After 9 rounds every pair of teams has met exactly once.
Home and away
If one side has an advantage (home field, serving first, choosing ends), give it to the first-named team in each game. Over its 8 games every team is named first exactly 4 times.
Playing everyone twice
For a double round robin, play the table a second time with the two teams in each game swapped. That makes 18 rounds and 72 games, 16 for each team. In Bracket Maker, set Play each other: Twice and it builds both halves.
One team more or less
8 teams play 28 games in 7 rounds and 10 teams play 45 games in 9 rounds. Any odd number of teams means one team sits out each round.
Open Bracket Maker, pick Round robin and paste your 9 team names: you get this schedule with names, a score box for every game and the standings with tie-breaks. Free, right here in your browser or offline in the Android app.
Frequently asked questions
How many games are in a 9 team round robin?
36. Each team plays the other 8 once, and every game involves two teams: 9 × 8 ÷ 2 = 36.
How many rounds does a 9 team round robin take?
9 rounds of 4 games. One team sits out each round, so an odd number of teams needs as many rounds as there are teams.
How many games does each team play?
8, one against each other team. Each team also sits out one round.
How many byes are in a 9 team round robin?
9: one in every round, and every team gets exactly one. Team 1 sits out round 1.
How many courts do I need for 9 teams?
4 to play a whole round at once. On 2 courts the schedule takes 18 time slots, and on 1 court 36.