Bracket size, byes, rounds and total games for single and double elimination with 3 to 32 teams or players, in one printable chart.
How to read the chart
Bracket is the size of the draw, the next power of two (4, 8, 16 or 32). Byes are the empty spots, bracket − teams; they go to the top seeds, who skip round 1. Rounds is how many rounds single elimination takes, which is also the number of winners-bracket rounds in double elimination.
Single elimination plays n − 1 games, because every game knocks out one team; a third-place game adds one. Double elimination plays 2 × (n − 1) games, or one more when the grand final is reset (the losers-bracket champion wins the first final, so both finalists have one loss).
Example: 12 teams use a 16 bracket with 4 byes. Seeds 1–4 skip round 1, the other 8 teams play 4 games, and the bracket takes 4 rounds and 11 games.
Related guide
Single vs. double eliminationHow elimination brackets work: byes up to the next power of two, standard seeding, n − 1 games for single elimination, 2 × (n − 1) for double elimination, and the grand final reset.
Frequently asked questions
How many byes are in a 12 team bracket?
4. The next bracket size is 16, so 16 − 12 = 4 byes, given to seeds 1–4. Round 1 then has 4 games among seeds 5–12.
How many games are in a 16 team double elimination tournament?
30 games, or 31 if the grand final is reset. Single elimination with 16 teams plays 15.
How many rounds does a 20 team bracket take?
Single elimination takes 5 rounds in a 32 bracket, with 12 byes and 19 games. Double elimination plays 38 games, or 39 with a reset.