Here is a free printable 4-team bracket, seeded and ready to fill in. A single elimination tournament for 4 teams has 3 games in 2 rounds and no byes. Need a second chance for every team? Switch the generator to double elimination: 6 games, or 7 if the final needs a reset.
Type your team names below to fill in the bracket, tap the winners as games finish, then print it, save it as a PDF or save it online to get a live link for players.
4-team bracket: first round matchups
4 is a power of two, so the bracket is full: no byes, and every team plays in round 1. The 2 first-round games are:
| Game | Matchup |
|---|---|
| 1 | Seed 1 vs Seed 4 |
| 2 | Seed 2 vs Seed 3 |
When to use a 4-team bracket
A 4-team bracket is just two semifinals and a final, so it is usually the last stage of a bigger event: the top four from a league or from round robin pools. Seed it 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3, so the two best teams can only meet in the final.
- Third-place game: add one if medals or prizes go to third place. The semifinal losers play it before the final.
- Double elimination with four teams: 6 or 7 games instead of 3. It suits a short event where everyone should play at least twice.
- From two pools: use crossover semifinals, 1A vs 2B and 1B vs 2A, so teams from the same pool don’t meet again straight away.
If everyone should play everyone, a 4-team round robin takes only six games and three rounds.
Full 4-team single elimination bracket
Every game in order, numbered the same way as the bracket above, so you can call “Game 1 on court 1” and everyone knows who plays.
Semifinals
- Game 1: Seed 1 vs Seed 4
- Game 2: Seed 2 vs Seed 3
Final
- Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs Winner of Game 2
The winner of Game 3 is the champion.
How to make a bracket with 4 teams
- Rank the teams 1 to 4 (by record, rating or a random draw).
- Pair the rest so the strongest meets the weakest: 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3.
- Advance each winner along the bracket until one team is left: 3 games in total.
Double elimination: 6 games, or 7 if the final needs a reset.
How long does a 4-team tournament take?
With 30-minute games, a single elimination tournament takes about 1 h 30 min on one court and 1 h 00 min on two courts. Double elimination roughly doubles those times.
Other bracket sizes: 5 teams · 6 teams · 7 teams · or any size with the tournament bracket generator. Everyone plays everyone? See the 4-team round robin.
FAQ
How many games are in a 4-team bracket?
3 in single elimination (every game knocks out one team) and 6 or 7 in double elimination.
How many byes are in a 4-team bracket?
None. 4 is a power of two, so the bracket is full.