Here is a free printable 5-team bracket, seeded and ready to fill in. A single elimination tournament for 5 teams has 4 games in 3 rounds, with 3 byes for the top seeds. Need a second chance for every team? Switch the generator to double elimination: 8 games, or 9 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.
5-team bracket: first round matchups
A 5-team bracket fills an 8-slot draw, so 3 teams skip round 1. Byes go to the top seeds: seed 1, seed 2, seed 3. Round 1 has 1 game:
| Game | Matchup |
|---|---|
| 1 | Seed 4 vs Seed 5 |
Five teams: byes or a round robin?
A 5-team knockout needs three byes, so only seeds 4 and 5 play in round one and the top three wait. That is fair to the top seeds but harsh on the others, since two teams may play only one game. Two better options for five teams:
- Round robin first: a 5-team round robin is ten games, and then the top two or top four play a final or semifinals.
- Double elimination: 8 or 9 games, and every team plays at least twice, the usual choice for cornhole and darts nights with five teams.
If you go with single elimination, play the 4 vs 5 game first while the top seeds warm up, and seed by a fair measure (record or a random draw), because the byes are a real advantage.
Full 5-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.
Quarterfinals
- Game 1: Seed 4 vs Seed 5
Semifinals
- Game 2: Seed 1 vs Winner of Game 1
- Game 3: Seed 2 vs Seed 3
Final
- Game 4: Winner of Game 2 vs Winner of Game 3
The winner of Game 4 is the champion.
How to make a bracket with 5 teams
- Rank the teams 1 to 5 (by record, rating or a random draw).
- Give the top 3 seeds a bye into round 2.
- Pair the rest so the strongest meets the weakest: 4 vs 5.
- Advance each winner along the bracket until one team is left: 4 games in total.
Double elimination: 8 games, or 9 if the final needs a reset.
How long does a 5-team tournament take?
With 30-minute games, a single elimination tournament takes about 2 h 00 min on one court and 1 h 30 min on two courts. Double elimination roughly doubles those times.
Other bracket sizes: 4 teams · 6 teams · 7 teams · 8 teams · or any size with the tournament bracket generator. Everyone plays everyone? See the 5-team round robin.
FAQ
How many games are in a 5-team bracket?
4 in single elimination (every game knocks out one team) and 8 or 9 in double elimination.
How many byes are in a 5-team bracket?
3. The bracket has 8 slots, so the top 3 seeds advance straight to round 2.