Printable 21-team bracket
A single elimination bracket for 21 teams or players that prints on one landscape page. The top 11 seeds get byes into the round of 16. Print it, save it as a PDF, or run it online so everyone can follow along.
- Teams
- 21
- Games
- 20
- Rounds
- 5
- Byes
- 11
How a 21-team bracket works
There are 20 games in all. Each game knocks out one team, so everyone except the champion loses exactly once.
- First round: 5 games (seeds 1 to 11 have byes)
- Round of 16: 8 games
- Quarterfinals: 4 games
- Semifinals: 2 games
- Final: 1 game
First-round matchups
In a seeded bracket the best seed plays the lowest seed still in the field, which keeps the top two seeds apart until the final. The first round for 21 teams, top to bottom:
1 (bye), 16 vs 17, 8 (bye), 9 (bye), 4 (bye), 13 vs 20, 5 (bye), 12 vs 21, 2 (bye), 15 vs 18, 7 (bye), 10 (bye), 3 (bye), 14 vs 19, 6 (bye), 11 (bye).
How long does it take?
With one court, table or board, you'll play the 20 games one after another. With 8 courts or tables, every round can run at the same time, so the whole event takes 5 rounds.
Printing tips
- Choose Landscape in the print dialog.
- Turn off headers and footers for a clean sheet.
- To make a PDF, pick Save as PDF as the printer.
- Handing out copies for picks? Print the Blank lines version so each person writes their own.
Questions
How many games are in a 21-team bracket?
20 games. Every game knocks out one team, and every team except the champion is knocked out exactly once.
How many rounds does a 21-team bracket have?
5 rounds: First round, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Final.
How many byes are in a 21-team bracket?
11. A 21-team bracket fills a 32-slot draw, so the top 11 seeds skip the first round and play the winner of a first-round game.