Printable 32-team bracket
A single elimination bracket for 32 teams or players that prints on one landscape page. No byes needed: every team plays in the first round. Print it, save it as a PDF, or run it online so everyone can follow along.
- Teams
- 32
- Games
- 31
- Rounds
- 5
- Byes
- 0
How a 32-team bracket works
There are 31 games in all. Each game knocks out one team, so everyone except the champion loses exactly once.
- Round of 32: 16 games
- 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 32 teams, top to bottom:
1 vs 32, 16 vs 17, 8 vs 25, 9 vs 24, 4 vs 29, 13 vs 20, 5 vs 28, 12 vs 21, 2 vs 31, 15 vs 18, 7 vs 26, 10 vs 23, 3 vs 30, 14 vs 19, 6 vs 27, 11 vs 22.
How long does it take?
With one court, table or board, you'll play the 31 games one after another. With 16 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 32-team bracket?
31 games. Every game knocks out one team, and every team except the champion is knocked out exactly once.
How many rounds does a 32-team bracket have?
5 rounds: Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Final.
Does a 32-team bracket need byes?
No. 32 is a power of two, so every team plays in the first round: 1 vs 32, 16 vs 17, 8 vs 25, 9 vs 24, 4 vs 29, 13 vs 20, 5 vs 28, 12 vs 21, and so on.