How to Run a 31 Team Single Elimination Tournament
With our tournament bracket generator, you can create and manage tournaments with 31 teams. It works on any device, automatically updates scores, moves winners forward to the next round, and helps you run your entire event faster and more efficiently.
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How Does a 31 Team Single Elimination Tournament Work?
A single elimination tournament with 31 teams would require 5 rounds and feature a total of 30 games.
Bracket Size
The bracket size is set by increasing the number of teams to the next power of two. With 31 teams, the field is rounded up to 32 slots.
Byes
To determine how many byes are needed, you subtract the actual number of teams from the full bracket size. With 31 teams in a 32-team bracket, there would be 1 bye in the opening round.
Rounds & Games
A 31 team single elimination tournament alsouses 5 rounds and includes 30 total games:
- Round of 32: 15 real games and 1 bye
- Round of 16: 8 matchups among the 16 advancing teams
- Quarterfinals: 4 games featuring the final 8 teams
- Semifinals: 2 games between 4 teams
- Championship: 1 game to determine the champion
Seeding
Choose one of the following options:
- Seeded (most common): The best competitors meet each other in the later rounds of the tournament.
- Random (or blind draw): Players are placed randomly in round one.
- Manual seeding: Build the matchups in any custom order you prefer.
Compared to other Tournament Formats
A 31 team single elimination format offers a streamlined tournament structure, requiring a modest number of games and concluding faster than many alternative formats with a similar number of participants.
| Format | Total games | Games per team | Rounds | Fairness | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Robin | 465 | 30 | 31 | Everyone plays everyone | Best for leagues |
| Single Elimination | 30 | 1–5 | 5 | Harsh cutoff | Best for quick events |
| Double Elimination | 61 | 2–10 | ~10 | More forgiving | Popular in esports |
| Double Elimination with Consolation | ~45 | min 2 | ~9 (5+4) | Fairer, every team plays twice | Youth sports |
| Swiss System | 75 | 5 | 5 | Balanced, flexible | Chess, card games |
Printable 31 Team Single Elimination Bracket
Want a printed version of your bracket or tournament schedule? You can print and download them both quickly and effortlessly!
