How to Run 5 Team Single Elimination Tournament
With our tournament bracket maker you can create a single elimination tournament bracket for 5 teams in seconds!
You can also track scores, automatically generate games for next rounds, and identify the winner!
How Does 5 Team Single Elimination Tournament Work?
5 team single elimination tournament consists of 3 rounds, and first round has 3 byes. Let’s take a look at each step of the tournament creation in details.
Bracket Size
It’s the number of participants rounded up to the next nearest power of 2. In case of 5 players or teams, the bracket size is 8.
Byes
Number of byes is the difference between the bracket size and the actual number of the participant. In case of 5 teams, it’s 3 byes.
Rounds & Games
With every round the number of teams and games gets cut in half: we start with 8 players (including byes) and 4 games in the first round, then 4 players, and finally two players in the finals. Thus, there are 3 rounds in 5 team knockout tournament.
Seeding
You can select between seeded, blind draw or manual pairing for the initial round:
- seeded: top ranked players will meet later in the tournament
- blind draw: the participants will get shuffled and pair randomly
- manual seeding: players will be paired in the order entered, with the last ones assigned with byes (if necessary)
Comparing to other Tournament Formats
Knockout tournament for 5 teams is one of the quickest formats:
| Format | Total games | Games per team | Rounds | Fairness | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Robin | 10 | 4 | 5 | Everyone plays everyone | Best for leagues |
| Single Elimination | 4 | 1–2 | 2 | Harsh cutoff | Best for quick events |
| Double Elimination | 9 | 2–4 | ~4 | More forgiving | Popular in esports |
| Double Elimination with Consolation | ~6 | min 2 | ~3 (2+1) | Fairer, every team plays twice | Youth sports |
| Swiss System | 5 | 2 | 2 | Balanced, flexible | Chess, card games |
Printable 5 Team Single Elimination Bracket
If you wish, you can also print the bracket you generated:
