6 Team Tournament Bracket Single Elimination

Every game in the 6-team bracket

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6 teams, single elimination: 5 games in 3 rounds. Seeds 1 and 2 have a bye.

Games of the 6-team bracket, in playing order
Game	Round	Teams	Winner goes to	Notes
1	Round 1	Seed 4 vs Seed 5	Game 3	Seeds 4 and 5 are neighbors in the ranking, so on paper this is the closest game of the day. The winner goes to Game 3, where Seed 1 is waiting without having played.
2	Round 1	Seed 3 vs Seed 6	Game 4	Seed 3 is the best team without a bye: it has to win here and then beat Seed 2 just to reach the final.
3	Semifinal	Seed 1 vs Winner of Game 1	Game 5	Seed 1's first game of the day against a team that has already played once. If seeds hold: Seed 1 v Seed 4.
4	Semifinal	Seed 2 vs Winner of Game 2	Game 5	Seed 2's first game. If seeds hold: Seed 2 v Seed 3.
5	Final	Winner of Game 3 vs Winner of Game 4	Champion	If seeds hold: Seed 1 v Seed 2, and it is only the second game of the day for both.

Each seed's path to the title 6

Seed 1: Game 3 and Game 5 Bye in round 1. Only Seed 2 has a path as short.
Seed 2: Game 4 and Game 5 Bye in round 1. The bye is worth a full round here: a third of the path the other four seeds face.
Seed 3: Game 2, Game 4 and Game 5 The highest seed that has to play in the opening round.
Seed 4: Game 1, Game 3 and Game 5 Winning the 4 v 5 game earns a semifinal against a rested Seed 1.
Seed 5: Game 1, Game 3 and Game 5 An upset of Seed 4 changes nothing further along: the semifinal is still against Seed 1.
Seed 6: Game 2, Game 4 and Game 5 The lowest seed, and the only one drawn against a top-three team in the opening round.

How this list was compiled: Layout worked out for this site. Six teams go on an eight-line sheet in standard seeding order; Seeds 7 and 8 do not exist, so Seeds 1 and 2 get the two byes and start in the semifinals. A check confirmed that Seeds 1 and 2 can meet only in the final, and every game listed here is compared with the bracket the tool draws. Checked on 2026-09-18: the seeding rule and the round names against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-elimination_tournament, and that byes go to the highest ranked teams against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bye_%28sports%29. Licence: own work

How it works

A 6 team tournament bracket, single elimination, is an eight-line sheet with two lines empty. Seeds 1 and 2 take those byes into the semifinals, while 4 v 5 and 3 v 6 open the day. Five games settle it. Type six names, press Random draw, or print it blank.

Read the full guide

Two byes, and what each one is worth

The 4 v 5 winner meets Seed 1 in Game 3, and the 3 v 6 winner meets Seed 2 in Game 4. Seeds 1 and 2 need two wins for the title; the other four need three. Seeding from two pools of three? Alternate the pools: A1, B1, A2, B2, A3, B3. Both opening games are then cross-pool, and a semifinal repeats a pool game only if a third-placed team wins its opener.

Courts and time slots for five games

One court needs five slots, two courts three: Games 1 and 2 side by side, both semifinals, then the final. A third court saves nothing: no more than two games are ever ready at once. Give every winner a full slot off and the day takes five slots, on two courts or on four.

As a 6 person bracket generator it suits darts, cornhole singles or a video game night: one player per line.
No rankings? Press Random draw in front of everyone: two byes are too valuable to hand out quietly.
Six is small enough for a 6 team round robin: 15 games, five for every team.

Questions and answers

How many games does a 6 team single elimination bracket take?

Five: two opening-round games, two semifinals and the final. At least two teams go home after one game, and four if Seeds 1 and 2 both lose their semifinals. Flip the switch from Single to Double and the same six play 10 or 11 games.

Is the bracket reseeded after the opening round?

No. The lines are fixed: Seed 1 gets the 4 v 5 winner and Seed 2 the 3 v 6 winner, even when Seed 6 wins and is the lowest team left. A league playoff that reseeds would send that team to Seed 1: swap the two winners by hand on the printed sheet, and say so before Game 1.

What if a seventh team turns up, or one drops out?

Change the Teams box: the names stay and any results clear. With seven, Seed 2 loses its bye and plays Seed 7 in a third opening game, six games in all. With five, Seed 3 gains a bye and meets Seed 2 in a semifinal, and 4 v 5 is the only opening game. If a named team drops out, delete its line from Names first.