8 Team Bracket: Printable and Fill-in Online
Eight teams fit into a one-day tournament: three rounds, seven games, no byes. Print the sheet or run the whole bracket online.
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Three rounds, seven games
An 8 team bracket has 3 rounds: quarterfinals with 4 games, two semifinals and the final, which gives 4, 2, 1 games per round and 7 in total. Nobody gets a bye, and the schedule is easy to explain. A game for third place makes it 8.
For planning, it helps that the rounds halve. With one court and 30 minutes per game, the event takes about 3.5 hours. With two courts, the quarterfinals take two slots instead of four, the semifinals one and the final one: four slots, or about 2 hours. Add some time for warm-up, and a morning is enough.
If you want teams to play more than one or two games, the 8 team field is also a good size for double elimination. It takes 14 or 15 games, so about twice as many, and the loser of the first game still gets another chance.
Standard seeding for eight teams
The usual rule for seeding is that the sum of the two seeds in each first-round game is always 9. That produces 1 against 8, 4 against 5, 2 against 7 and 3 against 6, in bracket order from top to bottom. Seeds 1 and 2 meet only in the final, and 1 and 4 not before the semifinals.
| Round one | Pairings from top to bottom |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 v 8 |
| 2 | 4 v 5 |
| 3 | 2 v 7 |
| 4 | 3 v 6 |
Who is it for?
- Youth and school tournaments. Eight classes or eight clubs, one gym, one afternoon.
- Esports and game nights. Eight players fit one evening with a single screen, and the bracket is short enough to follow on a stream.
- Office tournaments and bar nights. Foosball, darts or table tennis. Print the sheet and hang it next to the table, so the next pairing is always visible.
- Playoffs. The top eight of a league play the quarterfinals, 1 against 8 and so on, a common shape for a postseason.
For eight teams that all want more games, use two groups of four. That is 12 pool games and a four-team knockout of 3 games, 15 in total. A full round robin takes 28 games over 7 rounds.
Print the 8 team bracket
The 8 team sheet is big and uncluttered, with large type, so it reads well from a few steps away. The blank version has empty lines and a box for each score. The seeded version has the numbers 1 to 8 in front of the first-round lines, so you can write the teams in by ranking and the pairings are correct from the start.
Both are printed in landscape on A4 or Letter and take one page. If you would rather not write by hand, press "Fill in online", paste the eight names and print from the tool after you have entered some scores.
Other formats with 8 teams
- Double elimination with 8 teams14 to 15 games
- Round robin with 8 teams28 games
- Groups and knockout with 8 teams15 games
Questions and answers
How many games are in an 8 team bracket?
7 games, or 8 with a game for third place. A double elimination bracket for eight teams needs 14 games, or 15 if the final is replayed.
How long does an 8 team tournament take?
With one court and 30 minute games, about 3.5 hours. With two courts about 2 hours, because the four quarterfinals take two time slots.
Which seeds play each other in round one?
1 against 8, 4 against 5, 2 against 7 and 3 against 6.
Should I use single or double elimination for 8 teams?
Single elimination is fast and gives a clear schedule. Double elimination takes twice as many games and is fairer if one bad game should not end a team’s tournament.
Can I fill in the bracket online and print it later?
Yes. Enter the scores in the online tool, then print from the tool. The sheet carries the names and the results you entered.