26 Team Single Elimination Bracket
Free printable & online — click a team to advance them. No signup.
Double elimination version →25 games · 6 byes
ROUND 1
ROUND 2
ROUND 3
ROUND 4
ROUND 5
Champion
Champion
TBD
- wb round 1: SEED 16 vs SEED 17
- wb round 1: SEED 8 vs SEED 25
- wb round 1: SEED 9 vs SEED 24
- wb round 1: SEED 13 vs SEED 20
- wb round 1: SEED 12 vs SEED 21
- wb round 1: SEED 15 vs SEED 18
- wb round 1: SEED 7 vs SEED 26
- wb round 1: SEED 10 vs SEED 23
- wb round 1: SEED 14 vs SEED 19
- wb round 1: SEED 11 vs SEED 22
- wb round 2: SEED 1 vs TBD
- wb round 2: TBD vs TBD
- wb round 2: SEED 4 vs TBD
- wb round 2: SEED 5 vs TBD
- wb round 2: SEED 2 vs TBD
- wb round 2: TBD vs TBD
- wb round 2: SEED 3 vs TBD
- wb round 2: SEED 6 vs TBD
- wb round 3: TBD vs TBD
- wb round 3: TBD vs TBD
- wb round 3: TBD vs TBD
- wb round 3: TBD vs TBD
- wb round 4: TBD vs TBD
- wb round 4: TBD vs TBD
- wb round 5: TBD vs TBD
Letter or A4, landscape, black & white
How this bracket works
- 25 games total — Single elimination: each loss eliminates one team, so 26 teams produce exactly 25 games.
- 6 byes — The field is padded to 32 slots; 6 top seeds skip round 1, leaving 10 opening games.
- Seeding — Strongest vs weakest: 16v17, 8v25, 9v24…. Seeds 16 and 32 are at opposite ends.
Rules cheat sheet
- Winner advances; loser is out. One loss and you're done.
- Round 1 pairings are fixed by seed — no re-draws between rounds.
- Fill it online (click teams) or print the blank sheet and fill by hand.
- Running a pool? Share one link and collect picks — scores update automatically.
FAQ
How many games are in a 26-team single elimination bracket?
Exactly 25 games. Every game eliminates one team, so 26 teams need 25 eliminations to crown a champion.
How many byes does a 26-team bracket have?
6 byes. The bracket is padded to 32 slots, so 6 top-seeded teams skip round 1 and 10 games are played in the opening round.
How are teams seeded and paired?
Standard seeding: the 32-slot bracket is filled so the strongest seeds meet the weakest — 16 vs 17, 8 vs 25, 9 vs 24, 13 vs 20, …. Seed 1 and seed 32 sit at opposite ends.
Can I print this bracket?
Yes — use the Print button. The print output is a clean black-and-white line drawing that fits Letter or A4 paper in landscape. No sign-up, no watermarks.
Other team counts
New to this format? Read the single-elimination rules guide →