Free printable bracket · Single elimination
5 team single elimination bracket
A 5-team single elimination bracket has 4 games, with 3 first-round byes for seeds 1–3.
Five teams sits in an 8-team frame: seeds 1, 2, and 3 skip round one, and the only first-round game is seeds 4 and 5. Four games in three rounds, and the play-in winner has the longest road.
Free to build and preview. $29 one-time to publish. The PDF is free, no sign-up.
- 4games
- 3first-round byes
- 3rounds
- 1–3games per team
The bracket
5 teams, 4 games, every one numbered.
Bracket
QuarterfinalsGame 1
- 14Team 4v.5Team 5
Byes1 Team 1 · 2 Team 2 · 3 Team 3
SemifinalsGames 2–3
- 21Team 1v.Winner of Game 1
- 32Team 2v.3Team 3
FinalGame 4
- 4Winner of Game 2v.Winner of Game 3
Byes
Where the byes go.
The bracket is drawn on a 8-team frame, which leaves 3 empty slots in round one. They go to the top of the draw: seeds 1–3 skip round one and start in round two (Games 2–3). Round one is 1 game between the lower seeds.
A bye isn't a win on the record. TourneyPage advances the bye teams automatically, so the page never shows a game that doesn't exist.
Game order
All 4 games in play order.
- Game 1QuarterfinalsTeam 4 vs Team 5Winner plays Team 1 in Game 2.
- Game 2SemifinalsTeam 1 vs Winner of Game 1Winner plays the Game 3 winner for the title in Game 4.
- Game 3SemifinalsTeam 2 vs Team 3Winner plays the Game 2 winner for the title in Game 4.
- Game 4FinalWinner of Game 2 vs Winner of Game 3
How long it takes
Roughly how long a 5-team single elimination day runs.
About 2.5 hours. At least 3 of the 4 games have to be played one after another, so more than 2 fields won't make the day shorter.
Arithmetic, not a schedule: it ignores breaks and assumes every field stays busy. In TourneyPage you type the actual times and courts, and they show on the page.
Printable
Print it, or make it live.
The PDF is US Letter, landscape, with seed numbers on blank lines so you can write the teams in. Free, no sign-up, nothing on it but the bracket and this page's address.
Or skip the clipboard. The live version has the same bracket with the team names in, scores entered from a phone, standings that update, and the next games on top. Free to build and preview; $29 one-time to publish, for up to 32 teams per division.
Questions
Questions about a 5-team single elimination bracket.
How many games are in a 5 team single elimination bracket?
4: every game eliminates one team, and 5 teams need 4 eliminations to leave a champion. A third-place game, if you add one, makes it 5.
How do the byes work with 5 teams?
The bracket is drawn on a 8-team frame, so 3 first-round slots stay empty. Seeds 1–3 skip round one and start in round two. A bye isn't a win on the record; the team just plays one game fewer on the way to the title.
How many games does each team play?
At least 1: one loss and you're out. The champion plays 3 (2 with a first-round bye).
How long does a 5 team single elimination tournament take?
About 2.5 hours with 4 games at 50 minutes each on 2 fields, because at least 3 games have to be played one after another. Change the game length and the number of fields above to match your event. TourneyPage doesn't schedule the games for you; you type the times and courts you decide on, and they show on the page.
Should I add a third-place game?
If you want a full podium, or the two semifinal losers traveled a long way to play once. It adds one game between the semifinal losers, usually played right before the final, making 5 in all. TourneyPage has it as a switch, and the bracket shows it as its own game.
Single or double elimination for 5 teams?
Single elimination is 4 games; double elimination for 5 teams is 8, plus a reset final if it's needed. Go single when the day is short or the fields are few, and double when every team should be sure of two games. Pool play into a playoff is the third option: more games per team in a set number of rounds.
Can I print this bracket or run it live?
Both. The PDF is free, with no sign-up. "Make this bracket live" opens the TourneyPage builder with single elimination already chosen for your 5 teams; you add their names, preview the page free, and pay $29 once to publish a link everyone can open on their phone.
Other sizes
Single elimination brackets for 4 to 32 teams.
- 4 teams
- 5 teams
- 6 teams
- 7 teams
- 8 teams
- 9 teams
- 10 teams
- 11 teams
- 12 teams
- 13 teams
- 14 teams
- 15 teams
- 16 teams
- 17 teams
- 18 teams
- 19 teams
- 20 teams
- 21 teams
- 22 teams
- 23 teams
- 24 teams
- 25 teams
- 26 teams
- 27 teams
- 28 teams
- 29 teams
- 30 teams
- 31 teams
- 32 teams
How single elimination works · Games, rounds, and byes for every format and size
Make your tournament feel official.
Free to build. $29 one-time to publish. One link your players, parents, and fans will actually open.