Swiss system generator
Type the number of teams or paste your list, then pick the number of rounds. Round 1 is paired at once; later rounds show their pairs by place within each score group. No sign-up needed.
What is the Swiss system?
A Swiss system plays a fixed number of rounds and knocks nobody out. Each round, teams on the same score form a group, ranked on the standings and paired first against last: the top team plays the bottom one, the second plays the second last, and so on inwards, the way seeds are drawn. In a group of 4, 1st plays 4th and 2nd plays 3rd. Winners meet winners and losers meet losers, so after a few rounds the table sorts itself, and the strongest teams meet as late as possible.
It suits a big field with little time: everyone plays every round, nobody goes out early, and there are far fewer matches than a round robin. Round 1 has no results yet, so the whole list is one group: with 8 teams, team 1 plays team 8, 2 plays 7, 3 plays 6 and 4 plays 5.
Rounds and matches at a glance
- Recommended rounds: how many times you double 1 to reach n or more. 6 teams 3 rounds, 8 teams 3 rounds, 16 teams 4 rounds. After that many rounds, with no draws, at most one team has won every match.
- Matches per round: n ÷ 2, rounded down. 16 teams: 8 matches a round.
- Total matches: rounds × matches per round. 16 teams over 4 rounds: 32 matches, against 120 for a round robin.
- Odd number of teams: one team sits out each round and scores nothing for it.
Frequently asked questions
How many rounds does a 16-team Swiss take?
Usually 4, with 8 matches a round and 32 in all. 4 is how many times you double 1 to reach 16: after 4 rounds, with no draws, at most one team has won all 4. Play more rounds for a clearer table.
How is round 1 paired?
In list order, first against last: with n teams, team 1 plays team n, team 2 plays team n - 1, and so on inwards. With 16 teams, 1 plays 16, 2 plays 15 and 8 plays 9. To draw lots, draw first and paste the list in the drawn order. From round 2, teams on the same score form a group that is paired the same way. In an odd group the last-placed team drops to the top of the group below.
What happens with an odd number of teams?
One team sits out each round. In round 1 it is the last team on the list. From round 2 it is the lowest-ranked team that has not sat out yet, so nobody sits out twice until everyone has once. A round sat out scores nothing. With 7 teams, each round has 3 matches and 1 team out.
Can two teams meet twice?
SportX avoids it. If a top-half team has already played its opponent, it plays the next team up in the bottom half; failing that it swaps with a top-half team, and only then takes the nearest team below it has not met. A rematch happens only when no pairing of the whole round avoids one, so the round can still go ahead. That is why the most rounds is one fewer than the number of teams.
Why do rounds 2 and later show places, not names?
Each round pairs on the results of the one before, so the names are not known until then. The tool shows the pairing ahead of time: in a 1-0 group of 4, 1st plays 4th and 2nd plays 3rd (assuming no draws). On SportX, once a round's results are in, the organiser taps to pair the next one and the named matches appear for referees and spectators at once.