Free Tournament Bracket Templates

What Is a Tournament Bracket? 

A Tournament Bracket refers to an internal structure of a competitive event. Usually looking like a diagram, graph, or table, this tool will be useful for the person that wants to play a friendly tournament with others and the organizing committee of a major sporting event ahead of the scheduled competition. It is crucial to decide on the schedule of the tournament and notify the participants about the number of rounds or gamedays they will have to go through to become a finalist that fights for the title of a winner, a prestigious award, and often a significant sum of money. Figure out how much time you can devote to the event in question and who will be involved in your tournament by making a personalized Tournament Bracket.

For a full list of Tournament Bracket templates please check out our library below.

Tournament Bracket Template Types 

• Double Elimination Bracket. Fill out this Tournament Bracket template if the organizing committee believes in giving second chances to the teams - even after a loss in the first round, they will get an opportunity to reach the final since the tournament is divided into two sections;
• A Single Elimination Bracket is the best option for tournaments with numerous teams and individual players competing for the prize - it means the loss in a single game eliminates the participant who does not get a second shot to take the road to the final;
• Round Robin Tournament Templates. For any tournament to have the fairest possible outcome, all participants have to prove their strength against different opponents, seasoned professionals and aspiring beginners - choose a suitable Bracket template from this category to let the competitors play against everyone you have invited;
• A Football Squares Template will entertain you during the Super Bowl - gather your family and friends to place your bets on the correct score for every quarter of the game and enter the predictions in the document.

How to Make a Tournament Bracket? 

Follow these instructions to make a Bracket for the upcoming competition:

1. Determine what format is the most reasonable for your tournament - for instance, if the rounds are relatively short, it would make sense to hold many events on the same day and let the participants face each other to determine the winner that is able to defeat most of their rivals.
2. Complete a blank Tournament Bracket template. The contents will be different depending on the platform you use to share it later - for example, a bracket on your website can function as an interactive schedule letting the user know more about the teams, venues, and rules of the tournament while a graph for social media can be simplified and only include the details about the competitors and the dates of the upcoming events. 
3. Decorate the diagram or table. In case you are making a public announcement posting an advertisement online or designing a poster to be visible from a long distance, it is essential to pick striking colors and large font sizes. Insert badges, symbols, drawings, and patterns most people will instantly recognize - however, ensure you are not distracting them from the main message of your bracket which is the schedule of the rounds or games.

How to Run a Bracket Tournament?

Here is what you need to do when organizing a bracket tournament:

1. Inform the potential participants about the event. If you do not know who will be happy to show up, send personal invitations and notify the general audience about the competition and its main rules - the individuals and established teams alike will reach out to you to find out more.
2. Schedule the rounds or games. Even if you are unable to predict when certain competitors will be expected to play or perform, it is necessary to provide them with a precise timeline of the entire competition so that other events are not canceled for the sake of your tournament.
3. Conduct a draw. Once all the participants have confirmed their willingness to fight for the title or prize, you can announce the first round of games or separate them into groups. It is up to you to choose a random draw or pair experienced competitors with underdogs using a rating system. 
4. Promote the tournament among your friends or acquaintances, students of your college, colleagues at work, the population of your area, or anyone who is interested - the latter is easier online. Besides, when you tell the potential spectators about the large tournament, you can also open the ticket sales generating income for the organizing committee, every individual employed to make the competition happen, and the teams. 
5. Calculate and announce the money prizes the winner and other participants will receive - alternatively, you may offer valuable items or vouchers to motivate the competitors to apply and take part in your tournament. 

Still looking for a particular template? Take a look at the related templates below:

• Baseball Templates;
• Volleyball Templates;
• Football Templates.