Free tool
Free Tournament Builder for Any Sport
Paste the sign-ups, draw fair teams, run a knockout, double elimination, round robin, Swiss or groups tournament, and share the draw. Made for padel, tennis, volleyball, football, table tennis and more, for the organiser standing on the court with a phone. Completely free to use, with nothing uploaded anywhere.
Free, no account, no adverts. Works on iPhone, Android and laptops. The names you type stay on your device.
See it in use
Short recordings and real screens from the builder, with made-up players and scores. Tap any picture to see it full size.
From a pasted list to balanced teams in seconds
Paste the sign-ups, set each level, and one tap draws fair pairs with the strongest players spread out. Redraw, give the teams fun names, then move on to the bracket.
Type the scores and the bracket fills itself in
Enter each result and the winner moves on to the next round on its own, with courts already assigned. You can also just tap the team that won.
Finish on a champions screen
Enter the final score and the winners get a full-screen moment with confetti, the runners-up underneath and a button to copy the result for WhatsApp.
One tool, every sport and format
Padel
Paste the sign-ups and mark the levels
Paste the list straight from WhatsApp, or type names in. Tap a badge to set each player's level, and add tags such as Women and Men so a mixed padel night comes out mixed.
Padel
Fair pairs in one tap
The builder spreads the strong players, balances the tags and gives every pair a fun name. Drag anyone to swap, or lock a pair you like before you redraw.
Football
A round robin league with a live table
Six teams of three play each other over five rounds on two pitches. Type the scores and the standings update by themselves: three points for a win, one for a draw.
Tennis
Double elimination for a club day
Everyone gets at least two matches: lose once and you drop into the losers bracket, lose twice and you are out. The grand final even handles the deciding game.
Table tennis
Swiss system when you have many players and few tables
Nobody is knocked out. Each round pairs people on similar points who have not met yet, and the table ranks by points, then Buchholz, then score difference.
Volleyball
Groups, then a knockout
The World Cup way: two groups of four play each other, then the top two from each go through to a knockout that fills itself from the placings.
Badminton
A radial bracket for a bit of drama
Sixteen singles players on the outer ring, the final in the middle. Brackets can also be drawn two-sided, one-sided or as a simple list that suits a phone.
A victory screen to finish on
When the final is decided the winners get a full-screen moment, with the runners-up and third place underneath. Hold the phone up.
Share it with the group
Copy the teams and results as WhatsApp text, make a view-only link or QR code for the players, or print the draw.
Built for the phone in your hand
Most organisers run the day from a phone at the side of the court, so the buttons are big, the scores are easy to type, and every slip can be undone. Brackets switch to a simple list on small screens.
Completely free, and shaped by you
The Tournament Builder costs nothing to use: no account, no payment, no adverts. We are a volunteer-run, not-for-profit community and we built it for our own organisers. If your sport or your event needs something it does not do yet, tell us and we will be happy to add it.
How a tournament goes
- 1
Players
Type names or paste the whole sign-up list straight from WhatsApp, numbers and bullets included. Mark levels with the padel colours: green beginner, blue improver, orange intermediate, red advanced.
- 2
Teams
One tap draws balanced pairs or teams, strongest players spread out. Drag anyone to swap, lock a team you like, give them fun names.
- 3
Play
A knockout bracket, double elimination, a league where everyone plays everyone, a Swiss system, or groups followed by a knockout. Tap winners or type scores, courts and start times filled in for you, standings kept live.
- 4
Share
Copy a WhatsApp-ready summary, show a QR code so players can open a read-only view, print the draw, or hand a co-organiser an editable copy.
Which tournament format should we use?
The builder runs five formats. If you are not sure, think about how many games you want each person to play and how many courts you have.
- Knockout
- The quickest way to a winner: one loss and you are out. Eight teams play seven games, with byes for odd numbers and an optional third-place game. Best when time or courts are short.
- Double elimination
- Everyone plays at least twice. A second bracket catches the losers, and the winners and losers champions meet in a grand final. Fairer than a knockout when a bad draw would feel harsh.
- Round robin
- Everyone plays everyone, with a table that ranks by points, then score difference. Six teams play fifteen games over five rounds. Best for small groups who want lots of games.
- Swiss system
- A fixed number of rounds where each round pairs teams on similar points who have not met yet. Nobody goes home early and you do not need a game for everyone. Best for many players and few courts.
- Groups, then knockout
- Small round robin groups feed a knockout, like a football World Cup. Best for bigger events where you still want everyone to get several games.
A tournament maker for every sport
Anything with two sides works: you choose singles, pairs or teams of three or four. Here is how people use it.
Padel
Pairs balanced by level, a knockout or groups then knockout, and courts and start times for the whole day.
Tennis
Singles or doubles. Double elimination suits a club day where nobody wants a single bad match to end it.
Pickleball
Doubles round robins that keep everyone moving between courts.
Table tennis and ping pong
Swiss rounds for a busy evening, or a quick knockout on a couple of tables.
Badminton
Singles knockouts and doubles leagues, with the draw printed and pinned to the wall.
Squash
A singles ladder day: double elimination or a round robin if there are only a few of you.
Volleyball and beach volleyball
Teams of three or four in groups, then a knockout for the semi-finals and final.
Football, five-a-side and futsal
Mini leagues and cups. Squads bigger than four? Add each squad as one entry and name it after the team.
Basketball and 3x3
Teams of three with a short knockout, or groups if you have more than eight teams.
Ultimate frisbee
A round robin of squads, then a final for the top two.
Petanque, boules and cornhole
Pairs or triples, groups first, then a knockout under the trees.
Darts, pool and snooker
Singles knockouts with a bracket you can show on a phone behind the bar.
Chess and board games
Swiss pairings are the classic chess format, and they work for any game played one on one.
FIFA, Mario Kart and other console games
A league or knockout for the office, with the present mode on a big screen.
Charity cups and sports days
Mix levels, mix groups and keep the schedule moving. Print the draw for the noticeboard.
Team days for companies and schools
Fair mixed teams in one tap, courts numbered, and a victory screen to finish on.
Start with something ready
Each of these opens the builder already set up with placeholder players. Rename them to your real sign-ups, or paste your list over them.
Padel pairs cup
16 players, 8 pairs, knockout on 2 courts with scores and a third-place game.
Open this setup →Mixed padel league
12 players tagged Women and Men, mixed pairs drawn for you, everyone plays everyone.
Open this setup →Tennis singles league
8 players, singles, everyone plays everyone on 2 courts with scores and a table.
Open this setup →Volleyball 4s tournament
24 players in teams of 4: two groups of three, then the top two from each go into a knockout.
Open this setup →Football 3-a-side
18 players in teams of 3, straight knockout on 2 pitches.
Open this setup →What it does
Any sport
Singles, pairs, teams of 3 or 4. Padel, tennis, volleyball, football, table tennis, whatever you run.
Fair draws
Levels balance the teams; optional tags (Women / Men, Keeper, U30) are spread evenly too, so mixed pairs come out mixed.
Five formats
Knockout with byes and a third-place game, double elimination with a losers bracket, everyone-plays-everyone with a table, a Swiss system, or groups then knockout. Brackets draw two-sided, one-sided, as a list, or radially with the final in the centre.
Courts and scores
Tell it how many courts you have and every game gets one. Record scores or just tap the winner.
Works on a phone
Built for the organiser standing at the court. Big buttons, a list view of the bracket, undo for every slip.
Private by design
Nothing is uploaded. The tournament lives in your browser; links and QR codes carry a copy inside them, not a reference to a server.
Victory screen
When the final is decided the champions get a full-screen moment, confetti included, ready to hold up.
Free, and built on request
Completely free to use, with no sign-up. Save a copy as a file if you want to keep it or hand it over. Need something it does not do yet? Ask and we will happily add it.
Questions
- Is the Tournament Builder really free?
- Yes, it is completely free to use. There is no account, no app to install, no payment and no adverts. Keep Calm is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit community, and we made this for our own organisers first.
- Can you add a feature we need?
- Probably, and we would be glad to. Tell us what your sport or event needs on the feedback page, such as a different scoring style, a format or a way to share results. We read every note and add features on request.
- What is the best format for a padel or tennis tournament?
- For one afternoon with limited courts, a knockout is quickest. If you want everyone to play at least twice, choose double elimination. For a small group who want lots of games, a round robin is best, and a Swiss system works well when there are many players and few courts.
- Which sports can I use it for?
- Any sport or game with two sides: padel, tennis, pickleball, table tennis, badminton, squash, volleyball, football, basketball, ultimate frisbee, petanque, darts, pool, chess and console games. You can run singles, pairs, or teams of three or four.
- Can I use it for squads bigger than four players?
- Yes. Add each squad as a single entry, named after the team, and run it as singles. The builder then draws the bracket or league between the squads.
- Does it need an account or an app?
- No. It is a web page. Open it on any phone or laptop, add players and go. It remembers your tournament on that device until you clear it.
- Where is the data stored?
- Only in your own browser. Nothing you type is sent to Keep Calm or anyone else. A share link or QR code contains the whole tournament inside the link itself, which is why it is a snapshot rather than a live feed.
- Can other people follow the results?
- Yes. Make a view-only link or QR code from the Share step. Anyone who opens it sees the draw and results as they were when you made it; make a fresh one after a round and share again.
- What if numbers do not divide evenly?
- The builder tells you how many would be left over and suggests a team size that fits. In a knockout the strongest seeds get byes; in a league an odd team sits out one round at a time.
- Can I keep a copy or move it to another device?
- Yes. Import / Export in the builder downloads the whole tournament as a plain JSON file and loads it back; players is the only part a file needs, so a simple list of names works too. Share links do the same without a file.
- Can two organisers edit together?
- Not live. One phone is the source of truth; send an editable link if you hand over, and the other person carries on from there.
- Is it only for Keep Calm events?
- No, anyone can use it for anything. If it helps your club, tell us what would make it better on the feedback page.
Used it? Tell us how it went
What worked, what got in the way, what is missing. We add features on request, and every note shapes the next version.