How to Make a Tournament Bracket

Organizing and running a tournament can be a time-consuming and difficult task. But creating the tournament bracket does not have to be. With just a few easy steps, anyone can put together a tournament bracket.

Things You'll Need

  • Large sheet of poster board
  • Black fine-tip marker
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
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Instructions

  1. Eight-Team Single-Elimination Bracket

    • 1

      Draw eight horizontal lines an equal distance apart in a column on the left side of the poster board using the pencil and the ruler. The lines should extend about a fifth of the way across the board. Connect each pair of lines with two diagonal lines that meet halfway between the lines and point to the right. For example, the top two horizontal lines would be connected by a pair of diagonal lines, the third and fourth horizontal lines would be connected and so on.

    • 2

      Draw in four horizontal lines from where the diagonal lines meet toward the right side of the page. These lines should be as long as the first set of horizontal lines drawn above. Connect these horizontal lines in the same fashion as the last group. There should be two points left when the diagonal lines are connected.

    • 3

      Draw two horizontal lines off the two points created above, again the same length as the other horizontal lines. Connect these two lines in the same manner as previously stated, coming to one point.

    • 4

      Draw the final line, for the champion, straight off the final point created in the last step. This line should be the same length as the previous horizontal lines and if estimated correctly should be near the end of the poster board.

    • 5

      Draw over the pencil lines with the black marker. Use the ruler again to make sure lines are straight and fit properly.