31-Team Single Elimination Bracket
A free, printable, fillable 31-team single elimination bracket with seeds already placed. Because 31 isn't a power of two, the bracket is built on 32 slots: 1 bye goes to the top seed (seed #1), who skip straight to the Round of 16.
First-Round Matchups
- #2 vs #31
- #3 vs #30
- #4 vs #29
- #5 vs #28
- #6 vs #27
- #7 vs #26
- #8 vs #25
- #9 vs #24
- #10 vs #23
- #11 vs #22
- #12 vs #21
- #13 vs #20
- #14 vs #19
- #15 vs #18
- #16 vs #17
First-round byes: #1.
Rounds & Games
| Round | Games |
|---|---|
| Round of 32 | 15 |
| Round of 16 | 8 |
| Quarterfinals | 4 |
| Semifinals | 2 |
| Championship | 1 |
| Total | 30 |
How to Use This Bracket
- Rank your teams 1–31 (by record, previous results or a random draw) and write each team next to its seed number.
- To type names instead of handwriting them, open the PDF in Chrome, Edge, Acrobat or Preview and click any slot.
- Print on standard US Letter paper. The bracket fits on one landscape sheet.
- After each game, write the winner into the next round's slot until you have a champion.
Running this tournament live?
TourneyScheduler builds this same 31-team bracket, schedules every game across your fields or courts without coach conflicts, and updates it live as scorekeepers enter scores from their phones.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many games are in a 31-team single elimination bracket?
30 games. Every game eliminates exactly one team, and all but one team (the champion) must be eliminated, so a 31-team single elimination tournament always takes 31 − 1 = 30 games.
How many rounds does a 31-team bracket have?
5 rounds: Round of 32 (15 games), Round of 16 (8 games), Quarterfinals (4 games), Semifinals (2 games), Championship (1 game).
How many byes are in a 31-team bracket?
1. The next power of two above 31 is 32, so 32 − 31 = 1 slot is a bye. In a seeded bracket the byes go to the highest seeds: seed #1.
Who plays who in the first round of a seeded 31-team bracket?
#2 vs #31, #3 vs #30, #4 vs #29, #5 vs #28, #6 vs #27, #7 vs #26, #8 vs #25, #9 vs #24, #10 vs #23, #11 vs #22, #12 vs #21, #13 vs #20, #14 vs #19, #15 vs #18, #16 vs #17. Seeds are paired so the top seed faces the lowest remaining seed, which keeps the #1 and #2 seeds on opposite sides until the final.
Can I fill in the bracket on my computer?
Yes. The PDF has fillable fields for every team slot. Open it in Chrome, Edge, Adobe Acrobat or Apple Preview, click a box and type the team name (press Tab to jump to the next slot), then print or save.