5 Team Round Robin Schedule: Rounds, Games and a Printable Chart
A 5 team round robin takes 5 rounds and 10 games. Every team plays 4 games and sits out one round with a bye.
Below is the full 5 team schedule, round by round, checked so every team meets every other team exactly once. Use it as written, print it, or adapt it for a double round robin.
The 5 team round robin schedule
Number your teams 1 to 5 (a random draw keeps it fair), then play the rounds in order. The first team listed in each game is the home team. In sports without a home side, it serves first or picks the end.
| Round | Game 1 | Game 2 | Bye |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team 2 vs Team 5 | Team 3 vs Team 4 | Team 1 |
| 2 | Team 1 vs Team 5 | Team 3 vs Team 2 | Team 4 |
| 3 | Team 4 vs Team 1 | Team 5 vs Team 3 | Team 2 |
| 4 | Team 1 vs Team 3 | Team 4 vs Team 2 | Team 5 |
| 5 | Team 2 vs Team 1 | Team 5 vs Team 4 | Team 3 |
Download the printable 5 team round robin schedule (PDF)
The printable version has space for team names and scores. You can also print this page directly; the schedule prints cleanly without the site navigation.
How many games and rounds
- Total games: 10. The formula is n × (n − 1) ÷ 2, so 5 × 4 ÷ 2 = 10.
- Rounds: 5. With an odd number of teams, you need one round per team, because one team sits out every round.
- Games per team: 4.
- Games per round: 2 (one team has a bye).
How the byes work
With 5 teams, one team is off every round. Each team gets exactly one bye across the 5 rounds, so nobody is favored. If you would rather not have idle teams on a league night, add a practice court, schedule the bye team as officials for another game, or recruit a 6th team to remove byes altogether.
Running it on your courts or fields
With 2 courts or fields, each round fits in one time slot and the whole round robin takes 5 slots. With fewer, split each round across consecutive slots. For example, if a game plus changeover takes 60 minutes and you have one court, a round takes 2 hours.
For a league, play one round a week and the season lasts 5 weeks. For a one-day event, keep games short and add a break every two or three rounds.
Double round robin
Play the schedule twice and swap home and away in the second half. A 5 team double round robin is 10 rounds and 20 games, with 8 games per team. It suits a longer league season and evens out any home advantage.
Breaking ties
Teams often finish level on wins. Decide the tiebreakers before the first game and share them with every team. A common order is head-to-head result, then point or goal difference, then points allowed. See the full guide: round robin tournament.
What to do after the round robin
Many leagues use the final standings to seed a playoff. The top four can go straight into a single-elimination semifinal, or every team can enter a double-elimination bracket.
Frequently asked questions
How many games are in a 5 team round robin?
A 5 team round robin has 10 games. Each team plays 4, and the formula is n × (n − 1) ÷ 2.
How many rounds does a 5 team round robin take?
It takes 5 rounds, because one team has a bye every round. With 2 courts, each round fits in a single time slot.
How many games are in a 5 team double round robin?
A double round robin is 20 games over 10 rounds, with each team playing 8 games, once home and once away against every opponent.
How do you break a tie in a round robin?
Agree the tiebreakers before play starts. A common order is head-to-head result, then point or goal difference, then points allowed.