Round Robin Tournament: How It Works, With Schedules for 3 to 16 Teams

How a round robin works

Every team plays every other team the same number of times, usually once. Games are grouped into rounds, and in each round every team plays at most one game. When all rounds are done, teams are ranked by record.

• Single round robin: every team meets every other team once.
• Double round robin: every team meets every other team twice, usually once home and once away.

Because nobody is knocked out, every team plays the same number of games. That is why most league regular seasons are some form of round robin.

How many games and rounds

Two formulas cover every case:

• Games: n × (n − 1) ÷ 2, where n is the number of teams.
• Rounds: n − 1 with an even number of teams, or n with an odd number, because one team sits out each round.

A double round robin doubles both the games and the rounds.

How to build the schedule: the circle method

The standard way to make a round robin schedule by hand is the circle method. It guarantees every pair meets once and nobody plays twice in a round.

1. Number the teams. With an odd number, add a "bye" as an extra team. Whoever draws the bye sits out that round.
2. Write the teams in two rows. For 6 teams: 1 2 3 on top, 6 5 4 underneath. Each column is a game: 1 vs 6, 2 vs 5, 3 vs 4.
3. Keep team 1 fixed and rotate the rest one place clockwise. The rows become 1 6 2 over 5 4 3, which gives round 2: 1 vs 5, 6 vs 4, 2 vs 3.
4. Repeat until you are back where you started. You will have n − 1 rounds (or n with a bye).
5. Balance home and away. Swap the order in some games so each team hosts about half the time.

The schedules in this series were generated with this method and checked so every team meets every other team exactly once.

Handling byes

With an odd number of teams, one team is idle each round. Over a full round robin, each team gets exactly one bye, so it stays fair. To avoid idle teams on a league night, use the bye team as officials, give them a practice slot, or add one more team to make the count even.

Round robin vs single and double elimination

Many leagues combine them: a round robin regular season to rank teams, then a single- or double-elimination playoff seeded from the standings.

Breaking ties

With several teams and short seasons, ties are common. Publish the tiebreakers before the first game. A typical order:

1. Head-to-head result between the tied teams.
2. Point or goal difference across all games.
3. Points or goals allowed.
4. A coin toss or playoff game as the last resort.

With three or more teams tied, apply head-to-head only among the tied teams, and if it doesn't separate them, move to the next rule.

Tips for running a round robin league

• Draw team numbers at random so no one can pick an easier path.
• Fix the game length and changeover time up front; it is the biggest factor in how long a night runs.
• Rotate early and late slots so the same teams aren't always playing last.
• Enter scores the same night so standings stay current and teams trust them.

Round robin schedules by team count

• 3 team round robin
• 4 team round robin
• 5 team round robin
• 6 team round robin
• 7 team round robin
• 8 team round robin
• 9 team round robin
• 10 team round robin
• 11 team round robin
• 12 team round robin
• 14 team round robin
• 16 team round robin

Each page has the full schedule, how to run it as a double round robin, and a printable PDF.