Random Team Generator

How team sizes work when names do not divide evenly

When the names do not split evenly, some teams get one extra person. Team size is the most people a team can have, not an exact number. The tool makes as many teams as it needs so no team goes over that size, then shares people out evenly. That is why 10 names with a team size of 3 gives four teams of 3, 3, 2, and 2, instead of three teams of 3 and one person left alone.

Which teams get the extra person is random, so it is not always Team 1. If you would rather have bigger teams than smaller ones, switch from Team size to Number of teams and enter one fewer team. For 10 names, 3 teams gives sizes of 4, 3, and 3.

How to make balanced random teams by skill level

A plain shuffle can put all the strongest players on one team. To stop that, sort your names into groups with a blank line between each group, then turn on Spread groups evenly. Each group is shuffled on its own and shared out across the teams before the next group starts.

For example, with these eight names and 4 teams, every team gets one experienced player from the first group and one new player from the second:

Maya
Leo
Priya
Omar

Chen
Sofia
Jack
Nadia

• ·Use as many groups as you like. Three levels of skill, age groups, or departments all work the same way. Team sizes still never differ by more than one.
• ·Keep people apart. People in the same group go to different teams first. If a group has no more people than there are teams, no two of them end up together.
• ·Keeping people together is not supported. To make sure two people share a team, enter them on one line, such as Ana and Ben. They then count as one name when team sizes are worked out.

When to use a random team generator

• ·Teachers. Split a class into project groups or teams for a quiz game. Pasting the class list from a spreadsheet works, since each row becomes one name.
• ·Sports and PE. Pick sides for a pickup game, a practice scrimmage, or a gym class. Turn on Spread groups evenly so the strongest players do not all end up on one side.
• ·Work and training. Sort people into breakout rooms, workshop tables, or hackathon teams so they meet colleagues they do not usually work with.
• ·Game and trivia nights. Make teams for a pub quiz, a board game, or a party game, and give each team a color name so everyone knows which side they are on.

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• Random Number GeneratorPick random numbers in any range, with or without repeats

Random team generator questions

How do I split a list of names into random teams?

Paste the names into the box, one per line. Choose Number of teams and enter how many teams you want, then click Make teams. Each name is placed on exactly one team, and the team sizes never differ by more than one person.

What is the difference between Number of teams and Team size?

Number of teams makes exactly that many teams and shares everyone out between them. Team size sets the most people a team can have, and the tool makes as many teams as it needs so no team goes over that number. With 10 names, 3 teams gives sizes of 4, 3, and 3, while a team size of 3 gives four teams of 3, 3, 2, and 2.

Why are my teams different sizes?

When the number of names does not divide evenly, some teams get one extra person. The tool never makes a gap bigger than one, and which teams get the extra person is random each time.

How do I make random pairs?

Choose Team size and enter 2. With an odd number of names, this leaves one person on their own. To get a group of 3 instead, choose Number of teams and enter half the number of names, rounded down. For 9 names, 4 teams gives three pairs and one group of 3.

How do I make balanced teams by skill level?

List your strongest players first, leave a blank line, then list the rest. Add more blank lines for more levels. Turn on Spread groups evenly before you click Make teams. Each group is then shared out evenly, so every team gets a fair mix of each level.

Can I keep certain people together or apart?

To keep people apart, put them in the same group (separated from other groups by a blank line) and turn on Spread groups evenly. If the group has no more people than there are teams, each of them lands on a different team. The tool cannot keep people together. A workaround is to enter them on one line, such as Ana and Ben, so they count as a single name.

Why does it say I have too many teams?

Every team needs at least one person, so you cannot ask for more teams than you have names. Team size also has to be smaller than the number of names, or everyone would fit on one team. Lower the number, or add more names.

What happens to duplicate names?

With Skip duplicate names on, a name that appears twice is only used once. Capital letters do not matter, so Sam and sam count as the same name. If two people really share a name, add a last initial (Sam K and Sam T) or turn the option off.

How is the team captain chosen?

With Pick a captain on, one person on each team is chosen at random and listed first with a Captain label. Every member of a team has the same chance of being captain.

Are the teams really random?

Yes. The tool shuffles the names with your browser's secure random number generator, crypto.getRandomValues(), and then deals them out to the teams. Without groups, every possible way of splitting the list is equally likely.

Is the random team generator free, and are my names saved?

It is free with no signup. The names stay in your browser and are never uploaded. Nothing is saved either, so copy or download your teams before you close or reload the page.