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Tournament brackets, single elimination

3 team bracket single elimination, printable

A blank 3 team bracket on one page: seeds on the first lines, byes for the top seed, every game numbered, and the champion's line.

3 teams2 games2 roundsByes: seed 1

Tournament Bracket

3 teams · single elimination

Byes: seed 1

Write each winner on the next line

Round 1Game 1

FinalGame 2

2
3
1
1 2
Champion

Tournament

Date

Place

GameRoundTeamsTimeCourtWinnerScore
1Round 1Seed 2 v Seed 3–
2FinalSeed 1 v Winner of 1–

Notes

Updated October 28, 2026. Scan the code for this sheet blank, or any other size.

printdates.com/brackets/3-team-single-elimination

3 team single elimination bracket, blank, every game numbered, on one printable page
The printed page, as the PDF prints it. Save to Pinterest

How a 3 team bracket works

A 3 team single elimination bracket has 2 games over 2 rounds: 1 in round 1 and the final. Lose once and you're out; the last team left is the champion.

3 teams don't fill a bracket of 4, so 1 team gets a bye: seed 1 skips the first round and starts in round 2. The first round is one game: 2 v 3.

Every game has a number on the sheet, in an order it can be played, so a schedule can say “game 2 at 2:00 on court 1.” Write each winner on the line the game leads to.

Running the tournament

One sheet from the first game to the champion.

  1. Seed the teamsBest first: seed 1 on the top line. Type them beside the sheet to print them, or shuffle the list for a random draw.
  2. Print and post itOne copy on the wall for everyone, or one each for a bracket pool. The PDF is always blank.
  3. Play the games in orderThe numbers are an order that works: each game's teams are known before it starts.
  4. Write in each winnerOn the line the game leads to.

Good to know

How many games are in a 3 team bracket?

2. Every game puts one team out, and every team but the champion goes out once.

Who gets a bye?

The top seed. 3 teams fill a 4 line bracket only with 1 bye, and each goes to the best seed left, so no bye meets another and every first-round game is real.

How do you seed a bracket?

Best team first, by last season, a ranking or pool play: seed 1 on the top line, then down the list. Seed 1 and seed 2 are placed so they can meet only in the final. No ranking? Shuffle the list for a random draw.

Is there a third-place game?

Not on the sheet, but it's easy to add: the two semifinal losers play once more. Write it in the notes, or play a double elimination bracket instead, where every team plays at least twice.

Can I fill it in on screen?

Type the teams beside the sheet and they print on it, shrunk to fit their lines; the tournament's name goes on the sheet too. They stay on this device for next time. “Print blank” prints it without them, and the PDF is always blank.