Random Team Generator

How to make random teams

1. Paste your names into the box, one per line. A column copied from a spreadsheet or a roster works fine. Blank lines are ignored.
2. Choose how to split: by number of teams (for example 4 teams) or by people per team (for example groups of 3).
3. Pick team names: plain numbers, or colors such as Team Red and Team Blue, which are easy to call out in a gym or classroom.
4. Tick Pick a captain if each team needs a leader.
5. Press Make teams. Not happy with the mix? Press Shuffle again for a fresh split. Use Copy results to paste the teams into a chat, an email or a slide.

How the split works

The generator shuffles the whole list fairly, then deals the names out like cards: first name to Team 1, second to Team 2, and so on, wrapping around until everyone has a team. That is why team sizes can never differ by more than one person. With 12 names and 3 teams you get three teams of 4. With 13 names, one team gets 5 and which team that is gets decided at random.

When you split by people per team, the generator works out how many teams are needed and then balances them. Asking for groups of 4 from 10 people gives 3 teams (4, 3 and 3) instead of two groups of 4 and one lonely pair. If an even split matters more than the exact group size, this is usually what you want.

Fair for everyone

Every name has the same chance of landing on any team, and every pair of people has the same chance of ending up together. The shuffle uses your browser’s cryptographic random number generator, the same kind of source used for security keys, so there is no pattern to game.

Ideas and tips

• Classroom groups. Random groups mix students who would not normally work together and take the sting out of being picked last.
• Pickup games and PE. Use color team names and read them out. Captains can choose positions or kick off.
• Office icebreakers and workshops. Set people per team to 3 or 4 for breakout rooms.
• Game nights and tournaments. Split players into pairs with people per team set to 2. If the count is odd, one team of 3 is created.
• Balance by skill. If you want the strongest players spread out, run the generator once for them with as many teams as you need, then run it again for everyone else and combine the results.

Need to pick just one person instead of whole teams? Use the Name Wheel, which can remove each name after it is drawn. To assign numbers, such as seat or table numbers, try the Random Number Generator with repeats turned off.