Random Team Generator
Paste a list of names and split it into random teams or groups. Choose how many teams or how many people per team, balance the teams by skill, spread a group evenly, and pick a leader for each team. Fair, free, and it runs in your browser.
Balance is on: write a skill number or a group after a comma, for example Anna, 5 or Ben, girl.
Your teams
Every person has the same chance to land in any team.
How to use the team generator
- Paste or type the names in the box, one per line. You can paste a column straight from Excel, Google Sheets or a class list. Empty lines are skipped.
- Choose Number of teams (for example 4 teams) or People per team (for example groups of 3). The quick buttons set common choices, such as Pairs.
- Click Make teams. Click it again for a completely new draw.
- Copy the teams as text, Copy for Excel (one team per column), download a CSV file, show them in Full screen on a projector, or Copy link to send these exact teams to others.
Optional: give the teams names (letters, colors, animals or your own), pick a random leader for each team, or tick Balance teams to make teams that are equally strong or have the same mix of people. Your names and settings stay in this browser for next time.
How the names are split
The list is shuffled with crypto.getRandomValues, the secure random generator of your browser, using a Fisher–Yates shuffle, so every order of the names is equally likely. The names are then dealt into the teams. Team sizes never differ by more than one person, and which teams get the extra person is also chosen at random.
| Names | You choose | Team sizes |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | 4 teams | 6, 6, 6, 6 |
| 23 | 4 teams | 6, 6, 6, 5 |
| 10 | People per team: 4, one person less | 4, 3, 3 (3 teams) |
| 10 | People per team: 4, one person more | 5, 5 (2 teams) |
| 9 | Pairs, one person less | 2, 2, 2, 2, 1 (5 teams) |
| 9 | Pairs, one person more | 3, 2, 2, 2 (4 teams) |
If you ask for more teams than there are names, you get one team per name.
Balanced teams: skill levels and groups
Tick Balance teams by skill or group and add something after each name, separated by a comma or a tab (two columns pasted from a spreadsheet work as they are):
Anna, 9 Ben, 7 Carlos, 7 Dana, 4
A number is a skill level. The players are given out from the strongest down, and each one goes to the team with the lowest total so far (the same idea as captains taking turns to pick). Players with the same level are still placed at random. Every team shows its total and average, so you can see how close the teams are. Any scale works: 1–5, 1–10, a rating like 1450, or a score from a test.
A word is a group, such as girl / boy, a class, a department or a language. People of the same group are spread over the teams as evenly as possible, so each team gets a similar mix. Use this to mix people who do not know each other, or to keep teams fair in a mixed sport.
Without Balance, the comma is part of the name, so Smith, John stays one name.
Ideas for random groups
| Use | How |
|---|---|
| Classroom groups | Paste the class list, choose groups of 3 or 4, and show the result in full screen. Tick Pick a leader to give each group a speaker. |
| Sports and games | Add a skill level after each player and tick Balance, so no team is much stronger. Use Colors as team names to match bibs or shirts. |
| Breakout rooms | Choose People per team, then Copy for Excel or copy the text and paste it into the meeting chat. |
| Study partners, code reviews | Click Pairs. Make new pairs every week with one click. |
| Quiz night, workshops | Add each person's department or table after a comma and tick Balance to mix people who do not know each other. |
| Tournament draw | Put team or player names in the box and make groups of 4 for a group stage. |
Need one winner instead of teams? Use Spin the Wheel, or pick several winners at once with the list mode of the Random Number Generator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I split a list of names into random groups?
Paste the names in the box, one per line. Choose Number of teams (for example 4) or People per team (for example 3), then click Make teams. The page shuffles the list with your browser's secure random generator and deals the names into the teams. Click Make teams again for a new draw.
What happens when the names do not divide evenly?
The sizes never differ by more than one person. 23 names in 4 teams give 6, 6, 6 and 5. With People per team you choose what to do with the rest: make some teams one person smaller (10 names in teams of 4 give 4, 3, 3) or put the extra people into teams that are one person bigger (10 names give 5 and 5). Which teams get the extra person is random too.
How do I make balanced teams by skill level?
Tick Balance teams, then write a skill number after each name, separated by a comma or a tab, for example Anna, 5. The strongest players are given out first, each one to the team with the lowest total so far, so the team totals end up close together. Players with the same skill are still placed at random. The total and the average of every team are shown so you can check the balance.
Can I spread boys and girls, classes or departments evenly over the teams?
Yes. Tick Balance teams and write a word after each name, for example Ben, girl or Ben, Sales. People with the same word are spread over the teams as evenly as possible, so each team gets a similar mix. You can use either a number (skill) or a word (group) after each name, not both.
How do I make random pairs?
Click Pairs (or choose People per team and enter 2) and then Make teams. With an odd number of names one group gets three people, or one person is alone if you choose Some teams get one person less.
Can I share or save the teams?
Click Copy link to get a link that contains the names and these exact teams. Anyone who opens it sees the same teams. You can also copy the teams as text, paste them into Excel or Google Sheets (one team per column) or download a CSV file. Your names and settings stay saved in this browser.
Are the names sent to a server?
No. The teams are made by JavaScript in your browser. The names are only stored in this browser (localStorage), and in a link only if you choose to copy one. Nothing is uploaded.