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Paste a list of names and split them into random teams in one click. Balance teams by skill, spread groups like genders or year groups evenly, keep friends together or apart, and add team names and captains. Need several rounds? Rotating groups makes sure people meet new teammates each time.
Also try Spin the Wheel, the Team Name Generator, and the Tournament Bracket Generator.
Last updated: October 3, 2026 · Published: 2026-04-07 · Updated: 2026-10-03
For teachers, coaches, event hosts and game nights. Browse all Randomizer tools.
12 people
12 people → 2 teams of 6
Paste your names, choose how many teams, and click Make teams. Turn on skill or group balancing for fair sides, and add rules to keep people together or apart.
A random team generator takes a list of names and divides it into teams or groups by chance. It replaces picking captains, counting off or drawing names from a hat, and it is faster and fairer than all three.
Muxgen's generator shuffles names with an unbiased Fisher–Yates shuffle and deals them into 2–50 teams whose sizes never differ by more than one. On top of pure chance, it can balance teams by 1–10 skill ratings, spread tagged groups evenly, and follow keep-together and keep-apart rules.
Teachers use it for classroom groups, coaches for even sides, and event hosts for breakout and networking rounds. Everything runs in your browser, so names are never uploaded.
Three steps from a list of names to ready-made teams.
One per line, or a comma-separated list. You can copy a column straight from Excel or Google Sheets.
Pick the number of teams (2–50) or people per team, then optionally balance by skill, spread #groups, or add keep-together and keep-apart rules.
Click Make teams. Not happy? Shuffle again. Copy the teams as text or CSV, or switch to Rotating groups for several rounds.
One per line or comma-separated. Numbered and bulleted lists are cleaned up automatically, and duplicates are flagged.
One click for 2, 3 or 4 teams, pairs or trios.
Number of teams (2–50) or people per team (2–100). Team sizes never differ by more than one.
When people per team does not divide evenly, add the extras to other teams or form one smaller team.
Add a 1–10 rating after each name, like "Alex 7", and team totals are matched as closely as possible.
Tag people with #words, like #girl, #year5 or #goalie, and each tag is shared out evenly across teams.
"Alex + Jordan" puts them on the same team; "Alex vs Jordan" puts them on different teams.
Numbers, colors, animals or letters, plus an optional random captain for each team.
How a group splits into 2 to 6 teams. Sizes never differ by more than one person.
| People | 2 teams | 3 teams | 4 teams | 5 teams | 6 teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 each | 2 each | 2 of 2, 2 of 1 | 1 of 2, 4 of 1 | 1 each |
| 8 | 4 each | 2 of 3, 1 of 2 | 2 each | 3 of 2, 2 of 1 | 2 of 2, 4 of 1 |
| 10 | 5 each | 1 of 4, 2 of 3 | 2 of 3, 2 of 2 | 2 each | 4 of 2, 2 of 1 |
| 12 | 6 each | 4 each | 3 each | 2 of 3, 3 of 2 | 2 each |
| 15 | 1 of 8, 1 of 7 | 5 each | 3 of 4, 1 of 3 | 3 each | 3 of 3, 3 of 2 |
| 16 | 8 each | 1 of 6, 2 of 5 | 4 each | 1 of 4, 4 of 3 | 4 of 3, 2 of 2 |
| 18 | 9 each | 6 each | 2 of 5, 2 of 4 | 3 of 4, 2 of 3 | 3 each |
| 20 | 10 each | 2 of 7, 1 of 6 | 5 each | 4 each | 2 of 4, 4 of 3 |
| 24 | 12 each | 8 each | 6 each | 4 of 5, 1 of 4 | 4 each |
| 25 | 1 of 13, 1 of 12 | 1 of 9, 2 of 8 | 1 of 7, 3 of 6 | 5 each | 1 of 5, 5 of 4 |
| 30 | 15 each | 10 each | 2 of 8, 2 of 7 | 6 each | 5 each |
Six common methods and when each one works best.
| Method | How it works | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captains pick | Two captains take turns choosing players. | Fast, and familiar from school. | The last people picked feel singled out, and captains stack their side. |
| Counting off | Everyone counts 1, 2, 1, 2 down the line. | Needs no tools. | Friends stand apart or together to game it, so it is not really random. |
| Drawing names | Names on slips of paper go into a hat. | Visibly fair and fun. | Slow for big groups, and slips get lost or folded unevenly. |
| Random generator | A shuffle assigns everyone at once. | Instant, unbiased and repeatable for any group size. | Pure chance can stack strong players together. |
| Skill-balanced generator | Ratings guide the split, then ties are shuffled. | Close games and equal team strength. | Needs honest ratings from someone who knows the players. |
| Coach or teacher assigns | One person builds teams by hand. | Can account for anything, including personalities. | Takes time and can look like favoritism. |
Twelve players rated 1–10, with a combined rating of 70. Perfectly fair teams of six would total 35 each.
A random split can put the six strongest players together: 45 vs. 25. Unlikely, but lopsided splits happen often enough to spoil games.
Sort by rating and pick A, B, B, A, A, B… The reversing order cancels out most of the first-pick advantage.
Team 1: Alex 9, Jordan 7, Avery 7, Drew 5, Quinn 5, Sam 2
Team 2: Morgan 8, Rowan 8, Casey 6, Jamie 6, Taylor 4, Riley 3
It drafts strongest-first into the weakest team, repeats with many random tie-breaks, and keeps the most even result. Each shuffle finds a different equally balanced split.
Six steps for even games and mixed groups.
Give each player a 1–10 rating based on recent form, not reputation. Use whole numbers and keep the ratings private.
Add #tags for anything you want shared evenly, such as goalkeepers, beginners, year groups or genders.
Use "vs" to separate siblings, best friends or two strong players, and "+" for people who need to stay together.
Switch on Skill level and Spread #groups, choose the number of teams, and click Make teams.
Each team shows its skill total. Totals within a point or two make for close games.
Every shuffle gives a different, equally balanced split, so you can reroll without losing fairness.
Players on the field or court per side, to help you choose how many teams to make. Substitutes are extra.
| Sport | Per side | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Soccer (association football) | 11 | Including the goalkeeper. 22 people make two full sides. |
| Futsal | 5 | Five-a-side indoor soccer, including the goalkeeper. |
| Basketball | 5 | 3x3 basketball uses three per side. |
| Volleyball | 6 | Beach volleyball is played in pairs. |
| Baseball and softball | 9 | Nine fielders on defense. |
| American football | 11 | Eleven on the field per side. |
| Ice hockey | 6 | Five skaters plus a goaltender. |
| Field hockey | 11 | Including the goalkeeper. |
| Rugby union | 15 | Rugby sevens uses seven per side. |
| Rugby league | 13 | Thirteen per side. |
| Cricket | 11 | Eleven per side. |
| Netball | 7 | Each player is limited to set areas of the court. |
| Handball | 7 | Six court players plus a goalkeeper. |
| Water polo | 7 | Six field players plus a goalkeeper. |
| Ultimate frisbee | 7 | Seven per side on the field. |
Smaller groups keep everyone involved; larger ones bring more ideas. Effort per person tends to drop as groups grow, a pattern known as the Ringelmann effect.
| Group size | Best for | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Pairs (2) | Think-pair-share, peer review, partner drills, buddy systems. | Everyone has to take part. Odd numbers need one trio. |
| Trios (3) | Problem solving, lab work, small projects. | Enough ideas without anyone hiding. Watch for two-against-one dynamics. |
| Fours (4) | Cooperative learning, projects with set roles. | Splits into two pairs when needed. A common default for classroom groups. |
| Fives and sixes (5–6) | Discussions, brainstorming, small-sided games. | More viewpoints, but quieter members may hold back. |
| Seven or more | Sports teams, quiz teams, larger projects. | Assign roles so work stays shared. Effort per person tends to drop as groups grow. |
A group of n people has n × (n − 1) ÷ 2 possible pairs. Each round covers at most a fixed number of them, so there is a minimum number of rounds before everyone could have met.
| People | Group size | Possible pairs | New pairs per round (max) | Minimum rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 3 | 66 | 12 | 6 |
| 12 | 4 | 66 | 18 | 4 |
| 16 | 4 | 120 | 24 | 5 |
| 20 | 4 | 190 | 30 | 7 |
| 20 | 5 | 190 | 40 | 5 |
| 30 | 5 | 435 | 60 | 8 |
Everything you need to split a group fairly.
Ratings after each name produce teams with near-equal total strength.
#tags share out genders, year groups, positions or departments across teams.
Keep friends apart or carpools together with simple one-line rules.
Up to 10 rounds where people meet as many new teammates as possible.
Teams never differ by more than one person, with a choice of how to handle leftovers.
Colors, animals, letters or numbers, and a random captain per team.
Paste into chat, slides or a spreadsheet.
Runs entirely in your browser. Names are never uploaded.
Who uses a random team generator, and how.
Balanced sides for pickup soccer, basketball runs and five-a-side, with goalkeepers spread out.
Mixed groups of 3–4 for projects, with friends kept apart and support needs spread evenly.
Breakout groups that mix departments, then rotate for the next session.
Several rounds of small groups so everyone meets someone new.
Fair quiz teams in seconds, with a random captain to hold the answer sheet.
Even 5v5 teams from player ratings.
Mix people who do not usually work together, using #department tags.
Activity groups by color, with age groups spread across each one.
Spread designers, developers and presenters with #role tags.
When to use this tool, and when something else fits better.
A wheel picks one name at a time. This tool assigns everyone to teams at once, with balancing and rules.
You could number people and roll, but you would still have to sort them into teams by hand.
The name generator invents team names. Use it after you have split the teams here.
Once your teams are set, the bracket generator schedules who plays whom.
Sorting by RAND() works for a plain shuffle but cannot balance skill, spread groups or follow rules.
Chatbots are not reliably random and can drop or repeat names. This tool uses a proper shuffle and always keeps every name exactly once.
What happens when you click Make teams.
Names are shuffled with the Fisher–Yates algorithm using your browser's cryptographic random number generator, so with balancing off every split is equally likely.
With skill or groups on, the tool searches many random drafts and keeps the most even one. Different shuffles give different splits that are just as balanced.
Priority order: your rules, then even team sizes, then spreading #groups, then matching skill totals. Keep-apart rules are only broken if the numbers make them impossible, such as three people who must be apart with only two teams, and the tool tells you when that happens.
Team sizes never differ by more than one person, except when a keep-together group is larger than a team.
Skill balancing is only as good as the ratings. Rate on recent form, and keep the numbers private if people might be upset.
Your names, ratings and rules stay in your browser tab and disappear when you close it.
Terms used on this page and in the tool.
Placing people into groups by chance, so no one's choice or bias decides who goes where.
A shuffling algorithm that makes every ordering of a list equally likely, when driven by a good random source.
Dealing a shuffled list out like cards: first to Team 1, second to Team 2, and so on.
A picking order that reverses every round (A, B, B, A) so the team that picks last in one round picks first in the next.
Teams whose combined skill ratings are as close to equal as possible.
A number from 1 to 10 that estimates how strong a player is, used only to even out the teams.
Spreading each subgroup, such as genders or year groups, evenly across teams before randomizing.
A constraint that two people must end up on different teams.
A team member chosen at random to lead, keep score or speak for the team.
A small group split off from a larger session to discuss or work on a task.
The math puzzle of scheduling rounds of groups so no two people are grouped together twice.
People remaining when a group does not divide evenly into the chosen team size.
Explore more tools in the directory.
Pick one name at a time on a wheel.
Names for your new teams.
Schedule matches between teams.
Random numbers in any range.
Roll to see who goes first.
Icebreaker questions for new groups.
Questions for team quiz nights.
Pick a sport for your teams to play.