Random Team Generator

Make fair teams from any list in one click

Paste your list — a class register, the five-a-side group chat, the office sign-up sheet — and this generator deals it into random, evenly-sized teams instantly. It is built for PE teachers splitting a class of thirty into sides before the warm-up is over, five-a-side organisers turning Tuesday night's "who's in?" thread into two teams at the pitch gate, office party games and team-building days where departments need mixing, and quiz nights where strangers have to land on tables nobody hand-picked. Everything runs in your browser on your phone — no signup, no app, nothing uploaded.

Why fair splitting matters

Hand-picked teams start arguments before the first whistle. Schoolyard captain-picking is slow, lopsided, and miserable for whoever is chosen last; letting the organiser assign sides invites "you stacked that team" every single week. A random draw takes the human out of the decision entirely — nobody chose the teams, the shuffle did — which is exactly why referees toss coins and cup draws pull balls from a pot. Fair process, visible to everyone, is what keeps a casual game friendly.

How the even split works

The list is shuffled, then dealt round-robin like a deck of cards: first name to Team 1, second to Team 2, and so on, wrapping around until the names run out. Because every team fills at the same rate, sizes never differ by more than one — 17 names into 3 teams is always 6, 6 and 5, never 8, 5 and 4. Prefer to think in squad size? Switch to players per team and the team count is worked out for you: 23 names at 5 per team makes 5 teams — three of five and two of four.

The captains option

Already know who is leading each side? Put the captains at the top of your list and tick the captains box. The first names — one per team — are pre-assigned before anything is shuffled, each marked with a © chip, and only the remaining names are randomised between them. Great for leagues with fixed skippers, classes with appointed group leaders, or making sure the two strongest players never end up together.

Tip: share the link so nobody cries "fix!"

After the draw, hit Copy share link and drop it in the group chat. The link carries the exact assignment inside the URL — every name and the team it landed on — so everyone who opens it sees the same teams, not a fresh roll. The organiser can prove the draw was never touched. You can also rename the teams (tap a heading), print a clean copy for the wall, or copy the whole thing as plain text.

Frequently asked questions

How does it keep team sizes even?

Names are shuffled and then dealt round-robin — first name to Team 1, second to Team 2, and so on, wrapping around until the list runs out. Every team fills at the same rate, so sizes can never differ by more than one player: 17 names into 3 teams gives 6, 6 and 5.

Can I pick captains?

Yes. Tick the captains option and the first names on your list — one per team — are pre-assigned as captains before anything is shuffled. With 4 teams, the first 4 names you typed each lead a team, marked with a © chip, and only the remaining names are randomised between them.

Will the same link show the same teams?

Yes. The share link carries the exact assignment — every name and the team it landed on — encoded in the URL itself, so everyone who opens it sees the same teams. It is not a re-roll, and nothing is stored on a server.

Is it really random?

Yes. The shuffle is a Fisher–Yates shuffle, the standard unbiased shuffling algorithm, so every possible arrangement of your list is equally likely. No name gets any preference from its position on the list or from a previous draw.