TOURNAMENTS · ROUND ROBIN

How many matches in a round robin? Rounds, games and time for 3 to 12 teams

By: Mahesh Shrestha (Founder & Sydney volunteer)•Verified: 18 October 2026

Short answer

A round robin with n teams has n × (n − 1) ÷ 2 matches, because every team plays every other team once: 4 teams play 6 matches, 6 teams play 15 and 8 teams play 28. It takes n − 1 rounds with an even number of teams, or n rounds with an odd number, when one team rests each round.

Round robin matches by number of teams

Every team plays every other team once. Time slots assume each round ends before the next starts.
Teams	Matches	Rounds	Games per team	Slots on 1 pitch	2 pitches	3 pitches
3	3	3 (1 bye each)	2	3	3	3
4	6	3	3	6	3	3
5	10	5 (1 bye each)	4	10	5	5
6	15	5	5	15	10	5
7	21	7 (1 bye each)	6	21	14	7
8	28	7	7	28	14	14
9	36	9 (1 bye each)	8	36	18	18
10	45	9	9	45	27	18
11	55	11 (1 bye each)	10	55	33	22
12	66	11	11	66	33	22

A double round robin, where teams meet home and away, has twice as many matches and rounds: n × (n − 1). For bigger numbers, groups followed by a knockout keep the day shorter: 16 teams in one round robin is 120 matches, while four groups of four is 24 group matches.

How long a round robin takes

Time = slots × (match length + changeover). Six teams on two pitches need 10 slots. With 15 minute games and 5 minutes to change over, that is 10 × 20 = 200 minutes, about 3 hours 20. On three pitches every round fits in one slot, so it takes 5 × 20 = 100 minutes.

With an odd number of teams, one team rests every round, so extra pitches help less: five teams have only two matches a round, so a third pitch sits empty.

Example fixtures for 5 and 6 teams

These are drawn by the circle method: one team stays put and the others move round one place each round, so no team plays twice in a round and every pair meets once.

Six teams: 15 matches in 5 rounds
Round	Matches
Round 1	A v F, B v E, C v D
Round 2	A v E, F v D, B v C
Round 3	A v D, E v C, F v B
Round 4	A v C, D v B, E v F
Round 5	A v B, C v F, D v E

Five teams: 10 matches in 5 rounds, one team resting each round
Round	Matches
Round 1	B v E, C v D (A rests)
Round 2	A v E, B v C (D rests)
Round 3	A v D, E v C (B rests)
Round 4	A v C, D v B (E rests)
Round 5	A v B, D v E (C rests)

The round robin fixture generator draws this for your own teams, sets kick-off times and pitches, and keeps a live table as scores go in. Ties on points are separated by goal difference, then goals scored. For a cup instead, see the knockout bracket maker.

Round robin fixture generator

Paste your teams and get the full fixture list with a live league table and a link to share. Free, no sign-up.

Open the free tool

Also: soccer tournament maker, knockout cup bracket maker

Questions

How many matches are in a round robin with 4 teams?

6 matches over 3 rounds, with each team playing 3 games.

How many matches are in a round robin with 5 teams?

10 matches over 5 rounds. Each team plays 4 games and rests once.

How many matches are in a round robin with 6 teams?

15 matches over 5 rounds, with each team playing 5 games.

How many matches are in a round robin with 8 teams?

28 matches over 7 rounds, with each team playing 7 games.

What is the formula for round robin matches?

n × (n − 1) ÷ 2 for a single round robin, where n is the number of teams, and n × (n − 1) when teams play each other twice. Rounds: n − 1 for an even number of teams, n for an odd number.

How do I schedule a round robin with an odd number of teams?

Add a "bye" as an extra team and draw it as if the count were even. Whoever is drawn against the bye rests that round, so 5 teams take 5 rounds with one team resting each round.