How the random team generator works
This free tool takes any list of names and splits it into fair, balanced teams in seconds. Type or paste your names, choose whether you want a set number of teams or a fixed number of people per team, and hit Generate. The result is a clean set of colored cards you can rename, re-shuffle, copy, share, or print.
Under the hood it uses an unbiased Fisher–Yates shuffle, then deals names out one at a time across the teams like dealing cards. That keeps every team within a single person of the same size — the fairest split the numbers allow.
Two ways to split your list
Number of teams
Pick this when you know how many teams you need — say four relay teams or two trivia squads. Everyone gets distributed as evenly as possible across that many teams.
People per team
Pick this when you care about team size instead — pairs, groups of three, five-a-side. The tool works out how many teams that makes and balances the leftovers.
What happens with odd numbers
Real groups rarely divide cleanly, and that's fine. When there's a remainder, the extra people are handed to the first few teams one at a time, so no team is ever more than one person bigger than another. The tool tags those teams with a small "+1" badge so it's obvious who got the extra spot — no silent imbalance, no lost names.
| People | Teams | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 2 | 5 and 5 |
| 11 | 2 | 6 and 5 (Team 1 gets +1) |
| 13 | 4 | 4, 3, 3, 3 (Team 1 gets +1) |
| 7 | 3 | 3, 2, 2 |
Avoid repeat pairings
Use the same group week after week? Turn on Avoid repeat pairings. The generator remembers who has already shared a team and tries to keep those people apart on the next shuffle. It's great for classrooms, sports practices, and recurring game nights where you want fresh combinations each time.
Great for classrooms, sports and game nights
- Teachers: split a class into project groups in seconds, then print the cards for the board.
- Coaches & PE: build balanced practice squads without the playground politics.
- Party & game nights: fair teams for trivia, charades, or backyard sports.
- Workshops & offices: instant breakout groups for icebreakers and exercises.
