How to make random teams
- Add the names
One per line. A column copied from a spreadsheet, a class roster, or a group chat works fine.
- Choose the split
Set the number of teams, or switch to People per team and the generator works out how many teams you need.
- Press Make teams
The names are shuffled and dealt out like cards, so no team is ever more than one player bigger than another.
- Go again or share
Every press is a fresh shuffle. Copy teams pastes the result as plain text into a chat, email, or slide.
How the teams are kept fair
The generator shuffles the whole list with a Fisher-Yates shuffle driven by crypto.getRandomValues, the secure random source built into your browser. It then deals the shuffled names to each team in turn. Every possible split is equally likely, and the order you typed the names in makes no difference.
When the numbers do not divide evenly, some teams need an extra player. Those extra spots go to teams chosen at random, so Team 1 is not always the big one. Ten players in three teams gives teams of 4, 3, and 3. With People per team set to 3, the same ten players make four teams of 3, 3, 2, and 2, instead of three full teams and one player left on their own.
Where random teams help
Classroom groups
Split a class into project groups, lab partners, or reading circles without anyone being picked last.
Pickup games
Soccer, basketball, or kickball at the park. Turn on captains and the first name on each team calls the plays.
Work and training
Breakout rooms, workshop tables, or hackathon squads. A share link lets the organizer post the same list for everyone.
Game night and trivia
Even teams for charades, trivia, or a drawing game. Give the teams their own names under Team names.
Tips for better teams
- Worried two of your strongest players will land together? Make the split, look it over, and press Make teams again if you need to. Each split is independent of the last one.
- Remove duplicates cleans up a list that was pasted twice, so nobody ends up on two teams.
- Need one person rather than a team, like a volunteer or a winner? Use the Wheel of Names. To draw several people in order, try the Random Name Picker.
- Once the teams are set, a Coin Flip decides who starts.
Frequently asked questions
Is the team generator really random?
Yes. The shuffle uses crypto.getRandomValues with rejection sampling, which removes the small bias plain random math can have, and a Fisher-Yates shuffle gives every arrangement of names the same chance.
What happens when the names do not divide evenly?
Teams are kept as even as possible. Sizes never differ by more than one player, and the teams that get an extra player are chosen at random each time.
How does the captain option work?
With Pick a captain for each team turned on, the first name dealt to each team is marked Captain. The names are shuffled first, so everyone on a team has the same chance of being its captain.
Is my list saved?
Your names, settings, and last set of teams stay in this browser's local storage, not on our server. Copy share link puts the list and settings into a link you can send to someone else.
How many names can I split?
Up to 500 names into as many as 250 teams. It works the same on a phone, and the teams show up as cards that are easy to screenshot.