Random Team Generator
Enter the names, choose how many teams or how many people per team, and the tool splits everyone fairly with true random numbers. Nothing is sent to a server.
How to use
How this random team generator works
This random team generator splits a list of names into teams in one click. Type or paste the participants, one name per line or separated by commas, then choose how to split: by the number of teams you want or by the number of people per team. Press Split teams and everyone is placed into teams at random. If you do not like the result, press Reshuffle for a new draw from the same list. You can give the teams your own names, copy the result as plain text to paste into a chat or a document, and shuffle again as many times as you like. The tool handles up to 300 names and 100 teams.
How the split stays fair
There are two parts to a fair split: a fair shuffle and an even distribution. The shuffle uses the Fisher-Yates method, the standard way to mix a list so that every possible order is equally likely, and it draws its random numbers from your browser’s cryptographic random source rather than from a simple pseudo-random function. It also avoids a subtle error called modulo bias, so no position is slightly more likely than another. Once the list is shuffled, it is cut into teams as evenly as possible: team sizes never differ by more than one person. Twelve people in three teams gives 4, 4 and 4. Eleven people in three teams gives 4, 4 and 3, with the extra person landing in the first teams. When you split by team size, the number of teams is the number of people divided by the size, rounded up, so 11 people with 4 per team makes 3 teams (4, 4 and 3).
Fair does not always mean balanced
A random draw is fair about who ends up where, but it does not balance skill. If you are picking teams for a sport or a quiz and some players are much stronger, random teams may turn out lopsided. A simple fix is a snake draft: sort players by rating, put the top players on different teams first, then reverse the order for the next round (team A, B, C, then C, B, A). You can also pick captains by hand and use this tool for the remaining players. Another approach is to run the random split a few times and keep the draw that looks most balanced.
Good ways to use it
- Classrooms. Form discussion groups, lab partners or project teams without hurt feelings about who picked whom.
- Sports and pickup games. Split ten players into two teams of five, or twelve into three teams of four for a tournament round.
- Work events. Mix departments for icebreakers, hackathons, trivia night and volunteering days.
- Parties and game nights. Make teams for charades, relay games or board games with partners.
- Family and community. Divide kids for a scavenger hunt, or assign people to chores and tables.
Tips for better results
- Keep names unique. If two people share a first name, add an initial, such as “Sam K.” and “Sam L.”
- Use commas or new lines. You can paste a column from a spreadsheet or a comma-separated list. Blank lines are ignored.
- Name your teams. Enter team names separated by commas. If you enter fewer names than teams, the rest are numbered.
- Copy the result. The copy button produces one line per team, ready to paste.
- Need an order, not teams? Split into one team per person or use the Ladder Game to decide who goes first.
A worked example
Imagine a class of 14 students that needs project groups. If you ask for 3 teams, the sizes are 5, 5 and 4, because 14 divided by 3 is 4 with 2 left over and the two extra students go to the first two teams. If you ask for groups of 4 people instead, the tool makes 4 teams (14 divided by 4, rounded up), which come out as 4, 4, 3 and 3. Each time you press Reshuffle the members change but the sizes stay the same. Copy the result and paste it into your class notes before you reshuffle again, since a new draw replaces the old one. If someone joins late or drops out, just edit the list and split again; the tool always works from the names currently in the box.
When two people should not be together
Sometimes you need to keep certain people apart, such as siblings who always team up or two experts in the same subject. The simplest approach is to reshuffle until the pairing you want to avoid does not appear. For a stricter rule, put those people into separate preliminary lists, split each list into the same number of teams, and combine the results by hand. Because each draw is independent, there is no hidden pattern that makes a specific pair more or less likely to match up again.
Icebreaker ideas once the teams are set
- Ask each team to pick a team name and a shared motto in two minutes.
- Have teams find three things everyone on the team has in common that are not obvious.
- Run a quick trivia round and rotate the scorekeeper.
- For remote groups, send each team a separate chat room or breakout room right away so the energy carries over.
Frequently asked questions
How do I split a list of names into random teams?
Paste the names, choose either the number of teams or the number of people per team, enter a number and press Split teams. The tool shuffles the list and divides it as evenly as possible.
Are the teams really random?
Yes. The shuffle uses your browser’s cryptographic random number generator and the Fisher-Yates algorithm, so every ordering of the list is equally likely. Reshuffling gives an independent new draw.
What happens if the names do not divide evenly?
Team sizes differ by at most one person. For example, 11 people in 3 teams become 4, 4 and 3. The teams that get the extra person are the first ones in the list, but who is on them is random.
Can I name the teams?
Yes. Type team names separated by commas, such as Red, Blue, Green. If you leave the box empty the teams are called Team 1, Team 2 and so on.
Can I make the teams balanced by skill?
This tool shuffles randomly and does not know anyone’s skill. For balanced teams, pick captains or use a snake draft by rating, and use the random split for the rest.
How many names can I enter?
Up to 300 names and up to 100 teams. Extra names beyond 300 are ignored.
Is my list of names saved or shared?
The list is saved only in your own browser so it is there when you come back. It is never sent to a server, and the Clear list button removes it.