Random Team Generator
Paste your names, choose how many teams, press the button. The list is shuffled properly and dealt out, so the teams come out as even as the numbers allow. Nothing leaves your browser and nothing is stored on our side.
Paste your names and press the button.
How any group from 6 to 40 divides
| People | Into 2 teams | Into 3 | Into 4 | Into 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 each | 2 each | 2×2, 1×2 | 2×1, 1×4 |
| 7 | 4×1, 3×1 | 3×1, 2×2 | 2×3, 1×1 | 2×2, 1×3 |
| 8 | 4 each | 3×2, 2×1 | 2 each | 2×3, 1×2 |
| 9 | 5×1, 4×1 | 3 each | 3×1, 2×3 | 2×4, 1×1 |
| 10 | 5 each | 4×1, 3×2 | 3×2, 2×2 | 2 each |
| 11 | 6×1, 5×1 | 4×2, 3×1 | 3×3, 2×1 | 3×1, 2×4 |
| 12 | 6 each | 4 each | 3 each | 3×2, 2×3 |
| 13 | 7×1, 6×1 | 5×1, 4×2 | 4×1, 3×3 | 3×3, 2×2 |
| 14 | 7 each | 5×2, 4×1 | 4×2, 3×2 | 3×4, 2×1 |
| 15 | 8×1, 7×1 | 5 each | 4×3, 3×1 | 3 each |
| 16 | 8 each | 6×1, 5×2 | 4 each | 4×1, 3×4 |
| 17 | 9×1, 8×1 | 6×2, 5×1 | 5×1, 4×3 | 4×2, 3×3 |
| 18 | 9 each | 6 each | 5×2, 4×2 | 4×3, 3×2 |
| 19 | 10×1, 9×1 | 7×1, 6×2 | 5×3, 4×1 | 4×4, 3×1 |
| 20 | 10 each | 7×2, 6×1 | 5 each | 4 each |
| 21 | 11×1, 10×1 | 7 each | 6×1, 5×3 | 5×1, 4×4 |
| 22 | 11 each | 8×1, 7×2 | 6×2, 5×2 | 5×2, 4×3 |
| 23 | 12×1, 11×1 | 8×2, 7×1 | 6×3, 5×1 | 5×3, 4×2 |
| 24 | 12 each | 8 each | 6 each | 5×4, 4×1 |
| 25 | 13×1, 12×1 | 9×1, 8×2 | 7×1, 6×3 | 5 each |
| 26 | 13 each | 9×2, 8×1 | 7×2, 6×2 | 6×1, 5×4 |
| 27 | 14×1, 13×1 | 9 each | 7×3, 6×1 | 6×2, 5×3 |
| 28 | 14 each | 10×1, 9×2 | 7 each | 6×3, 5×2 |
| 29 | 15×1, 14×1 | 10×2, 9×1 | 8×1, 7×3 | 6×4, 5×1 |
| 30 | 15 each | 10 each | 8×2, 7×2 | 6 each |
| 31 | 16×1, 15×1 | 11×1, 10×2 | 8×3, 7×1 | 7×1, 6×4 |
| 32 | 16 each | 11×2, 10×1 | 8 each | 7×2, 6×3 |
| 33 | 17×1, 16×1 | 11 each | 9×1, 8×3 | 7×3, 6×2 |
| 34 | 17 each | 12×1, 11×2 | 9×2, 8×2 | 7×4, 6×1 |
| 35 | 18×1, 17×1 | 12×2, 11×1 | 9×3, 8×1 | 7 each |
| 36 | 18 each | 12 each | 9 each | 8×1, 7×4 |
| 37 | 19×1, 18×1 | 13×1, 12×2 | 10×1, 9×3 | 8×2, 7×3 |
| 38 | 19 each | 13×2, 12×1 | 10×2, 9×2 | 8×3, 7×2 |
| 39 | 20×1, 19×1 | 13 each | 10×3, 9×1 | 8×4, 7×1 |
| 40 | 20 each | 14×1, 13×2 | 10 each | 8 each |
Read "5×2, 4×1" as two teams of five and one of four. Where a number does not divide evenly, the generator gives the extra people to the earliest teams, so no team is ever more than one person larger than another.
How this list was built
The shuffle is a proper one. Names are shuffled with the Fisher–Yates algorithm, which gives every possible arrangement the same chance, and then dealt out one at a time like cards. The obvious alternative — sorting by a random number — is subtly biased, and the obvious other one — picking random names until the first team is full — leaves the last team with whoever is left.
Teams come out even, and the extras go to the front. Eleven people into three teams is 4, 4, 3 — never 5, 3, 3. Because the names were shuffled first, being in the larger team is itself random, so nobody is systematically disadvantaged by where they were typed in the list.
Nothing is sent anywhere. The whole thing runs in your browser. Your names are not uploaded, not logged and not seen by us. The only thing kept is a copy of your list in your own browser's storage so you do not have to retype it next time — it never leaves your device, and clearing your browser data removes it.
The table is there for planning before anyone arrives. If you know roughly how many people are coming, it tells you at a glance which number of teams divides cleanly and which leaves an odd one out.
Common questions
Does it make the teams even?
As even as the numbers allow. If the group does not divide exactly, some teams get one extra person and never more than one. Which teams those are is random, because the names are shuffled before they are dealt.
Are my names sent to a server?
No. The shuffle happens in your browser, and the list is never uploaded. A copy is kept in your own browser so it is still there next time you open the page, and clearing your browser data deletes it.
Can I use it to pick one person rather than teams?
Set the number of teams to the number of people and each team will hold one name, in a random order — which is a draw order. For a straight single pick, any of the list generators on this site does the same job.
Is the randomness good enough for a prize draw?
For a classroom, a five-a-side game or a raffle among friends, yes — the shuffle is unbiased. It uses the browser's ordinary random number generator, so it is not suitable where the result has to stand up to a legal challenge.
How many teams can I make?
Between 2 and 20, and you need at least as many names as teams.
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