Running a tournament with 9 teams? Because 9 is not a power of two, a clean single-elimination bracket needs first-round byes for the top seeds. This free printable 9-team seeded single-elimination bracket handles that for you: the seeds are already placed in the correct positions, the byes are marked, and there are blank lines to fill in team names and winners all the way to the champion.
How the 9-team seeded bracket works
With 9 teams, the bracket expands to a 16-slot draw, which means the top 7 seeds (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7) receive a first-round bye and advance straight to the second round. The remaining teams play in the opening round. First-round matchups: Seed 8 vs Seed 9. Winners advance through the bracket until one team is left standing.
Download the printable 9-team seeded bracket (PDF)
One page, prints clean, seeds and byes already placed. Just add your team names.
Download the printable 9-team seeded bracket (PDF)
How seeding and byes work
Seeding rewards the best teams by keeping them apart until later rounds and giving them the easiest early path. In a seeded bracket, the number one seed is placed opposite the lowest seed, the two seed opposite the next lowest, and so on, so the top seeds only meet deep in the tournament. When the team count is not a power of two, the difference is filled with byes, and those byes always go to the highest seeds. That is why, with 9 teams, seeds #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7 skip the first round.
More printable brackets
Need a different size? Browse the full set of free printable brackets, including single-elimination, double-elimination, and round-robin templates, at SportsBrackets.net.
Frequently asked questions
How many byes are in a 9-team bracket?
A 9-team seeded single-elimination bracket has 7 first-round byes, given to the top 7 seeds (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7).
How many rounds is a 9-team single-elimination tournament?
It takes 4 rounds to crown a champion, the same as a 16-team bracket, because 9 teams expand into a 16-slot draw with byes.
Is this bracket free to print?
Yes. Download the PDF above and print as many copies as you need, free.
