How to use it
- Type each player on a line, with a skill number after the name, for example Ali 4.
- Choose Make teams by: a number of teams, or the number of players in each team.
- Type the Number of teams or the Players per team.
- Read the Teams table. Calculate again to draw new tie-breaks between players with the same skill.
How the teams are balanced
The players are sorted by skill, strongest first. Players with the same skill are put in a random order, so ties are broken fairly each time. The players are then dealt into the teams in snake order: the first player goes to the first team, the second to the second, and so on to the last team. Then the order turns round, so the next player goes to the last team and the team order runs back to the first.
Wikipedia describes this snake method of drafting players in turn, in which the order is reversed in alternate rounds in the interest of fairness (Fantasy football, American).
Teams = players sorted by skill, dealt in snake order
Team total = the sum of the skill numbers in the team
Spread = highest team total − lowest team total
Example: skills 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and 0 for two teams
Team 1: 5, 2, 1 = 8 Team 2: 4, 3, 0 = 7 Spread 1- The totals are close, not exactly equal, because the skill numbers are only an estimate of strength.
- Team sizes differ by at most one player.
What the generator does not know
- Positions, form, friendships, or players who should not be in the same team.
- Whether the skill numbers are right: you estimate them, and the tool does not check them.
Worked example: six players in two teams
Ann 5, Ben 4, Cal 3, Dee 2, Eli 1 and Fay 0 have no ties, so the random order is not used and the result is fixed. Ann goes to team 1 and Ben to team 2. The order then turns round: Cal joins team 2, Dee joins team 1, Eli joins team 1 and Fay joins team 2.
Team 1 has Ann, Dee and Eli, a total of 8. Team 2 has Ben, Cal and Fay, a total of 7. The spread is 1.
| Team | Players | Players in the team | Total skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team 1 | Ann, Dee, Eli | 3 | 8 |
| Team 2 | Ben, Cal, Fay | 3 | 7 |
Frequently asked questions
What does the skill number mean?
Any scale you agree on, such as a rating from 1 to 5 or a score from practice games. Only the relative values matter: the tool sorts by them and adds them up for each team.
Why use snake order rather than filling the first team?
Filling one team first would give it all the strongest players. Snake order gives each team a strong player and then a weaker one in turn, so the totals stay close.
Will I get the same teams every time?
Not when players share a skill number, because their order is random and each calculation can split them differently. Players with different skill numbers always come out in the same order.
Can a player have more than one skill number?
Each player has one number. If you want to balance on several skills, combine them into one number first, for example by adding them.
Does it take goalkeepers or positions into account?
No. It balances only the skill numbers you enter. If each team needs a goalkeeper, place one in each team by hand after the draw.
Sources
Figures and text last checked on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.