How to use it
- Type each team on its own line in Teams.
- Choose the Format: a single round robin plays each pair once, and a double round robin plays each pair home and away.
- Leave Randomise the order of the teams on for a new draw, or switch it off to keep the order you typed.
- Read the Fixtures table round by round. Each row shows the home team first.
How the fixtures are made
The circle method places the teams on a circle. One team stays in place and the others turn round it, round by round, so in a single round robin every pair of teams meets exactly once. An odd number of teams gets a dummy team, and the team paired with the dummy has a bye that round.
The home and away matches are balanced by walking through the whole schedule, so that each team's home and away matches differ by at most one. A double round robin repeats the schedule with every home and away match reversed. The circle method is described in the Wikipedia article on round-robin tournaments.
Matches in a single round robin = n × (n − 1) ÷ 2
Rounds in a single round robin = n − 1 (n even) or n (n odd)
Example: 4 teams give 6 matches in 3 rounds
4 teams in a double round robin give 12 matches in 6 rounds- The order of the teams decides the pairings, not the number of matches.
- With an odd number of teams, each team has exactly one bye in a single round robin.
What the schedule does not cover
- Dates, times, venues and the order of the matches within a round.
- Rest days, travel, and clashes with other competitions.
- Points and standings: use the league table calculator for those.
Example: four teams in a single round robin
With Red Falcons, Blue Wave, Northern Stars and Silver Lions entered in that order and randomise switched off, the first round pairs Red Falcons with Silver Lions, and Blue Wave with Northern Stars. In three rounds every team plays each of the others once: six matches in all.
| Round | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Falcons | Silver Lions |
| 1 | Blue Wave | Northern Stars |
| 2 | Northern Stars | Red Falcons |
| 2 | Silver Lions | Blue Wave |
| 3 | Red Falcons | Blue Wave |
| 3 | Northern Stars | Silver Lions |
Frequently asked questions
What is a round robin?
A tournament in which every team plays every other team. In a single round robin each pair meets once; in a double round robin each pair meets twice, once at each team's ground.
How many matches will there be?
A single round robin of n teams has n × (n − 1) ÷ 2 matches, and a double one has twice that. Ten teams give 45 matches in a single round robin and 90 in a double.
Why does one team rest in each round when the number of teams is odd?
Each round pairs the teams up, which needs an even number. With an odd number one team has a bye each round, shown as Bye, and in a single round robin every team has exactly one bye.
What does randomising the order do?
It shuffles the teams before the circle method is applied. The pairings and the rounds change, but every team still meets every other team the right number of times.
Is the schedule balanced for home matches?
Yes, closely. In a single round robin the home and away matches of each team differ by at most one, and a double round robin mirrors the first half, so the home and away matches are equal.
Sources
Figures and text last checked on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.