Random Team Generator

Paste a list of names and split them into random teams, either by choosing how many teams you want or how many people should be in each. Teams are always as even as possible, differing by at most one person. Change the shuffle number to draw new teams, and copy the result to paste into a chat, email or slide.

Names stay in your browser and are only saved on this device. The same shuffle number always produces the same teams, so you can share a link and everyone sees the same draw.

Teams needed for a team size s: ⌈people ÷ s⌉

The list is shuffled with the Fisher-Yates algorithm, which gives every possible order the same chance, and the shuffled names are then dealt out one at a time like cards, so the first teams get any extra people. The random numbers come from a seeded generator, which is fair for everyday picks such as classroom groups and game teams but is not meant for prize draws that need an audit trail.

Ten people split into three teams with shuffle number 5 gives team 1: Fay, Ida, Eli, Gus; team 2: Dee, Cruz, Ben; team 3: Hal, Ana, Jon. Team sizes are 4, 3, 3.

• Classroom group work, lab partners and presentation groups.
• Pickup games, five-a-side football, quiz nights and office tournaments.
• Workshop breakout rooms and icebreakers that mix people who do not usually work together.
• Secret Santa style pairings, using teams of two.

Showing the draw on a screen makes it feel fair to everyone. Paste the names before the session, then project the page and change the shuffle number in front of the group so people can see the teams appear. If someone arrives late or leaves, edit the list and the teams update instantly; keep the same shuffle number if you want the rest of the draw to stay as similar as possible, though adding or removing a name can still move several people. Copy the final teams into the chat or onto a slide so everyone has them.

Keep a saved roster for each class so the list is ready whenever you need it; the page remembers the last list you used on this device. For repeated group work, draw new teams each time so students work with different classmates over a term. Groups of three or four often work best for discussion, while pairs suit quick practice tasks. If a group needs particular roles, such as a note-taker or presenter, assign them after the draw so the mix stays random.

Random teams avoid the awkwardness of captains picking players, but chance can still put all the strongest players together. If balance matters, list players in rough skill order and split them into separate lists, generate teams from each list, then combine the teams. For classroom groups, teachers often re-draw until no team is made up entirely of close friends, which is easy here by changing the shuffle number until the mix looks right.