30 team knockout fixture

30 teams: 2 byes, 28 teams play Round I, 29 matches over 5 rounds.

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How the 30 team fixture is drawn

Upper half and lower half

30 is even, so each half gets 30 ÷ 2 = 15 teams: Teams 1–15 in the upper half and Teams 16–30 in the lower half.

Byes

Byes = next power of 2 − number of teams = 32 − 30 = 2. 2 is even, so each half gets 2 ÷ 2 = 1 bye.

Which teams get the byes, and why

The textbook places byes in this order: the 1st bye to the last team of the lower half, the 2nd to the first team of the upper half, the 3rd to the first team of the lower half and the 4th to the last team of the upper half. The remaining byes follow the same pattern, moving inward. For 30 teams:

  1. Team 30 — last team of the lower half
  2. Team 1 — first team of the upper half

Teams with a bye do not play Round I. They go straight to Round II.

Round I and total matches

30 − 2 = 28 teams play Round I in 14 matches:

  • Match 1: Team 2 vs Team 3
  • Match 2: Team 4 vs Team 5
  • Match 3: Team 6 vs Team 7
  • Match 4: Team 8 vs Team 9
  • Match 5: Team 10 vs Team 11
  • Match 6: Team 12 vs Team 13
  • Match 7: Team 14 vs Team 15
  • Match 8: Team 16 vs Team 17
  • Match 9: Team 18 vs Team 19
  • Match 10: Team 20 vs Team 21
  • Match 11: Team 22 vs Team 23
  • Match 12: Team 24 vs Team 25
  • Match 13: Team 26 vs Team 27
  • Match 14: Team 28 vs Team 29

Total number of matches = number of teams − 1 = 30 − 1 = 29 (not including a third-place match). There are 5 rounds, because 32 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 — worked out from the textbook illustrations, not a textbook formula.

Print or save as PDF

Tap “Print fixture (A4)” and choose “Save as PDF” as the printer to get a 30 team knockout fixture PDF. The bracket prints on 2 A4 pages (upper half, then lower half) in landscape; if your browser asks, choose Landscape.

Questions

How many byes are there in a 30 team knockout fixture?

Byes = next power of 2 − number of teams = 32 − 30 = 2. 2 is even, so each half gets 2 ÷ 2 = 1 bye. The byes go, in order, to teams 30 and 1. These teams do not play Round I and go straight to Round II.

How many matches and rounds are there for 30 teams?

Total number of matches = number of teams − 1 = 30 − 1 = 29, not including a third-place match. There are 5 rounds, because 32 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 (worked out from the textbook illustrations, not a textbook formula).

How are 30 teams divided into the upper and lower half?

30 is even, so each half gets 30 ÷ 2 = 15 teams: Teams 1–15 in the upper half and Teams 16–30 in the lower half.

Can I print the 30 team knockout fixture or save it as a PDF?

Yes. Tap “Print fixture (A4)” and choose “Save as PDF” as the printer to get a 30 team knockout fixture PDF. The bracket prints on 2 A4 pages (upper half, then lower half) in landscape; if your browser asks, choose Landscape.