How many names can I paste?

Comfortably up to 200. Beyond that, the browser handles it but the display gets unwieldy. For 300+ names, split into two rounds.

Can I lock certain people onto the same team?

Not currently. For controlled splits, manually assign the "must together" pairs first, then use the tool for everyone else.

Does it remember previous shuffles?

No — every shuffle is independent. Save the result as a photo if you need it for later reference.

Can I use this for tournament brackets?

For random pairings yes. For structured brackets (seeded 1v8, 2v7 etc.), use a dedicated bracket tool — this is for group splitting, not bracket seeding.

Is it appropriate for classroom / school use?

Designed for it. No data leaves the browser, no signup required, works on whiteboards. GDPR-safe for student-name use.

Random Team Generator — Split a Group Fairly, Fast

What this tool actually does

The Random Team Generator takes a list of names + a team count (or size) and produces a fair, visibly-random split. Nobody can accuse anyone of stacking — the shuffle uses your browser's cryptographic random-number generator, and the whole operation is client-side (no server sees the names).

The two modes:

Balanced sizes: teams are as equal as possible. 20 names into 3 teams = 7 / 7 / 6, not 10 / 5 / 5.
Fully random: shuffles then splits at fixed boundaries. Sizes can vary more.

Best use cases

Classroom: the single most common use. Group work, breakout tables, quiz teams, sports teams for PE. The visible randomness prevents "she picked her friends" accusations. Works on interactive whiteboards.

Sports + fitness: pick-up football, netball, tennis mixed doubles, gym class team drills. Faster than "captains pick" and doesn't leave anyone waiting to be picked last.

Workshops + meetings: breakout groups for exercises, discussion tables, brainstorming clusters. Random splits force cross-department mixing which most facilitators want.

Parties + quizzes: pub quiz teams from a big group, party-game teams (charades, Pictionary, Articulate). Random beats "friend groups only" for actually mixing people.

Games + tournaments: Fortnite squads, D&D party formation, tournament brackets, board-game teams.

Why fairness matters more than balance

Most team-picking friction isn't about fairness — it's about visibility of fairness. Anyone can privately balance teams by ability, but that produces "she stacked her team" complaints. A visibly random shuffle removes the accusation vector even when outcomes are less balanced.

For serious competitive contexts (school sports teams, workplace tournaments), a "random within tiers" approach beats pure random — group your names into A/B/C skill tiers first, then random-split within each tier. Not currently a built-in mode; achievable manually.

Group size vs team count

Standard patterns:

2 teams: anything above 6 people; below 6, use manual splits.
3-4 teams: for classrooms of 20-30, workshops of 15-25, party groups of 12-16.
5+ teams: for classrooms of 30+, large workshops, big party groups.
Pairs (teams of 2): use "pairs" mode — best for icebreaker exercises, mixed doubles.
Triples (teams of 3): for classroom rotations, workshop micro-groups.

Tips for facilitators

Save the URL as a shortcut on the classroom interactive whiteboard or workshop laptop — one tap, ready to go. No signup, no login, no menu-hunting.

Announce the shuffle publicly before hitting the button. Watching the shuffle happen live is the single strongest fairness signal — everyone sees the randomness, nobody can accuse the facilitator of pre-selecting.

Save the results as a photo if you'll need to reference the split again during the session. Refreshing the page re-shuffles by default.

For repeat sessions: alternate shuffling and manual balancing. Pure random every week gets old; mix in "teacher-picked teams for term 2" for variety.

Data + privacy

All processing is browser-side — names never leave the device. No signup, no cookies, no tracking of who was in which team. GDPR-safe for classroom use where student names are sensitive.

Random Team Generator