Badminton Tournament Formats for 16 Players
Here's how different formats work with 16 players:
Single Elimination
Rounds
4
Total Matches
15
Byes
0
Est. Time (2 courts)
~4 hours
Double Elimination
Total Matches
30-31
Est. Time (2 courts)
~8 hours
Min Games per player
2
Assuming single game to 21 points, ~20-30 minutes per match.
How Many Byes for 16 Players?
With exactly 16 players, no byes are needed — every position in the bracket is filled. This is a perfect bracket size (16-slot draw), so every player plays in the first round.
Recommended Format for 16 Players
4 groups of 4 into an 8-player knockout. The gold standard for badminton club tournaments.
Other Badminton Bracket Sizes
16-Players Brackets in Other Sports
Prefer a Round Robin?
If you want everyone to play multiple matches instead of elimination, try a round robin format:
Badminton Round Robin for 16 Players →Manage Tournaments Automatically
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