What format for an office table tennis league?

Round robin. Everybody plays everybody, the table updates as results come in, and it spreads naturally across lunchtimes over several weeks.

How long does an 8 player table tennis round robin take?

Twenty eight matches over seven rounds. On one table at fifteen minutes a match that is about seven hours of play, which is why it works better as a league than a single day.

Can I add players once the league has started?

Not to a schedule that is already drawn. Add them to the entrant list and redraw, or start a second round robin and merge the tables yourself.

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Table Tennis Tournament Bracket Generator

An office table tennis tournament almost always wants a round robin. Games are quick, the table is free at lunchtime, and a league table that builds up over a few weeks holds interest far better than a knockout that is over in an afternoon.

Eight players is twenty eight matches over seven rounds, which is a natural seven week lunchtime league at four matches a week. If you want a winner by Friday instead, switch to single elimination: eight players is seven matches and about two hours on one table.

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Which format to run

Round robin for a league that runs over weeks, which is what an office usually wants. Single elimination for a one afternoon event on a single table.

Running it on the day

Best of five to 11, win by 2, is the standard match. Allow fifteen minutes; a single game to 11 is closer to five.
One table means the rounds are the schedule. Seven rounds of four matches is seven sessions, however you spread them.
Seed by whoever wins at lunch, or shuffle the seeds and let the draw decide.
Share the link rather than printing if the league runs for weeks: everybody can check the table from their desk, and the link carries the results with it.

How the draw is structured

Entrants

Matches played

Rounds

Per entrant

Round by round

Round	Matches	Entrants left after it
Round 1	4	all still playing
Round 2	4	all still playing
Round 3	4	all still playing
Round 4	4	all still playing
Round 5	4	all still playing
Round 6	4	all still playing
Round 7	4	all still playing

How long it takes

Rounds run one after another, because a round cannot start until the one feeding it has finished. Matches inside a round can all run at once, so the number of tables you have decides the day more than the number of entrants does.

Tables	8 min matches	15 min matches	23 min matches
1	3h 44m	7h	10h 44m
2	1h 52m	3h 30m	5h 22m
4	56m	1h 45m	2h 41m

Playing time only. Add changeovers, warm-ups and the gap between rounds.

Questions

What format for an office table tennis league?: Round robin. Everybody plays everybody, the table updates as results come in, and it spreads naturally across lunchtimes over several weeks.
How long does an 8 player table tennis round robin take?: Twenty eight matches over seven rounds. On one table at fifteen minutes a match that is about seven hours of play, which is why it works better as a league than a single day.
Can I add players once the league has started?: Not to a schedule that is already drawn. Add them to the entrant list and redraw, or start a second round robin and merge the tables yourself.

Brackets for other sports

The same draw, in detail

8 Team Round Robin ScheduleEight teams playing everyone: twenty eight matches across seven rounds of four. Free round robin generator, printable schedule.