How to Make Random Teams: 3 Fair Ways to Split a Group

Splitting a class, a party or a five-a-side game into teams sounds simple, until someone says it is not fair. Letting people pick their own teams leaves the same children chosen last, and teams of friends are rarely even. A random split solves both problems: nobody is picked last, and nobody can say the teams were arranged.

Here are three quick ways to make random teams, plus what to do when you need the teams to be balanced as well as random.

Method 1: Spin and remove with a name picker

This is the most fun to watch on a projector or a shared screen.

1. Paste everyone's names into the random name picker, one per line.
2. Spin. The first name goes to Team 1.
3. Press Remove and spin. The next name goes to Team 2, the next to Team 3, and so on.
4. When every team has one player, start again at Team 1. Keep going until the wheel is empty.

Because each name comes off the wheel once it is picked, nobody can be drawn twice, and the order is completely random. With 24 names and 4 teams, every team ends up with 6 players.

Method 2: Shuffle with a number generator

For big groups, or when you want the result in one click, use numbers instead of a wheel.

1. Write the names in a numbered list, from 1 to the size of your group.
2. Open the random number generator. Set the range from 1 to your last number, set How many to the same number, and tick No repeats.
3. Generate. You get every number once, in a random order.
4. Read the numbers off in turn: first to Team 1, second to Team 2, and so on, or simply cut the list into equal blocks.

This works well for sports days, tournaments and meetings, and it leaves you with a record you can screenshot.

Method 3: Count off, without a screen

No phone or projector? Line everyone up in a random order (for example by birthday or by the first letter of their middle name) and have them count off "1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4". All the ones form a team, all the twos another. You can also hand out coloured cards or playing cards from a shuffled deck: all hearts together, all spades together.

Counting off is quick, but it is only as random as the starting line. If friends stand next to each other, they end up on different teams, which is often exactly what a teacher wants.

Worked example: 26 students, 4 teams

A class of 26 needs four teams for a quiz. 26 divided by 4 is 6 with 2 left over, so two teams will have 7 players and two will have 6.

1. Number the class register from 1 to 26.
2. Generate 26 numbers from 1 to 26 with No repeats. Say the result starts 14, 3, 22, 9, 17...
3. Student 14 goes to Team A, student 3 to Team B, student 22 to Team C, student 9 to Team D, student 17 back to Team A, and so on.
4. After 24 students every team has 6. The last two numbers go to Teams A and B, which play with 7. Next lesson, Teams C and D take the extra players.

The whole split takes about a minute, and if anyone asks, you can show the list of numbers on the board.

When teams need to be balanced

Pure chance can put the three strongest players on one team. For a game where that matters, mix a little structure with the randomness:

• Random captains. Spin the name picker to choose one captain per team, so the captains are not always the same people.
• Coin flip for first pick. Two captains call heads or tails on a coin flip. The winner picks first.
• Snake draft. Captains pick in order A, B, B, A, A, B, and so on. Reversing the order each round evens out the advantage of picking first.
• Seeded spins. Split the group into two lists, for example confident readers and newer readers. Spin each list separately and deal its names out across the teams, so every team gets a mix.

Odd numbers and leftovers

• If the group does not divide evenly, the first teams get one extra player. Rotate who has the extra player from game to game.
• For pairs with an odd number, make one group of three.
• If someone arrives late, spin a team for them rather than letting them choose.

Ideas for classrooms

Random teams work well for quiz games, group projects, lab partners and PE. For more ideas, see our classroom games with a random picker and the guide on how to pick a random student.

FAQ

How do I make random teams quickly?

Paste the names into a random name picker and use Remove and spin, dealing each name to the next team in turn. For large groups, number the names and draw every number once with a random number generator set to No repeats.

How do I make random teams that are still fair?

Choose captains at random, flip a coin for first pick and use a snake draft (A, B, B, A). Or split the group by skill and spread each list across the teams with separate spins.

What if the group does not divide evenly?

Let the first teams have one extra player, and rotate which team has the extra player between games.

Is the online name picker really random?

Yes. It uses your browser's cryptographic random number generator, so every name has the same chance on every spin.