How do I Create Tournaments?

Updated on 7/8/2026

In this article you will learn how to create a tournament, build a bracket, add teams and games, manage assigning groups, and publish your tournament using the new Tournament Manager.

Sections

How do I create a new tournament?

How do I add teams?

How do I generate a bracket?

How do I edit games?

How do I publish my tournament?

How do I enter scores?

How do I edit an existing tournament?

How do I create a new tournament?

1. Click Schedule.
2. Click Tournaments from the sub-navigation.
3. Click Add New.
4. Select Tournament.

5. Enter the Tournament Name.
6. Select the Host. Choose yourself as the state association or designate a specific school as the host. The tournament creator always retains edit access regardless of the host selected.
7. Select the Main Contact. This pulls from admin users on the host entity's account.
8. Set the Start Date and End Date.
9. Select the Sport and Level (e.g., Boys Volleyball, Varsity).

Note: Once Sport and Level are saved they cannot be edited.

10. Configure Bracket Settings.
    • Enable Bracket View — toggle on if your tournament uses a bracket format.
    • Enable Bracket Seeding — leave on for traditional numbered seeding (1st, 2nd, 3rd). Turn off if you prefer custom slot names such as Region 1, Region 2.
11. Set Game Rules.
    • Default Game Length — can be adjusted per game later if needed.
    • Default Game Type — select Postseason for postseason tournaments.
    • Home Team in Bracket — designate whether the higher or lower seed is the home team.
12. Enter any Participation Fees if applicable.
13. Add Ticket links, parking information, or other public-facing links in the Links section.
14. Click Save.

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How do I add teams?

1. Click the Teams tab inside the tournament.
2. Choose how to add participants:
   • Add Teams — search for and add specific schools. They will be placed in seeded slots.
   • Add Slots — create placeholder slots if participating schools are not yet confirmed. This lets you build the bracket structure before teams are finalized.
3. Drag and drop teams to adjust their seeding order at any time, including after rounds have been played for tournaments that use re-seeding.
4. Enter custom slot descriptions (e.g., Region 1, Region 2) if bracket seeding is disabled. These descriptions will display on the bracket in place of seed numbers.
5. Click Save.

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How do I generate a bracket?

1. Click the Games tab inside the tournament.
2. Click Generate Default Bracket.
3. Select a bracket format:
   • Single Elimination
   • Double Elimination
4. Check the box for Include Consolation Game if applicable.
5. Click Generate.

Note: The system automatically calculates the number of games, rounds, and first-round byes based on the number of teams you have entered. If bracket view was not enabled in Settings, you will see the Schedule View instead and can create games manually.

 

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How do I edit games?

Edit an individual game

1. Click the pencil icon next to the game you want to edit.
2. Update the Date, Time, Site, Assigning Group, or Game Type as needed.
3. Click Save.

Note: Each game can have its own assigning group. When building from a state association account, you can select from any assigning group within the state. This allows you to assign different regions to different rounds within the same tournament.

Bulk edit multiple games

1. Check the boxes next to the games you want to edit, or click the round header checkbox to select all games in a round at once.
2. Click Edit Selected.
3. Update the shared fields (Site, Assigning Group, Date, Bill-To, etc.) that you want to apply across all selected games.
4. Click Save.

Note: Bulk updating of tournament status must be done within the Tournament Manager. Once a game has been scored, it is locked and can no longer be edited.

Set a site for games

1. Click the pencil icon on the game or select games for bulk edit.
2. Search for a Site. The host school's venues appear at the top of the list for easy selection.
3. Select Home Team Default Site if you want the tournament to automatically use each home team's configured default venue in Arbiter. This is common for early postseason rounds.
4. Click Save.

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How do I publish my tournament?

Tournaments have three statuses that control visibility for participants.

1. Click the Status tab for the tournament.
2. Select a Tournament Status:
   • Private — only the tournament creator can see the tournament. Use this while building and setting up.
   • Visible — the tournament appears on the Tournament Index page for all participants, but no games have been created yet. Use this to let participants know the tournament exists while you finalize details.
   • Published — games are live, appear on participant schedules, and assigners can begin making official assignments.
3. Click Save.

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How do I enter scores?

Scores can be entered from multiple places. When a score is saved, the tournament automatically advances the winning team to the next round — you do not need to manually update the bracket.

1. Click on a game from the Bracket View or Schedule View inside the tournament.
2. Enter the final score for both teams.
3. Click Save.

Note: Scores can also be entered from the schedule page in Arbiter Game, the Arbiter mobile app, or through an official's game report. Detailed set scores and inning scores are available when entering from Arbiter Game or the mobile app. All entry methods trigger automatic bracket advancement.

 

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How do I edit an existing tournament?

1. Click Schedule.
2. Click Tournaments from the sub-navigation.
3. Click on the tournament you want to edit.
4. Navigate to the appropriate tab:
   • Settings — update tournament name, dates, bracket settings, or status.
   • Teams — add, remove, or re-seed teams.
   • Games — edit individual games or use bulk edit for multiple games.
5. Click Save after making changes.

Note: Tournaments created using the previous tournament manager tool will continue to function in that tool. Only tournaments created in the new Tournament Manager are managed here.

Related to

• Tournaments