Run a tournament on Flobit: brackets, leagues and Mexicano
In short
Flobit lets you run a tournament for free: single elimination, double elimination, a league, group + knockout or a Mexicano. Set it up in a few steps, approve entries, add referees, publish the draw and follow live scores, standings and trophies. Entry fees can be shown to players, but Flobit doesn't collect them.
Which tournament formats can I run?
Five: single elimination, double elimination, league, group + knockout and Mexicano. Pick the one that matches your field and the time you have.
| Format | Best for | Entrants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single elimination | One-day events and big fields | 2 to 512 | One loss and you are out; empty places become byes |
| Double elimination | Events where one bad match shouldn't end a run | 4, 8, 16 or another power of two | A losers' bracket; the grand final is a single match |
| League | Small fields and season-long play | 2 or more | Everyone plays everyone once or twice; 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw |
| Group + knockout | Larger events with guaranteed games | 6 or more, at least 3 per group | Group stage first, then a knockout among the qualifiers |
| Mexicano | Social doubles nights | 4 or more | Partners change each round and every player scores individually |
Draws are made at random. The tournament formats guide compares them in depth, and the round robin generator shows what a league schedule looks like.
Mexicano is offered for tennis, padel, table tennis and basketball (played as 2v2), and not for volleyball, football, ultimate frisbee or eFootball. You choose how the rounds are made: plan every round in advance, so the whole schedule is drawn up front, or draw each round from the table, so the next pairings follow the standings and keep matches close. You also choose rounds (1 to 30), courts, how a match ends (first to a target, or scores adding up to it), a leaderboard by margin or by points, and partners that are random or balanced by skill, with an option to never repeat partners when the rounds are planned in advance. The club-night preset fills in 3 courts and 12 rounds, planned in advance, with scores adding up to 20, a margin leaderboard, balanced partners and no repeat partners. See the Mexicano guide.
How do I set up a tournament?
Tournaments are created inside a community, and the wizard walks you through up to ten short screens:
- Sport. Everything else follows from it.
- Name and cover. A name (up to 80 characters) and a cover photo are required.
- How the winner is decided. Choose the format and, if you like, a cap of 2 to 512 entries.
- Mexicano setup, only if you chose Mexicano.
- How it is played. Best-of lengths and scoring rules carry into every match.
- When. Registration can open when you publish or on a set date, then close, then the event runs.
- Where. A city, and venues for the event.
- Who can join. Public or private (private is hidden from search), a category (Men, Women, Mixed or Open), suggested levels, an age range and an optional entry fee.
- Rules and contact. Optional house rules and a way to reach you.
- Review and create.
Sport, rules, bracket, category and suggested levels lock when you create it. A community can have up to 5 tournaments active at once.
How do players enter?
Players find your tournament and ask to enter, and you approve every entry. Public tournaments can be found by anyone nearby; private ones are hidden from search.
- Approval and waitlist. Entries wait for your approval, and extra players join a numbered waitlist if you set a cap.
- Pairs and teams. In doubles, a player invites a partner. A team enters through its captain or co-captain.
- Guests. You can add people who don't have Flobit by name.
- Categories and age. Men, Women, Mixed or Open, with an optional minimum and maximum age.
- Suggested levels. They show players the intended level but don't block anyone. See ratings and levels.
- Entry fee. You can show a fee, and you collect it yourself. Flobit doesn't collect entry fees or pay out prizes.
Players can contact you by WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, phone call or SMS, depending on what you set. The roster message is formatted for WhatsApp and Telegram, so you can paste the current list into your group chat.
How do I run the day itself?
Close registration, generate the draw from the confirmed entries, publish it, and players are notified. Fixtures then show times and venues, and you can change a match's time from the schedule.
- Referees. Invite up to 20 players or coaches, then assign one to each match. A referee keeps the score and the players confirm it.
- Lineups. In team events, the captain or co-captain sets the lineup.
- Live scores. Scores update point by point, and anyone can follow a match on its live page.
- Corrections. If a result is wrong, the organizer can correct it for 24 hours after the match, and the bracket follows, unless a later match has already started.
- Standings. Leagues and groups keep a table; a Mexicano keeps a leaderboard that updates after every round.
A Mexicano can also be ended early when the evening runs short: unplayed matches are voided and the tournament finishes on the current standings, trophies included.
What do players get when it ends?
Trophies, stats and cards to share. Before registration opens, the organizer sets up three trophies (first, second and third place) by generating artwork or uploading their own. When the tournament finishes, Flobit awards them automatically, and they appear in each winner's trophy cabinet.
Every player also gets a tournament page with their record, and results, leaders and trophies can be turned into share cards for social media or chat. Your own trophies show on your profile, so a win stays visible long after the event. Players can add the event to their calendar, and results feed the community's tournament leaderboard, scored 3 for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. For a weekly night, the communities page shows how standings build up over time.
What doesn't Flobit do yet?
A few things people ask about are not in the app today, so plan around them.
- Payments. Entry fees are displayed, never collected, and there is no prize money. Agree how to pay with your players directly.
- Other formats. The app has no Americano and no King of the Court format. For an Americano, use the free padel Americano generator.
- Swiss and ladders. You can't create them. A league played over several weeks is the closest thing.
- Seeded draws. Flobit does not seed by rating and you can't place players in the bracket by hand, so tell entrants the draw is blind.
- Court booking. Reserve the courts with your venue; Flobit holds the schedule, not the booking.
Frequently asked questions
Is Flobit free for tournament organizers?
Yes. Creating and running a tournament costs nothing, and there are no ads. Entry fees, if you charge them, are agreed and paid between you and the players outside the app, because Flobit doesn't collect entry fees.
Can players register themselves?
Yes. Players ask to enter from the tournament page, and you approve each entry. Doubles players invite a partner, a team enters through its captain, and you can add guests by name for people who aren't on Flobit.
Can I run a Mexicano on Flobit?
Yes, for tennis, padel, table tennis and basketball (played as 2v2), but not for volleyball, football, ultimate frisbee or eFootball. You set courts, rounds, the target score, the leaderboard and how partners are chosen, and you decide whether every round is planned in advance or drawn from the table. The club-night preset gives you 3 courts and 12 rounds, planned in advance.
How many players can enter?
You can cap entries anywhere from 2 to 512. Double elimination needs a power of two, such as 8 or 16, and group + knockout needs at least 6 entries, with at least 3 in every group. A Mexicano needs at least 4 players.
Can I take entry fees in the app?
No. You can show an entry fee on the tournament so players know the cost, but you collect it yourself, for example in cash or by bank transfer, before or on the day. Flobit doesn't collect entry fees or pay out prize money.
How many referees can I have?
Up to 20 per tournament. You invite players or coaches from search, they accept, and you assign them to matches. A referee keeps the score point by point, and the players confirm the result at the end.
Can a community run more than one tournament?
Yes, up to 5 active at the same time. Tournaments run inside a community, and a finished or cancelled one no longer counts toward the limit. Results feed the community's tournament leaderboard.
Sources
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