How to Build a Tournament Bracket for Your Website in 2026

Running a tournament or competition? Whether it's March Madness predictions, voting contests, or competitive brackets, I'll show you how to build a custom tournament bracket in minutes - no coding required.

Tournament brackets display matchups, track progress, and let visitors make predictions - driving massive engagement.

In this guide, I'll walk you through creating custom bracket widgets using AI. If you're new to building custom widgets, check out our complete guide on how to build custom widgets first.

Why Add Tournament Brackets to Your Website?

Tournament bracket widgets serve powerful purposes:

Drive Engagement: Bracket predictions are addictive
Visualize Competition: See the entire tournament at a glance
Track Progress: Update results in real-time
Build Community: Prediction pools create shared experiences
Increase Shares: Brackets are highly shareable content

Sports sites host March Madness pools, brands run voting tournaments, communities create competitions. Brackets drive engagement like few other widgets.

Building Your Custom Tournament Bracket with Embeddable AI

Creating a tournament bracket with Embeddable's AI is incredibly straightforward. No coding, no complex bracket logic - just describe what you want and the AI builds it.

Step 1: Start with Your Bracket Concept

Before you begin, think about what your bracket needs:

Participants: How many teams/options? (8, 16, 32, 64?)
Format: Single elimination? Double elimination?
Interaction: Visitor predictions? Admin-only results?
Scoring: Points for correct picks?
Display: Full bracket visible, or round-by-round?

For our example, we're building a 16-team prediction bracket for March Madness.

Step 2: Describe Your Bracket to the AI

Open Embeddable and describe your bracket in natural language. Here's the exact prompt we'll use:

Build a 16-team single elimination tournament bracket for a March Madness prediction pool. Display team names with their seed numbers. Allow visitors to click to select winners and fill out their bracket. Show a progress bar of bracket completion. Add a "Submit Predictions" button when complete.

That's it! The AI understands what you want and builds the complete bracket with:

Visual bracket layout with rounds
Team names and seeding
Click-to-select winner functionality
Progress tracking
Submission handling

Tournament Bracket Prompt Example

Step 3: Provide Your Website URL for Design Analysis

Here's where the magic happens. Give Embeddable your website URL, and the AI will:

Analyze your brand colors and apply them to the bracket
Match your website's fonts and typography
Style matchups and progression lines appropriately
Ensure the bracket integrates seamlessly

The result? A tournament bracket that looks like it was built by your design team, not a third-party widget.

Tournament Bracket in Editor

Step 4: Refine Your Bracket

Once the AI generates your bracket, you can refine it through conversation:

"Add team logos next to names"
"Show live score updates during games"
"Include a leaderboard of best predictions"
"Add tiebreaker question for final score"
"Make it mobile-friendly with vertical scrolling"

Each change happens instantly. The preview updates in real-time so you can see exactly how your bracket will look and work.

You can also use Embeddable's visual editor to make adjustments yourself - change colors, adjust spacing, modify text, or tweak the layout.

Step 5: Test Your Bracket

Before embedding, thoroughly test your bracket:

Fill Out Bracket: Make selections through all rounds
Test Progression: Verify winners advance correctly
Check Submission: Submit test predictions
Verify Layout: Ensure bracket displays properly
Check Responsiveness: View on desktop, tablet, and mobile

The preview environment shows exactly how your bracket will appear on your website, so you can catch any issues before going live.

Embedding Your Bracket on Any Website

Your custom tournament bracket works everywhere. Once you're happy with it, you'll get a simple embed code that works on:

WordPress: Paste into any page or post
Shopify: Add to contest or community pages
Wix / Squarespace: Embed in any section
Custom websites: Add to any HTML page

The process is the same everywhere:

Get Your Embed Code: Click "Publish" and copy the code snippet
Paste Into Your Website: Add where you want the bracket to appear
Publish Your Page: The tournament bracket goes live immediately

Your tournament bracket automatically:

Handles bracket logic correctly
Tracks user predictions
Adapts to different screen sizes (mobile, tablet, desktop)
Updates with results as you enter them
Works with all major browsers

Types of Brackets You Can Build

The same process works for any tournament format:

Sports Brackets

March Madness, playoffs, fantasy sports.

Voting Brackets

Product face-offs, brand competitions, best-of polls.

Marketing Contests

User choice awards, popularity contests.

Entertainment Brackets

Movie brackets, music tournaments, character battles.

Business Competitions

Sales contests, employee competitions.

Start with a Template or Build from Scratch

Not sure where to start? Embeddable offers free bracket maker templates you can customize:

16-Team Bracket - Standard tournament bracket
8-Team Bracket - Smaller competition bracket
Voting Bracket - Click-to-vote tournament
Prediction Pool - Pick winners with scoring
Double Elimination - Loser's bracket included

Choose a template that's close to what you need, then customize it with AI to match your exact requirements. It's the fastest way to get a professional tournament bracket on your site.

Why Brackets Drive Massive Engagement

Tournament brackets are engagement machines for several reasons:

They're Addictive: Bracket filling is genuinely fun.

They Create Stakes: Predictions make watching more exciting.

They Build Community: Shared pools create connection.

They're Shareable: Completed brackets get shared widely.

They Drive Return Visits: Checking standings brings visitors back.

Making Your Bracket More Powerful

Take your bracket to the next level with these additions:

Prediction Scoring

Award points for correct picks, more for later rounds.

Leaderboards

Show who's winning the prediction pool.

Social Sharing

Let users share their completed brackets.

Live Updates

Automatically update results during events.

Prizes

Offer prizes for top predictors.

Embeddable supports integrations with user management, email, and analytics tools.

Best Practices for Tournament Brackets

For maximum engagement:

Clear Deadline: Lock predictions before tournament starts
Easy Entry: Clicking should select winners intuitively
Mobile-Friendly: Many fill brackets on phones
Update Promptly: Enter results quickly
Celebrate Winners: Highlight successful predictions

Ready to Build Your Tournament Bracket?

That's it! No developers, no complex bracket logic, no design skills needed. Just describe what you want and AI builds your custom tournament bracket in minutes.

Your tournament bracket will:

Match your website's design perfectly
Handle bracket logic correctly
Work on every platform and device
Track predictions and results
Update easily as tournament progresses

Ready to get started?

Option 1: Start with a Template Browse free bracket maker templates and customize to your needs.

Option 2: Build Custom with AI Head to Embeddable and describe your tournament bracket - the AI will build it in minutes.

Need More Widget Ideas?

More Tutorials:

Start building tournament brackets and drive engagement now!