A random team generator that races

Splitting a group into teams by hand always ends the same way: the same friends together, someone picked last, and a few raised eyebrows. A random split settles it — and a duck race makes it fun to watch. Race the whole group once, and the finishing order becomes your teams: fair, fast and impossible to argue with.

Here is how to use Random Duck Race as a random team generator for classrooms, sports, workshops, quiz nights and team-building days.

Three ways to turn a race into teams

1. Deal them out (the fairest)

Go down the finishing order and deal the names out like cards: 1st to team A, 2nd to team B, 3rd to team C, then 4th back to team A, and so on. Every team gets one of the early finishers and one of the late ones.

2. Cut the list into blocks

For groups of a fixed size, take the names in blocks: places 1–5 are group one, places 6–10 group two, and so on. Quick to read off the screen.

3. Race for captains

Race once to pick the captains — the first two or four across the line — then let them choose, or race the rest of the group to deal out the players.

Step by step

1. Add everyone’s name: paste a list, import a CSV or Excel file, or load a saved class list in one tap.
2. Pick a 300 m course if you just want the teams, or 900 m for a proper show.
3. Start the race and open the full result when it ends: it lists every name in finishing order.
4. Download the result as a spreadsheet to keep the teams, or read them straight off the screen.

Want pairs? Deal the finishing order into teams of two: 1st with 2nd, 3rd with 4th, and so on.

Where it works well

• Classrooms: project groups, lab partners, reading circles. See more classroom ideas.
• Sports and PE: five-a-side teams, relay orders, who starts.
• Workshops and offices: breakout rooms, hackathon teams, who sits with whom at the team lunch.
• Game and quiz nights: tables, teams and the order of play.