Cups Creator guides
How to create your first tournament in Cups Creator
Five short steps from an empty screen to a live tournament with a shareable link. It takes about three minutes the first time.
Creating a tournament in Cups Creator is a five-step wizard. You can go back at any point, and nothing is published until you press create on the last screen. Here is what each step asks for and what to answer.
Step 1 — Basic information
Give the tournament a name people will recognise in a group chat: Club Padel Winter Cup, not *Tournament 3*. Then choose the sport, padel or tennis, and the format.
- League — groups first, then a knockout stage. The best choice for most club tournaments.
- Single elimination — a straight bracket. Fast, and right when the field is large.
- Round robin — everyone plays everyone, no groups, champion decided on points.
If you are not sure, the format guide walks through what each one feels like on court.
Step 2 — Dates and capacity
Set the start date, the end date and the registration deadline. For padel the capacity field asks for the maximum number of pairs; for tennis it asks for players. Leave it empty if you do not want a hard cap.
Step 3 — Branding
Upload a logo and pick a primary colour. This is what makes a club event look like a club event rather than a spreadsheet — the logo appears on the tournament page and on anything you export. More on this in branding, sponsors and exports.
Step 4 — Settings
This step changes depending on the format you picked.
| Setting | Appears for | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Require approval | All formats | You confirm each registration instead of it being automatic |
| Number of groups | League | How many groups to split the field into, from 2 to 8 |
| Qualifiers per group | League | How many teams from each group reach the knockout, 1 to 4 |
| Re-seed after each round | Single elimination | Recalculates the bracket order as rounds complete |
Step 5 — Review and create
The last screen is a summary of everything you chose. Read it once — this is where you catch the wrong sport or a group count that does not divide your field cleanly — then press create.
What happens next
- Add your participants, or send out the invite link and let people register themselves.
- Assign couples to groups and set the seeding order if you are running a league.
- Generate the matches and publish the schedule.
- Share the tournament link. Every player can then follow the draw and the standings from their phone.
Sharing is covered in inviting players and sharing your tournament, and the group stage in detail in setting up groups and a knockout.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to create a tournament?
About three minutes the first time and under a minute once you know the wizard. Adding participants takes longer than the setup itself.
Can I change the format after creating the tournament?
The format shapes the draw, so decide it before you generate matches. Everything else — dates, branding, capacity — can be edited afterwards.
Do players need an account to take part?
No. You can add participants directly, and anyone with the tournament link can follow the matches and standings without signing up.
Can I run padel and tennis in the same tournament?
Each tournament is one sport, because the scoring and the capacity field differ. Create one tournament per sport and share both links.