The numbers
Twelve is the easiest count to organize an americano for: 12 divided by 4 gives exactly three full courts, so everyone plays every single round and nobody sits out. The whole bench question disappears — the rotation is purely about who partners whom.
The timing is easy to work out too, because all three courts play simultaneously. A round to 24 points typically takes 15–20 minutes including score entry and the changeover. Five rounds therefore take roughly 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes, and seven rounds — as in the plan below — about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes. With a two-hour booking you comfortably fit five or six rounds; with two and a half hours you get through all seven.
The schedule
The table below is a complete round plan for 12 players on three courts, generated by the same americano engine that builds the sessions in PadelFlow. Everyone is in play every round, and the engine keeps hunting for partners you have not played with yet: ten of the twelve players end up with seven different partners across the seven rounds.
| Round | Court 1 | Court 2 | Court 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anna + Bruno vs Carla + David | Emma + Felix vs Greta + Hugo | Ida + Jonas vs Klara + Lars |
| 2 | Anna + Emma vs Bruno + Felix | Carla + Greta vs David + Hugo | Ida + Klara vs Jonas + Lars |
| 3 | Anna + Carla vs Emma + Greta | Bruno + David vs Felix + Hugo | Ida + Lars vs Jonas + Klara |
| 4 | Anna + Greta vs Bruno + Ida | Carla + Emma vs David + Jonas | Felix + Klara vs Hugo + Lars |
| 5 | Anna + Felix vs Carla + Jonas | Bruno + Emma vs David + Ida | Greta + Lars vs Hugo + Klara |
| 6 | Anna + Jonas vs Bruno + Hugo | Carla + Felix vs Emma + Ida | David + Greta vs Klara + Lars |
| 7 | Anna + Ida vs David + Emma | Bruno + Carla vs Felix + Lars | Greta + Klara vs Hugo + Jonas |
After seven rounds, all 12 players have played exactly 7 matches and sat out 0 rounds. Nobody gets the same partner in back-to-back rounds, and just one pair comes up together more than once in the whole plan: Klara and Lars, in rounds 1 and 6. Swap the names for your own — the rotation stays the same no matter who is on the list.
The rotation
The first round is drawn at random. Every round after that is built from what has already been played: the engine avoids repeated partners first, repeated opponents second, and finally evens out play time between the teams. That is why you almost never get the same partner twice in the plan above — variety is the whole point of americano. With three courts to fill every round the engine occasionally has to accept a single repeat, but it always picks the line-up that costs the least in repeated partners.
Results never affect who you play with. The scores you enter only count in the leaderboard, which ranks by points and then wins. If you would rather have the standings drive the next round — winners meet winners — you are looking for mexicano.
Not exactly twelve? There are dedicated schedules for 6, 8, 9, 10 and 16 players — use the buttons at the top of the page. With 8, everyone plays on two courts; with 16, on four; with 9 or 10 the bench rotates automatically, and the gap in matches played never exceeds one. The rules, point variants and a fully worked example are on the americano page — and instead of copying the table by hand, let the americano generator do the work: enter the names, and the rounds are drawn automatically as you play.
FAQ
As many as you like — rounds are generated one at a time, so there is no fixed number. The plan above shows 7 rounds, which gives all 12 players 7 matches each and almost everyone seven different partners. Most groups get through 5–7 rounds in a typical padel evening.
Allow 15–20 minutes per round: all three courts play at the same time, and a match to 24 points usually takes about a quarter of an hour plus the changeover. Five rounds therefore take roughly 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes, and seven rounds around 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes.
Yes. PadelFlow handles 4–32 players and 1–8 courts, and generates the plan for exactly the number you are. See the dedicated schedules for 6, 8, 9, 10 and 16 players — with counts not divisible by four, the bench rotates automatically, and nobody sits twice before everyone has sat once.
No, but three courts is what removes the bench entirely. With only two courts, 8 play at a time and 4 sit out each round — the generator rotates the bench automatically so everyone ends up with roughly the same number of matches. With three courts, all 12 are in play every single round.
No. Open the generator in the browser, enter the 12 names, and the first round is drawn immediately — free, no signup, and everything works offline at the club. Results are stored on your device, and the leaderboard updates as you enter the scores.
Ready?
Open the generator right in the browser — enter the 12 names and the rounds are drawn automatically as you play. Free, no signup. Prefer an app? PadelFlow is on the App Store.
Free · No account needed · Works offline