The facts
16 is one of the most obliging numbers in americano. It divides by 4, so with four courts each court gets a group of four in every round: two teams of two, a new partner each time. No bench, nobody waiting, and no discussion about who has to sit out — all of that only shows up when the count does not divide by 4, or when you have fewer than four courts.
The timing is easy to plan. Every match is played to 24 points and typically takes 15–20 minutes, and all four courts play at the same time — so a round takes just as long with 16 players as it does with 4. Five rounds means roughly 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes on court; the full seven-round plan below runs about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes. If you have booked two hours, you will usually get through 6–7 rounds.
The schedule
The plan below was generated by PadelFlow's americano engine — exactly the same engine that sets up the sessions in the app. The first round is drawn at random, and every round after that is built from who has already played together. Feel free to swap in your own names: the order and the rotation stay the same.
| Round | Court 1 | Court 2 | Court 3 | Court 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anna + Bruno vs Carla + David | Emma + Felix vs Greta + Hugo | Ida + Jonas vs Klara + Lars | Mia + Nora vs Oskar + Petra |
| 2 | Anna + Emma vs Bruno + Felix | Carla + Greta vs David + Hugo | Ida + Mia vs Jonas + Nora | Klara + Oskar vs Lars + Petra |
| 3 | Anna + Carla vs Emma + Greta | Bruno + David vs Felix + Hugo | Ida + Klara vs Mia + Oskar | Jonas + Lars vs Nora + Petra |
| 4 | Anna + David vs Jonas + Klara | Bruno + Carla vs Ida + Lars | Emma + Hugo vs Mia + Petra | Felix + Greta vs Nora + Oskar |
| 5 | Anna + Greta vs Bruno + Ida | Carla + Emma vs Jonas + Oskar | David + Felix vs Lars + Mia | Hugo + Nora vs Klara + Petra |
| 6 | Anna + Jonas vs Bruno + Hugo | Carla + Lars vs Emma + Mia | David + Ida vs Felix + Petra | Greta + Oskar vs Klara + Nora |
| 7 | Anna + Felix vs Carla + Jonas | Bruno + Emma vs David + Klara | Greta + Ida vs Hugo + Lars | Mia + Oskar vs Nora + Petra |
The tally after 7 rounds: all 16 players have played 7 matches, nobody has sat out, and the partner changes from round to round. 12 of the 16 players get 7 different partners; the last four get a single repeat in the final round (court 4). That is the price of generating the rounds one at a time as you go — the plan copes with someone turning up late or leaving early, unlike a fixed tournament draw.
The engine
The rotation follows a handful of fixed principles — the same ones no matter how many of you there are.
The first round is drawn at random — four groups of four, spread across the four courts.
The next round is built for variety: repeated partners are avoided first, repeated opponents second.
Teams are balanced by play time, so everyone plays the same amount — with 16 on 4 courts that is met automatically.
The score never affects the schedule. Points only count in the leaderboard — the rotation is the same for everyone.
That last point is the real dividing line between americano and mexicano: in americano the rotation is social and the score is just a standing, while in mexicano the standings drive the courts, so the best players meet the best as the evening goes on. Rules, point variants and a complete worked example are on the americano page — and if you would rather not think about the plan at all, just type the names into the americano generator and the rounds come to you.
FAQ
As many as you like — the rounds are generated one at a time until you stop, and the leaderboard crowns a winner no matter how many you got through. With 16 players on 4 courts everyone plays every round, so the number of rounds is purely a question of court time. A normal evening lands on 5–7 rounds; the plan on this page shows 7.
Every match is played to 24 points and typically takes 15–20 minutes, and all four courts play at the same time. Five rounds therefore take roughly 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes, and seven rounds roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes — plus a short break between rounds.
No. 16 divides by 4, so with four courts the maths works out exactly: all 16 players are on court in every single round. You only get a bench when the player count does not divide by 4 — or when you have fewer courts than the players fill.
Yes. PadelFlow handles 4–32 players on 1–8 courts. When the maths does not work out evenly, the bench rotates automatically: whoever has played the least goes on court first, so everyone plays roughly the same amount. We have matching schedules for 6, 8, 9, 10 and 12 players.
Then 12 play at a time and 4 sit out each round. The generator runs the bench for you: the players with the fewest matches played go on court first, and if that is level, whoever has sat out the most takes priority. Nobody sits twice before everyone has sat once, and the gap in matches played never grows beyond one.
Ready?
Open the generator right in the browser — free, no signup, and the next round takes care of itself. Prefer an app? PadelFlow is on the App Store.
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