Key takeaways
- 1The assistant asks six short questions and suggests tournament formats with estimated finish times and buffer included.
- 2Manual setup puts all settings on one page, with a live overview that recalculates instantly on every change.
- 3Reuse a past tournament as a template to carry over format, match times and settings in one step.
- 4An unfinished tournament is saved in your browser, and you can switch between paths at any time.
- 5Free for up to 8 teams; Pro is required for more – but you can always plan everything first.
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The problem
Too many decisions before you even start
A tournament with 12 teams, two pitches and a Saturday slot from 9 am to 5 pm sounds manageable. But how many groups does that make? How long should each match be? Is there enough time for semi-finals and a final? And will the award ceremony still fit in?
These questions are hard to answer without doing the maths. Until now, organisers had to calculate it themselves or experiment with the schedule. That changes now.
Overview
Three ways to set up a tournament
When you create a new tournament in anstoss, you start by choosing one of three paths:
- With the assistant (marked “Recommended”): six short questions, then ready-made suggestions.
- Set it up yourself: all settings on one page, with a live overview.
- Like a previous tournament: use one of your own tournaments as a template. This option only appears once you have created tournaments before.
If you started a tournament but didn’t finish setting it up, you’ll also see “Continue unfinished tournament”. Every step has a visible way back, and you can switch paths at any time.
Path 1
The assistant: six questions, ready-made suggestions
The assistant takes about a minute. You pick an answer and move on deliberately with “Next” – the app doesn’t jump ahead on its own.
Name and date
What’s your tournament called and when does it take place? Both can be changed later.
Time slot
When will you play? Quick options: morning (09–12), afternoon (13–17) or full day (09–17) – or set your own times. This covers match play only, from the first kick-off to the final whistle of the last match. The app shows how much playing time that leaves.
Number of teams
An estimate is fine – you can add or remove teams later. Pick from 4 to 64 teams or enter any number. A note explains that up to 8 teams is free.
Pitches
How many pitches are in use at the same time? More pitches mean more matches in less time.
Priority
**As many games as possible**, so no team travels for just two matches. **Excitement until the end**, with a group stage, a knockout round and a real final. Or **Short & compact**: done early, with room for the award ceremony and the unexpected.
Level
**Fun tournament:** relaxed and social, shorter matches. **Competitive:** longer matches, a third-place match and buffer time for extra time or penalties.
The result
Reading the suggestions
After the six questions, anstoss shows “Our suggestions for your tournament” – every one of them fits the time slot you entered.
You’ll usually see three options: Recommended (best balance of games, excitement and buffer), More games (every team plays more often) and Shorter (done earlier, more breathing room). More variants, such as starting the knockout round with quarter-finals instead of semi-finals, can be expanded.
Each suggestion shows:
- format and structure, e.g. 2 groups of 4 teams, then a knockout round
- total matches and matches per team
- match length
- expected finish time
- how much buffer remains
For the knockout round, a buffer for extra time or penalties is included automatically.
“Use suggestion” takes you to the form with everything filled in and still adjustable. “Set it up myself instead” switches to manual setup at any point.
Path 2
Set it up yourself – for those who know what they want
If you prefer to decide every detail yourself, choose “Set it up yourself”. All settings are on one page, in four sections: When & where, Teams & format, Match length & rules, and Public page & contact.
There are four formats to choose from:
- Groups, then a knockout round
- Everyone plays everyone (league)
- Lose and you are out (knockout only)
- Free format with freely combinable stages (Pro)
The live overview “Your tournament at a glance” recalculates instantly with every change. On desktop it sits next to the form; on mobile it appears as a bar at the bottom. It shows the number of matches, matches per team, total playing time, roughly when the last match ends – and whether buffer remains or the day runs long. If it runs long, you get concrete tips: shorter matches, fewer group matches or more pitches.
Path 3
Like a previous tournament: the template
If you run a similar tournament every year, the template saves the most effort. Pick one of your own tournaments from a searchable list and carry over the format, match times, pitches, time slot, venue, other settings and the accent colour of the public page. With the free format, all stages and their configuration are copied too.
Teams and matches are not carried over, and you choose a new date.
Once a tournament is finished, its overview page shows the link “Plan next year”. It opens this path directly, with the finished tournament as the template.
After setup
What happens next
After creating the tournament, you land on its overview page. A checklist shows the next steps: add teams, create the schedule, activate the public page. You also see the key details at a glance and can adjust them right away if needed.
On “Teams & Players”, add teams one by one or paste a list (one team per line). A counter shows your progress, e.g. “3 of 16 teams”. Once your teams are in, the schedule comes next.
Create your tournament for free
Free for up to 8 teams, no subscription, no app download. Choose your path and get started.
Frequently asked questions
No. The assistant is free for every tournament. Whether you need Pro depends on the number of teams and the format, not on the setup path.
Yes. After “Use suggestion”, all values are filled in the form. You can still adjust match length, groups, breaks and more before creating the tournament – and later in the settings.
Format, match times, pitches, time slot, venue, other settings and the accent colour of the public page. With the free format, all stages are copied too. Teams, matches and the logo are not copied.
anstoss tells you directly how much time is missing and what you could change, such as more pitches or a longer time slot. You can adjust right away or switch to manual setup.
Yes. From 9 teams, or with the free format, you need Pro (one-time EUR 39 per tournament, no subscription). You can still plan everything – Pro is unlocked after creating the tournament.
Your unfinished tournament is saved in this browser. When you open the page again, you’ll see “Continue unfinished tournament”.