Questions and answers
Updated
What is Lil' Brackets?
Lil' Brackets is a free bracket game made for little kids, ages 2 and up, so they can join in on the fun of the NCAA men's and women's college basketball tournaments. Instead of reading team names and stats, kids pick between two friendly mascot characters with one tap, earn a sticker for every right pick, and play in a family pool with parents, grandparents and cousins. Grown-ups hold the account; kids never type anything.
Is Lil' Brackets free?
Yes. Lil' Brackets is completely free: no ads, no in-app purchases and no premium tier. We never sell anyone's data.
What ages is it for?
It's built for little kids, from about age 2, who can't read team names yet, and it works just as well for bigger kids, parents and grandparents. The tagline is "ages 2 to 200".
How can a toddler fill out a bracket if they can't read?
Every game shows two big, friendly mascot characters, and your kid simply taps the one they like. There's nothing to read and nothing to type. A grown-up hands over the phone, and the app walks through all 63 games one at a time with a little celebration after each pick.
Which tournaments does Lil' Brackets cover?
Both the NCAA men's and women's college basketball tournaments, with equal footing. Each player can fill in one bracket or both.
When can we start picking for 2027?
You can create a free account and add your players any time. Brackets open on Sunday, March 14, 2027, as soon as the fields are announced, and picks lock on Thursday, March 18, 2027, when the first first-round game tips off. Until then you can change any pick.
How long does it take to fill out a bracket?
A bracket is 63 picks. Most kids finish in 10 to 15 minutes with a grown-up nearby, and they can stop and come back any time. Grown-ups can switch to a mode that shows the whole bracket on one screen and fill it in within a few minutes.
How does scoring work?
Points double each round, like most office pools: 1 point for a right pick in the round of 64, then 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 for the championship. Every right pick also earns a sticker, and finishing a round earns a trophy.
Can grandparents, cousins and friends play too?
Yes. Start a pool and share its six-letter code or QR code. Kids are ranked with kids, grown-ups with grown-ups, and every family also gets a combined score.
What happens with the play-in games?
In 2027 each tournament has 76 teams, so 12 opening-round play-in games (March 16 and 17, 2027) decide the last spots in the 64-team bracket. Until a play-in game is played, its spot shows both teams, like "Texas or Xavier", and a pick for that spot follows whichever team wins.
What are the stickers and trophies?
Each player has a sticker book. A team they picked winning drops a mascot sticker in; finishing a round, getting one right in a round, or a perfect round earns a trophy. Game-day cheers add bonus stickers.
What information do you collect about my kid?
Only what the game needs: a nickname, a sticker-animal avatar, their picks and scores. We don't ask for a child's real name, email, photo or location, kids never type anything, and a parent gives permission before a kid plays. Lil' Brackets is built with COPPA in mind.
When is my kid's data deleted?
Automatically, 30 days after the last championship of each season: players, picks, stickers and pools are deleted for good. Grown-up accounts stay so we can tell you when the next season opens, and you can delete yours any time.
Do you show ads or sell data?
No. There are no ads, no ad tracking and no data sales. Analytics are limited to grown-up pages, with Google signals and ad personalization turned off.
Can I print the bracket or stickers?
Yes. You can print your kid's bracket for the fridge, and there are free printable sticker sheets of the season's trophies and characters on the stickers page.
Can I copy my kid's picks into my office pool?
Yes. Mirror mode lists your kid's picks in bracket order, so you can copy them into any other bracket site in a minute.
Is Lil' Brackets affiliated with the NCAA?
No. Lil' Brackets is an independent family game and isn't affiliated with the NCAA, any league or any school. The mascot characters are our own drawings.
Want the full walkthrough? See how Lil' Brackets works, or read our privacy policy.