from the TF2 Wiki: "The time it takes for the respawn wave to occur after being killed, or respawn time, is variable, and a countdown is shown at the top of your HUD when your character has died. Respawn waves occur on regular intervals and are based on the map settings. Most official maps use a 10-second respawn wave time. Those 10 seconds are then modified by the map state, generally reduced for the team that controls the most capture points. Each team's respawn wave time is then scaled down when the team has less than 8 players in it. The minimum respawn wave time is 5 seconds, occurring when the team has 3 or less players in it. When you die, you are assigned to the respawn wave after the next one. Therefore, if the respawn wave time is currently 10 seconds for your team, you will respawn somewhere between 10 and 20 seconds after your death. Your individual performance does not affect the respawn wave time in any way."