Tournaments

From casual brackets to fully-managed esports events — everything you need to compete or organise.

Browsing Tournaments

Head to /tournaments to see all available competitions. You can filter by:

Game — Only see tournaments for games you play
Format — Solo, duo, team (e.g. 5v5)
Status — Upcoming, Live, Completed
Prize pool — Free-entry vs paid, with prize pool range
Region — Global or regional events
Platform — PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Mobile

Each tournament card shows the game, format, prize pool, registration deadline, and current participant count. Click a card to see full details including rules, schedule, and bracket structure.

Registering for a Tournament

Meet the requirements

Each tournament may require a verified game account, a minimum rank, or platform ownership. Requirements are listed on the tournament detail page under Eligibility.

Choose solo or team entry

If the tournament is a solo format, you register as an individual. For team events, you must either create or join a team first — see the Teams guide. Your team captain registers the whole team.

Click Register

On the tournament detail page, click the Register button. You may be prompted to select your in-game username and accept the tournament rules.

Pay the entry fee (if applicable)

Paid tournaments require an entry fee via your Nitrade wallet or directly by card. Fees are non-refundable after the tournament starts unless the organiser cancels.

Confirm registration

You'll receive an email and in-app notification confirming your registration. Your name will appear on the participants list.

💡

Set up email and push notifications so you don't miss schedule announcements or match reminders. Configure these under Preferences.

Check-in & Match Play

Most tournaments require a check-in window (typically 15–30 minutes before start) to confirm you're present:

Check in

Open the tournament page and click Check In during the check-in window. Participants who miss check-in are automatically disqualified, and their slot may be given to a waitlisted player.

Find your match

After check-in closes, the bracket is seeded and your first opponent is displayed. Navigate to My Matches on the tournament page to see opponent details, scheduled time, and game lobby instructions.

Play your match

Follow the lobby instructions provided by the organiser (e.g. custom lobby password, server region). Communicate with your opponent through the in-tournament chat or the contact method listed on their profile.

Be on time

Matches have a grace period (typically 10 minutes). If you fail to show up within that window, you may be given a forfeit loss. Contact the organiser immediately if you have a connection issue.

Submitting & Viewing Results

Submit your result

After each match, the winner reports the score by clicking Report Result on the match card and entering the final score. Both players must agree on the result.

Confirm opponent's report

If your opponent submits first, you'll be notified to confirm or dispute the score within the allowed window (usually 15 minutes).

Upload proof (if required)

Some tournaments require a screenshot of the end-game screen. Upload it directly on the result submission form.

View results

All match results are visible on the tournament bracket page. Go to Tournament → Brackets or Tournament → Results for a full history.

⚠️

Deliberately reporting false scores is a violation of Nitrade's rules and may result in disqualification and account suspension.

Brackets & Standings

Navigate to the Brackets tab on any tournament page to see the full draw. The bracket updates in real time as results come in. You can also:

Click any match to see detailed scores and timestamps
Switch between bracket view and list view
View the Standings tab for round-robin formats, showing wins, losses, and point totals
Share a direct link to your match or the full bracket

Creating a Tournament

Any authenticated user can create a tournament. Go to Tournaments → Create.

Basic information

Enter the tournament name, the game it's for, a description, banner image, and contact information. Set the visibility to public or invite-only.

Format & structure

Choose the bracket format (see Tournament Formats below). Set the number of participants (must be a power of 2 for single/double elimination), match-win conditions, and game-specific settings.

Schedule

Set the registration open and close dates, the check-in window, and the estimated start time. You can schedule individual round start times under Manage → Schedule after creation.

Entry & eligibility

Choose whether entry is free or paid. For paid tournaments, set the entry fee and prize pool distribution. Add eligibility restrictions (e.g. minimum rank, region lock, platform).

Rules

Write your tournament rules clearly. These are shown to all participants before registration and must be accepted. You can use the default Nitrade ruleset as a starting point.

Publish

Click Publish to make the tournament live. You can save as a draft at any point before publishing.

💡

Add co-organisers under Manage → Hosting Roles so trusted team members can help manage matches and disputes without full admin access.

Managing a Tournament

Once your tournament is created, the management dashboard lives at /s/[username]/tournaments/[id]/manage. The sections available are:

Section	What you can do
Control Panel	Overall tournament health, quick actions (start, pause, end)
Participants & Roster	View, approve, or remove participants; manage team rosters
Brackets	Seed brackets, manually adjust matches, advance winners
Schedule	Set per-round start times and match deadlines
Results	Review, approve, or override reported results
Disputes	Adjudicate player disputes; request additional evidence
Announcements	Send messages to all participants
Prizes	Define prize tiers and trigger payouts after the event
Invitations	Invite specific players or teams
Restrictions	Adjust eligibility rules mid-tournament if needed
Sponsors	Add sponsor banners and logos to the tournament page
Appearance	Customise banner, colours, and page layout
Game Settings	Configure game-specific lobby settings shared with participants
Hosting Roles	Add co-admins, referees, and scorekeepers
About	Edit public description and rules

Tournament Formats

Single Elimination

Players are eliminated after one loss. Fast and exciting. Best for large participant counts or time-limited events. The bracket is seeded randomly or by rank.

Double Elimination

Players move to the loser's bracket after their first loss and aren't eliminated until they lose twice. Fairer and more forgiving but takes longer to complete.

Round Robin

Every participant plays against every other participant at least once. Winners are determined by total points or wins. Ideal for small groups (up to ~16 players).

Swiss

Players are paired with opponents of similar standings each round, but nobody is eliminated until all rounds are complete. Good for large groups without a full round-robin schedule.

Battle Royale

All participants play in the same match or series. Points are awarded by placement and/or kills/score. Final standings determine the winner.

Prizes & Payouts

Organisers define prize tiers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) when creating the tournament. Prize money can come from:

Entry fees: Pooled from all paid registrations
Organiser-funded: The organiser deposits the prize pool into escrow before the tournament starts
Sponsored: A third-party sponsor contributes to the prize pool

After the tournament concludes and results are verified, the organiser triggers payouts from the Manage → Prizes panel. Winners receive funds in their Nitrade wallet and can withdraw to their linked bank account or mobile money. See Payments & Wallet for withdrawal options.

⚠️

Prize payouts may take 1–3 business days to process depending on the payout method and region.

Disputes & Reporting

If you believe a match result was incorrectly reported:

Dispute the result

On the match card, click Dispute within the dispute window (check tournament rules for the exact timeframe, usually 15–30 minutes after result submission).

Provide evidence

Upload screenshots or video clips to support your claim. Describe the issue clearly.

Wait for adjudication

The tournament organiser (or a designated referee) will review both sides and make a ruling. The ruling is final unless escalated to Nitrade's support team for rule violations.

Escalate to Nitrade

If you believe the organiser has acted unfairly or violated Nitrade's rules, open a support ticket with all evidence. Nitrade staff will investigate within 48 hours.