diff --git a/app/features/tournament/TournamentRepository.searchByName.test.ts b/app/features/tournament/TournamentRepository.searchByName.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3c3450fff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/features/tournament/TournamentRepository.searchByName.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+import { add, sub } from "date-fns";
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
+import * as TournamentFactory from "~/db/seed/factories/TournamentFactory";
+import * as UserFactory from "~/db/seed/factories/UserFactory";
+import { dateToDatabaseTimestamp } from "~/utils/dates";
+import * as TournamentRepository from "./TournamentRepository.server";
+
+const QUERY = "In The Zone";
+
+let author: { id: number };
+
+const createTournament = (name: string, startsAt: Date) =>
+	TournamentFactory.create({
+		authorId: author.id,
+		name,
+		startTimes: [dateToDatabaseTimestamp(startsAt)],
+	});
+
+const search = async (limit = 10) =>
+	(await TournamentRepository.searchByName({ query: QUERY, limit })).map(
+		(tournament) => tournament.name,
+	);
+
+describe("TournamentRepository.searchByName", () => {
+	beforeEach(async () => {
+		author = await UserFactory.create();
+	});
+
+	test("sorts a tournament that is happening right now first", async () => {
+		await createTournament(`${QUERY} Tomorrow`, add(new Date(), { days: 1 }));
+		await createTournament(`${QUERY} Started`, sub(new Date(), { hours: 3 }));
+
+		expect(await search()).toEqual([`${QUERY} Started`, `${QUERY} Tomorrow`]);
+	});
+
+	test("sorts the next tournament up before ones that already happened", async () => {
+		await createTournament(`${QUERY} Yesterday`, sub(new Date(), { days: 2 }));
+		await createTournament(
+			`${QUERY} Next Month`,
+			add(new Date(), { days: 30 }),
+		);
+
+		expect(await search()).toEqual([
+			`${QUERY} Next Month`,
+			`${QUERY} Yesterday`,
+		]);
+	});
+
+	test("sorts the rest by their distance from now", async () => {
+		await createTournament(
+			`${QUERY} In 3 Weeks`,
+			add(new Date(), { weeks: 3 }),
+		);
+		await createTournament(
+			`${QUERY} 2 Weeks Ago`,
+			sub(new Date(), { weeks: 2 }),
+		);
+		await createTournament(
+			`${QUERY} In 2 Weeks`,
+			add(new Date(), { weeks: 2 }),
+		);
+		await createTournament(
+			`${QUERY} 3 Weeks Ago`,
+			sub(new Date(), { weeks: 3 }),
+		);
+
+		expect(await search()).toEqual([
+			`${QUERY} In 2 Weeks`,
+			`${QUERY} 2 Weeks Ago`,
+			`${QUERY} In 3 Weeks`,
+			`${QUERY} 3 Weeks Ago`,
+		]);
+	});
+
+	test("keeps the next tournament up in a result set the limit cuts short", async () => {
+		await createTournament(`${QUERY} Next Year`, add(new Date(), { years: 1 }));
+		await createTournament(`${QUERY} Last Week`, sub(new Date(), { weeks: 1 }));
+		await createTournament(
+			`${QUERY} Last Month`,
+			sub(new Date(), { days: 30 }),
+		);
+
+		expect(await search(2)).toEqual([
+			`${QUERY} Next Year`,
+			`${QUERY} Last Week`,
+		]);
+	});
+});
diff --git a/app/features/tournament/TournamentRepository.server.ts b/app/features/tournament/TournamentRepository.server.ts
index 7c8b571ba..c09888e1a 100644
--- a/app/features/tournament/TournamentRepository.server.ts
+++ b/app/features/tournament/TournamentRepository.server.ts
@@ -1547,6 +1547,14 @@ export function finalizeWithoutSummary(tournamentId: number) {
 		.execute();
 }
 
+/** How close to its start time a tournament counts as happening right now. */
+const TOURNAMENT_ONGOING_WINDOW_IN_SECONDS = 24 * 60 * 60;
+
+/**
+ * Searches tournaments whose calendar event name contains the query, hidden events excluded.
+ *
+ * Ordered so that the tournaments most likely being looked for come first
+ */
 export async function searchByName({
 	query,
 	limit,
@@ -1558,6 +1566,12 @@ export async function searchByName({
 	minStartTime?: Date;
 	maxStartTime?: Date;
 }) {
+	const now = databaseTimestampNow();
+	const distanceFromNow = sql<number>`abs("CalendarEventDate"."startsAt" - ${now})`;
+	// window function so that the next tournament up is the next one of all the matches,
+	// not only of the ones that happen to fit in the limit
+	const nextUpStartsAt = sql<number>`min(case when "CalendarEventDate"."startsAt" - ${now} >= ${TOURNAMENT_ONGOING_WINDOW_IN_SECONDS} then "CalendarEventDate"."startsAt" end) over ()`;
+
 	let sqlQuery = db
 		.selectFrom("Tournament")
 		.innerJoin("CalendarEvent", "Tournament.id", "CalendarEvent.tournamentId")
@@ -1574,7 +1588,15 @@ export async function searchByName({
 		])
 		.where("CalendarEvent.name", "like", `%${query}%`)
 		.where("CalendarEvent.hidden", "=", 0)
-		.orderBy("CalendarEventDate.startsAt", "desc")
+		.orderBy(
+			sql`case
+				when ${distanceFromNow} < ${TOURNAMENT_ONGOING_WINDOW_IN_SECONDS} then 0
+				when "CalendarEventDate"."startsAt" = ${nextUpStartsAt} then 1
+				else 2
+			end`,
+		)
+		.orderBy(distanceFromNow)
+		.orderBy("Tournament.id")
 		.limit(limit);
 
 	if (minStartTime) {