diff --git a/app/features/sendouq/routes/q.looking.tsx b/app/features/sendouq/routes/q.looking.tsx
index 98af2042d..80d4c2044 100644
--- a/app/features/sendouq/routes/q.looking.tsx
+++ b/app/features/sendouq/routes/q.looking.tsx
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import { useUser } from "~/features/auth/core/user";
 import { useTopicRevalidation } from "~/features/chat/chat-hooks";
 import { useMarkSqLikesSeen } from "~/features/global-status/global-status-likes-seen";
 import type { UserCardData } from "~/features/user-card/user-card-types";
+import { privateNoteSentimentScore } from "~/features/user-card/user-card-utils";
 import { useDateTimeFormat } from "~/hooks/intl/useDateTimeFormat";
 import { useHydrated } from "~/hooks/useHydrated";
 import { useMainContentWidth } from "~/hooks/useMainContentWidth";
@@ -478,18 +479,8 @@ function sortGroups<T extends { id: number; members?: { id: number }[] }>(
 		suggestedGroupIds: Set<number>;
 	},
 ): T[] {
-	const sentimentScore = (group: T) => {
-		if (!group.members) return 0;
-
-		let score = 0;
-		for (const member of group.members) {
-			const sentiment = userCards.get(member.id)?.privateNote?.sentiment;
-			if (sentiment === "NEGATIVE") return -1;
-			if (sentiment === "POSITIVE") score = 1;
-		}
-
-		return score;
-	};
+	const sentimentScore = (group: T) =>
+		group.members ? privateNoteSentimentScore(group.members, userCards) : 0;
 
 	return groups.toSorted((a, b) => {
 		const aIsSuggested = suggestedGroupIds.has(a.id);
diff --git a/app/features/tournament-lfg/routes/to.$id.looking.tsx b/app/features/tournament-lfg/routes/to.$id.looking.tsx
index de0c2e260..f34b09444 100644
--- a/app/features/tournament-lfg/routes/to.$id.looking.tsx
+++ b/app/features/tournament-lfg/routes/to.$id.looking.tsx
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import {
 	UserCard,
 	useUserCardData,
 } from "~/features/user-card/components/UserCard";
+import { privateNoteSentimentScore } from "~/features/user-card/user-card-utils";
 import { SendouForm } from "~/form/SendouForm";
 import { useHydrated } from "~/hooks/useHydrated";
 import { useMainContentWidth } from "~/hooks/useMainContentWidth";
@@ -83,9 +84,13 @@ function GroupsView({
 		data.ownGroup?.members.length ?? data.ownTeam?.members.length ?? 0;
 	const availableSlots = tournament.maxMembersPerTeam - ownMemberCount;
 
-	const compatibleGroups = data.groups.filter(
-		(group) => group.members.length <= availableSlots,
-	);
+	const compatibleGroups = data.groups
+		.filter((group) => group.members.length <= availableSlots)
+		.toSorted(
+			(a, b) =>
+				privateNoteSentimentScore(b.members, data.userCards) -
+				privateNoteSentimentScore(a.members, data.userCards),
+		);
 
 	const neutralGroups = compatibleGroups.filter(
 		(group) =>
diff --git a/app/features/user-card/user-card-utils.test.ts b/app/features/user-card/user-card-utils.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3c84cc18d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/features/user-card/user-card-utils.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
+import type { UserCardData } from "./user-card-types";
+import { privateNoteSentimentScore } from "./user-card-utils";
+
+const cardWithSentiment = (sentiment: "POSITIVE" | "NEUTRAL" | "NEGATIVE") =>
+	({
+		privateNote: { text: "", sentiment, updatedAt: 0 },
+	}) as unknown as UserCardData;
+
+const userCards = new Map<number, UserCardData>([
+	[1, cardWithSentiment("POSITIVE")],
+	[2, cardWithSentiment("NEGATIVE")],
+	[3, cardWithSentiment("NEUTRAL")],
+]);
+
+describe("privateNoteSentimentScore", () => {
+	test.each([
+		{ why: "no notes", memberIds: [4, 5], expected: 0 },
+		{ why: "neutral note", memberIds: [3], expected: 0 },
+		{ why: "positive note", memberIds: [1, 4], expected: 1 },
+		{ why: "negative note", memberIds: [2, 4], expected: -1 },
+		{ why: "negative outweighs positive", memberIds: [1, 2], expected: -1 },
+	])("$why", ({ memberIds, expected }) => {
+		expect(
+			privateNoteSentimentScore(
+				memberIds.map((id) => ({ id })),
+				userCards,
+			),
+		).toBe(expected);
+	});
+});
diff --git a/app/features/user-card/user-card-utils.ts b/app/features/user-card/user-card-utils.ts
index cd7a9a365..e2626398e 100644
--- a/app/features/user-card/user-card-utils.ts
+++ b/app/features/user-card/user-card-utils.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { USER_CARD } from "./user-card-constants";
+import type { UserCardData } from "./user-card-types";
 
 /**
  * The claim must exceed the verified XP by no more than {@link USER_CARD.MAX_UNVERIFIED_XP_ABOVE_VERIFIED}.
@@ -17,3 +18,21 @@ export function isValidUnverifiedXp({
 		unverified <= verified + USER_CARD.MAX_UNVERIFIED_XP_ABOVE_VERIFIED
 	);
 }
+
+/**
+ * Scores a group by the viewer's private notes on its members: -1 if any member has a negative note,
+ * 1 if any has a positive one (and none negative), otherwise 0. Sort descending to float liked groups up.
+ */
+export function privateNoteSentimentScore(
+	members: { id: number }[],
+	userCards: Map<number, UserCardData>,
+): number {
+	let score = 0;
+	for (const member of members) {
+		const sentiment = userCards.get(member.id)?.privateNote?.sentiment;
+		if (sentiment === "NEGATIVE") return -1;
+		if (sentiment === "POSITIVE") score = 1;
+	}
+
+	return score;
+}
diff --git a/changelog/2026-09-23-tournament-lfg-private-note-sorting.md b/changelog/2026-09-23-tournament-lfg-private-note-sorting.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..405b19c15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/2026-09-23-tournament-lfg-private-note-sorting.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+navItem: medal
+type: feature
+---
+Tournament LFG shows groups with players you have a positive private note on first and negative ones last, same as SendouQ