How to Create or Join a CTF Team on CTFtime

Updated

CTFtime lets you create a new team from the "Create new team" link in its main navigation, and it lets you browse existing teams through the Teams and Rating sections. To join an existing team, you generally need to contact that team directly — CTFtime itself does not appear to offer a public "apply to join" button. You'll need an account (there's a "Sign in" link) before you can create a team or be listed as a member.

Creating a new team

  1. Sign in to CTFtime. The site shows a "Sign in" entry in its navigation, so an account is the starting point.
  2. Go to the "Create new team" link, which appears alongside "Teams" and "Rating" in the top navigation.
  3. Fill in the team details and submit. The exact form fields aren't shown in the available page evidence, so treat the on-page form as the source of truth.
  4. Once the team exists, you can add members. CTFtime lists a "Get team members" link, which is how a team's roster is retrieved or managed.

Expected result: your team gets its own page, and it can appear in team listings and, once it competes in rated events, in the rating tables.

What a team page shows

Based on the site's structure, a team is associated with:

  • Members — via the "Get team members" function.
  • Rating — teams appear in the yearly "Team rating" tables with a place, team name, country, and a numeric rating (for example, the 2026 table lists TeamH4C at 1231.551 and H-T8 at 1054.843).
  • Participation history — events a team has played feed into the Past events and rating data.

Joining an existing team

CTFtime's navigation does not show a join-request feature. The practical path is:

  1. Find the team you want. Use the Teams section or the Rating tables (filterable by year, e.g. 2026 back to 2011) to identify active teams. Ratings give you a rough sense of how competitive a team is — the top of the 2026 table sits around 1231, while 2025's leader (r3kapig) is at 1589.023.
  2. Contact the team outside CTFtime. Teams typically coordinate through their own channels (Discord, IRC, social media, or a website). CTFtime doesn't publish a standard application flow, so the team decides how it recruits.
  3. Get added as a member. Once accepted, the team adds you to its roster, which is what "Get team members" reflects.

If you want to compete immediately without recruiting, creating your own team is the lower-friction option — you can start solo or with a few people and grow later.

Choosing between creating and joining

Consideration Create a new team Join an existing team
Effort to start Low — you control the roster Depends on the team's response
Rating Starts from scratch Inherits the team's existing rating history
Skill fit You set the level You need to match the team's expectations
Best for Beginners, friend groups, solo starters Players seeking stronger competition or mentorship

Common sticking points

  • No visible join button. Don't expect to request membership on CTFtime itself; reach out to the team directly.
  • Ratings are yearly and event-driven. A team only builds rating by playing rated CTFs, so a brand-new team won't appear in the tables until it competes.
  • Account required. Creating a team and being listed as a member both sit behind the "Sign in" step.

For organizers, CTFtime also provides a "For organizers" section, which is separate from team management and relevant if you're running an event rather than joining one.