Last updated: 8 October 2026. Every screenshot below was recorded on 5 October 2026 on an IQ Option Practice account registered in Brazil, between 13:13 and 13:16 (UTC-3). We opened the Tournaments panel and the details of one tournament, Austin 1000, and did not join it, so nothing was paid. Names of other participants are blurred.
An IQ Option tournament is a competition between traders. Each participant pays an entry fee and gets a tournament account with the same virtual balance, and the traders with the highest balances at the end share a prize pool that is paid out in real money. This guide shows where tournaments are in the traderoom, what the cards and the rules say, how the prize pool was split in the one we opened, and what to weigh before you join.
Quick answer
- Where: Tournaments in the left sidebar of the traderoom. The panel lists running tournaments, then upcoming ones.
- What you see on 5 October 2026: prize pools from $500 to $50,000 and entry fees of $2 or $4 on our Brazilian account.
- Rules (Austin 1000): every trader gets a $1,000 tournament account, the leaderboard ranks tournament balances, 50% of the entry fee goes to the prize pool, and prizes are credited to the real account.
- Prizes are not equal: the $1,000 pool paid $333, $250, $166, $133 and $118 to the top five.
- Risk: you pay an entry fee to join, and a rebuy costs real money; only the top places win. We joined nothing.
How IQ Option tournaments work, step by step
The numbers in each screenshot match the numbers in the text.
Step 1: Open the Tournaments panel
Click Tournaments in the left sidebar (1). The Tournaments panel (2) opens next to the chart. It lists running tournaments first, each as a card, and then a heading “Upcoming Tournaments”.
Step 2: Read a tournament card
Each card shows the name and, for a running tournament, the time left in days, hours and minutes (1). Below are the prize pool and the entry fee (2), then the number of participants and the instruments (3). On our account, on 5 October 2026, the running tournaments were:
| Tournament | Prize pool | Entry fee | Participants | Instruments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin 1000 | $1,000 | $2 | 3,095 | BO, DO, Blitz |
| 72 Hours | $5,000 | $2 | 2,509 | BO, DO, Blitz |
| Brazil Weekly | $3,000 | $2 | 686 | BO, DO, Blitz |
| IQ Launch | $10,000 | $4 | 3,089 | BO, DO, Blitz |
| October Global Tournament | $50,000 | $4 | 4,288 | BO, DO, Blitz |
“BO, DO, Blitz” are the instrument types shown on the cards: binary options, digital options and Blitz options. Time left ranged from a few hours (Austin 1000) to 26 days (October Global Tournament). The list depends on the account: on 4 October 2026 our Mexican account showed a regional tournament called LATAM Weekly, while the Brazilian account showed Brazil Weekly.
Step 3: Check the upcoming tournaments
Scroll down to the “Upcoming Tournaments” heading (1). Each card (2) says “The tournament starts in:” with a countdown, and shows the same fields. People can already be registered: Salary in a Day, starting in 1 day 4 hours, showed 1,599 participants. IQ Option’s Help explains that before a tournament starts, the list shows the best traders chosen at random, and that once trading begins it is ordered by the balance in the tournament accounts.
Step 4: Open the details and the rules
Click a card. For Austin 1000 the details panel showed:
- The name and the time left to the end (1).
- A button “Join the tournament • $2” (2). We did not click it.
- The prize pool ($1,000), the participants (3,096), the rebuy cost ($2), the number of rebuys (221) and the instruments, Binary, Digital and Blitz (3).
- A link “Prize pool distribution” (4).
- On the Information tab, the start and end: 3 October 18:00 to 5 October 18:00 (UTC-3) (5).
- The rules (6): “Each trader is provided with a special $1000 tournament account, initial conditions being equal. The leaderboard shows how much money each participant has in their tournament account in descending order. The tournament prize is credited to your real account in the form of real funds. 50% of your entry fee is transferred to the prize pool.”
Step 5: See how the prize pool is split
Click Prize pool distribution. The window says (1): “The prize pool of $1,000 will be distributed among the traders who finished in the top 5.” The table (2) was not an equal split: $333 for position 1, $250 for position 2, $166 for position 3, $133 for position 4 and $118 for position 5. Other tournaments may pay a different number of places. IQ Option’s Help says the prize pool is usually shared among the best 9 to 30 traders, so read the window of the tournament you are looking at.
Step 6: Follow the leaderboard
Open the Leaderboard tab (1). The columns (2) are the rank, the participant, the balance of the tournament account and the prize. The first five rows carry the prizes from step 5 (3); lower places show 0. The balances in the first rows were in the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars, from a starting balance of $1,000, which shows how far the top places can move away from everyone else.
Rebuys, prizes and what the terms say
- Rebuy: IQ Option’s Help says that in some tournaments you can refill your tournament balance by repaying the entry fee with real money. With a $100 starting balance, a rebuy brings it to $200. The number of rebuys is unlimited, but only while your current balance and the profit from open positions are lower than your starting balance, and you can rebuy once at the start. Rebuy amounts are added to the prize pool. The Austin 1000 panel showed a rebuy cost of $2.
- Prize payment: per Help, prizes are credited to your real account automatically at the end of the tournament. It is usually instant, but in some tournaments it can take from a few minutes to an hour.
- Virtual funds: the tournament balance is virtual and cannot be withdrawn; only the prizes are real. The “Demo and Tournament Accounts” document (29 April 2025) says the top traders are awarded real funds.
- Fair play: the same document says IQ Option cannot guarantee fair play among all participants and that clients enter at their own risk. It may disqualify a client who abuses the tournament system, with no obligation to pay profit or refund the entry fee, and it may stop offering tournaments at any time.
Things to weigh before you join
- You pay the entry fee ($2 or $4 on the cards we saw) before you start, and every rebuy costs the same again.
- In the tournament we opened, five places out of more than 3,000 participants were paid. Most participants win nothing.
- Prizes fall steeply with position, so the top places are the only ones that matter.
- Trading carries a high risk of loss, and a tournament balance can swing widely. Treat the entry fee as money you can afford to lose, not as income.
Related guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I join an IQ Option tournament?
A: Open Tournaments in the left sidebar, click a card, then the “Join the tournament” button, which shows the entry fee. We did not join, so we did not see the payment step.
Q: How much does it cost to enter?
A: On 5 October 2026 the cards showed entry fees of $2 and $4 on our Brazilian account. The fee depends on the tournament.
Q: How are the prizes split?
A: Each tournament has its own “Prize pool distribution” window. In Austin 1000 the $1,000 pool paid $333, $250, $166, $133 and $118 to the top five. IQ Option’s Help says pools are usually shared among 9 to 30 traders.
Q: What happens to the entry fee?
A: The rules we read say 50% of your entry fee is transferred to the prize pool.
Q: What is a rebuy?
A: A way to refill your tournament balance by paying with real money, allowed in some tournaments while your balance and open profit are below your starting balance. Rebuy amounts are added to the prize pool.
Q: How do I get my prize?
A: IQ Option’s Help says it is credited to your real account at the end of the tournament, usually instantly and sometimes within an hour.
Q: Is a tournament balance real money?
A: No. It is virtual and cannot be withdrawn; only the prizes are real funds.
Q: Can VIP clients enter for free?
A: IQ Option’s VIP page lists free tournament entry for VIP clients; see our VIP guide.
