diff --git a/src/app/pages/tournaments/tournaments.component.html b/src/app/pages/tournaments/tournaments.component.html
index 600839d..bbad48d 100644
--- a/src/app/pages/tournaments/tournaments.component.html
+++ b/src/app/pages/tournaments/tournaments.component.html
@@ -202,53 +202,57 @@
       <span class="dialog-brand">Join with a bot</span>
       <button type="button" class="dialog-close" (click)="closeJoinDialog()">×</button>
     </div>
-    <p class="join-hint">Select an official (engine-backed) bot to enter this tournament. These are the bots that actually play their moves.</p>
-
     @if (botsLoading) {
       <div class="dialog-loading"><span class="pulse"></span>Loading bots…</div>
-    } @else if (userBots.length === 0) {
-      <p class="join-empty">No official bots are available. The official-bots engine service must be running to register them.</p>
     } @else {
-      <div class="bot-pick-list">
-        @for (bot of userBots; track bot.id) {
-          <button type="button" class="bot-pick-row"
-            [disabled]="!!joiningBotId"
-            (click)="joinWithBot(bot)">
-            <span class="bot-pick-avatar">{{ bot.name.charAt(0).toUpperCase() }}</span>
-            <span class="bot-pick-name">{{ bot.name }}</span>
-            <span class="bot-pick-rating">{{ bot.rating }}</span>
-            @if (joiningBotId === bot.id) {
-              <span class="bot-pick-spinner">…</span>
-            }
-          </button>
-        }
-      </div>
-    }
-
-    @if (joinError) {
-      <div class="dialog-error">{{ joinError }}</div>
-    }
-
-    <div class="join-divider">
-      <span class="join-divider-label">or join with an official bot</span>
-    </div>
-
-    <div class="official-bot-grid">
-      @for (d of officialDifficulties; track d) {
-        <button type="button" class="official-bot-btn"
-          [class]="'official-btn-' + d"
-          [disabled]="!!joiningOfficialDifficulty || !!joiningBotId"
-          (click)="joinWithOfficialBot(d)">
-          @if (joiningOfficialDifficulty === d) {
-            <span class="pulse"></span>
+      @if (userBots.length === 0) {
+        <p class="join-empty">You have no bots. <a routerLink="/bots">Create one</a> to join with your own bot.</p>
+      } @else {
+        <div class="bot-pick-list">
+          @for (bot of userBots; track bot.id) {
+            <button type="button" class="bot-pick-row"
+              [disabled]="!!joiningBotId || !!joiningOfficialDifficulty"
+              (click)="joinWithBot(bot)">
+              <span class="bot-pick-avatar">{{ bot.name.charAt(0).toUpperCase() }}</span>
+              <span class="bot-pick-name">{{ bot.name }}</span>
+              <span class="bot-pick-rating">{{ bot.rating }}</span>
+              @if (joiningBotId === bot.id) {
+                <span class="bot-pick-spinner">…</span>
+              }
+            </button>
           }
-          {{ d | titlecase }}
-        </button>
+        </div>
       }
-    </div>
 
-    @if (officialJoinError) {
-      <div class="dialog-error">{{ officialJoinError }}</div>
+      @if (joinError) {
+        <div class="dialog-error">{{ joinError }}</div>
+      }
+
+      <div class="join-divider">
+        <span class="join-divider-label">or join with an official bot</span>
+      </div>
+
+      @if (officialBots.length === 0) {
+        <p class="join-empty">No official bots are available. The official-bots engine service must be running to register them.</p>
+      } @else {
+        <div class="official-bot-grid">
+          @for (d of officialDifficulties; track d) {
+            <button type="button" class="official-bot-btn"
+              [class]="'official-btn-' + d"
+              [disabled]="!!joiningOfficialDifficulty || !!joiningBotId"
+              (click)="joinWithOfficialBot(d)">
+              @if (joiningOfficialDifficulty === d) {
+                <span class="pulse"></span>
+              }
+              {{ d | titlecase }}
+            </button>
+          }
+        </div>
+      }
+
+      @if (officialJoinError) {
+        <div class="dialog-error">{{ officialJoinError }}</div>
+      }
     }
   </div>
 </div>
diff --git a/src/app/pages/tournaments/tournaments.component.ts b/src/app/pages/tournaments/tournaments.component.ts
index c924757..48ab90e 100644
--- a/src/app/pages/tournaments/tournaments.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/pages/tournaments/tournaments.component.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { CommonModule, TitleCasePipe } from '@angular/common';
 import { Router, RouterLink } from '@angular/router';
 import { FormBuilder, FormGroup, FormsModule, ReactiveFormsModule, Validators } from '@angular/forms';
 import { takeUntilDestroyed } from '@angular/core/rxjs-interop';
+import { forkJoin } from 'rxjs';
 import { TournamentService } from '../../services/tournament.service';
 import { AuthService } from '../../services/auth.service';
 import { BotService } from '../../services/bot.service';
@@ -58,6 +59,7 @@ export class TournamentsComponent implements OnInit {
 
   joinDialogTournamentId: string | null = null;
   userBots: Bot[] = [];
+  officialBots: Bot[] = [];
   botsLoading = false;
   joiningBotId: string | null = null;
   joinError: string | null = null;
@@ -175,16 +177,22 @@ export class TournamentsComponent implements OnInit {
     this.joinDialogTournamentId = tournamentId;
     this.joinError = null;
     this.botsLoading = true;
-    this.botService.listOfficial()
+    forkJoin({ user: this.botService.list(), official: this.botService.listOfficial() })
       .pipe(takeUntilDestroyed(this.destroyRef))
       .subscribe({
-        next: bots => { this.userBots = bots; this.botsLoading = false; },
+        next: ({ user, official }) => {
+          this.userBots = user;
+          this.officialBots = official;
+          this.botsLoading = false;
+        },
         error: () => { this.botsLoading = false; }
       });
   }
 
   closeJoinDialog(): void {
     this.joinDialogTournamentId = null;
+    this.userBots = [];
+    this.officialBots = [];
     this.joiningBotId = null;
     this.joinError = null;
     this.joiningOfficialDifficulty = null;