diff --git a/apps/trading/client-pages/competitions/team-form.tsx b/apps/trading/client-pages/competitions/team-form.tsx
index 04f736d6b..33bc46ef6 100644
--- a/apps/trading/client-pages/competitions/team-form.tsx
+++ b/apps/trading/client-pages/competitions/team-form.tsx
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ const prepareTransaction = (
         createReferralSet: {
           isTeam: true,
           team: {
-            name: fields.name,
+            name: fields.name.trim(),
             teamUrl: fields.url,
             avatarUrl: fields.avatarUrl,
             closed: fields.private,
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ const prepareTransaction = (
           id: fields.id,
           isTeam: true,
           team: {
-            name: fields.name,
+            name: fields.name.trim(),
             teamUrl: fields.url,
             avatarUrl: fields.avatarUrl,
             closed: fields.private,
@@ -116,7 +116,17 @@ export const TeamForm = ({
       <input type="hidden" {...register('id')} />
       <TradingFormGroup label={t('Team name')} labelFor="name">
         <TradingInput
-          {...register('name', { required: t('Required') })}
+          {...register('name', {
+            required: t('Required'),
+            validate: {
+              notEmpty: (value) => {
+                if (/^\s*$/.test(value)) {
+                  return t('Team name cannot be empty');
+                }
+                return true;
+              },
+            },
+          })}
           data-testid="team-name-input"
         />
         {errors.name?.message && (
diff --git a/apps/trading/components/competitions/competitions-leaderboard.tsx b/apps/trading/components/competitions/competitions-leaderboard.tsx
index 5a3291cc3..471de84cc 100644
--- a/apps/trading/components/competitions/competitions-leaderboard.tsx
+++ b/apps/trading/components/competitions/competitions-leaderboard.tsx
@@ -56,7 +56,10 @@ export const CompetitionsLeaderboard = ({
               className="hover:underline"
               to={Links.COMPETITIONS_TEAM(td.teamId)}
             >
-              {td.name}
+              {
+                // Its possible for a tx to be submitted with an empty space as team name
+                td.name.trim() !== '' ? td.name : t('[empty]')
+              }
             </Link>
           ),
           earned: num(td.totalQuantumRewards),
diff --git a/libs/i18n/src/locales/en/trading.json b/libs/i18n/src/locales/en/trading.json
index 507950f49..0fe6110e1 100644
--- a/libs/i18n/src/locales/en/trading.json
+++ b/libs/i18n/src/locales/en/trading.json
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@
   "Earned by me": "Earned by me",
   "Eligible teams": "Eligible teams",
   "Enactment date reached and usual auction exit checks pass": "Enactment date reached and usual auction exit checks pass",
+  "[empty]": "[empty]",
   "Ends in": "Ends in",
   "Entity scope": "Entity scope",
   "{{entity}} scope": "{{entity}} scope",
@@ -317,6 +318,7 @@
   "Target stake": "Target stake",
   "Team": "Team",
   "Team name": "Team name",
+  "Team name cannot be empty": "Team name cannot be empty",
   "Team creation transaction successful": "Team creation transaction successful",
   "Team joined": "Team joined",
   "Team switch successful. You will switch team at the end of the epoch.": "Team switch successful. You will switch team at the end of the epoch.",