A system and method are provided for identifying participants for a preferential ad-hoc network using a peer-to-peer (P2P) network and then establishing the ad-hoc network with the identified participants. In general, an initiating peer node provides a request for participants for an ad-hoc network to the P2P network, wherein the request includes content information describing content stored at the initiating peer node. The content information is used by the peer nodes receiving the request to determine whether to join the ad-hock network. The peer nodes receiving the request that decide to join the ad-hoc network respond to the initiating peer node via the P2P network. All or select ones of the peer nodes responding to the request are identified as the participants for the ad-hoc network. Once the participants are identified, the initiating peer node dynamically establishes the ad-hoc network with the identified participants.