Announced in September 2025, the second
Rocket League Major will take place at the
Paris La Défense Arena, a venue now well known to francophone esports fans. This flagship event on Psyonix’s esports calendar will be held
from May 20 to 24, 2026. The arena in Nanterre, near Paris, recognized as the largest indoor venue in Europe, will welcome spectators for the final three days of the competition. This Paris stop follows the 2025 World Championship in Lyon, where NRG Esports claimed the title in front of a French crowd renowned for its exceptional passion.
The tournament will bring together the 16 best teams in the world, competing for a total prize pool of $345,000. Beyond the financial stakes, the main objective lies in the allocation of RLCS circuit points, which are essential for qualifying for the World Championships at the end of the season. The Major champion will earn $102,000 and 36 points in the overall standings. Qualification spots are distributed according to strict regional quotas: five for Europe, four for North America, two for South America as well as the MENA region, and one each for Oceania, Asia-Pacific, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
A short but intense format for RL Major
The competition structure is built around
two distinct phases. On May 20 and 21, the group stage will be organized into four groups of four teams. Over these two days, each team will play three matches in a Best of 5 format under a single round-robin system. The winner of each group will advance directly to the upper bracket of the final stage, while the teams finishing second and third will enter the lower bracket. The fourth-placed teams will be eliminated before the arena opens to the public.
The playoffs in front of a live audience will begin on Friday, May 22, 2026. The chosen format is a 12-team hybrid elimination bracket, with all matches played as Best of 7 series. The four top teams from the group stage will benefit from a margin for error, with a double chance to reach the semifinals, while teams coming from the lower bracket will face immediate single-elimination matches.
The biggest crowd ever for Rocket League?
Official ticket sales will open on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 10:00 CET for the general public. An exclusive presale phase will take place the day before, on Wednesday, February 11, for fans who have subscribed to alerts through Rocket League Esports channels. The organizers, BLAST and Epic Games, are expecting record attendance for a Rocket League tournament.
For reference, Karmine Corp, through its KCXperience event, previously drew more than 25,000 fans in a single evening. In addition to the traditional 3v3 professional circuit, the 2026 season will, for the first time, introduce 2v2 competitions, further increasing the competitive depth of this pivotal year in the race for the title.
