After a group stage that produced a few surprises, the playoffs of the
Rocket League World Championship 2026 will take place from September 18 to September 20 in Fort Worth, Texas, with twelve teams still in contention. They will face off in a unique format, a hybrid bracket between single and double elimination based on the results of the first stage, with matches played in a best-of-seven format.
Having finished first in their respective groups, Karmine Corp, Virtus.Pro, FUT Esports, and NRG Esports are already guaranteed a top-six finish, as they have been placed directly after two rounds of playoffs. These teams will therefore face each other, with the loser dropping into the quarterfinals while the winner advances directly to the semifinals, in
a bracket that will then be single elimination.
Rocket League World 2026 playoffs bracket
Winners of the last two international tournaments of the season, Karmine Corp at the Paris Major and Team Falcons at the Esports World Cup, the two clubs were drawn together in Group A and finished in the top two spots. The Blue Wall advanced directly to the final four, while the Saudi organization will start in the first round, alongside the other second- and third-placed teams from the groups. Falcons and Spacestation Gaming, the last team to qualify from Group A, will respectively face the third- and second-placed teams from Group B in the opening round.
Two different scenarios
Thus, finishing third and second in this group, respectively, FURIA and Twisted Minds will face the two EWC finalists in the first round of the playoffs. Group B saw the three teams that eventually advanced to the knockout stage cancel each other out, with all three finishing with one loss and two wins and being separated by the points earned throughout the series. FUT Esports' North American players came out on top in this tiebreaker.
The same scenario played out in Group C of these Rocket League World Championships, with NRG's American players, the reigning RLCS champions, taking first place. Behind them, Manchester City's esports division claimed second, ahead of Shopify, who completed the podium after notably being beaten 3-0 by MCI in this first stage. They will also face the third- and second-placed teams from Group D, respectively.
It was in the latter group that some of the most surprising results came through, with
Virtus.Pro, the North American region's fourth seed, took first place with three wins, ahead of Team Vitality and Gentle Mates, who finished second and third, respectively, in the group stage. The Hive will therefore begin its playoffs against SR, while M8 will have to overcome another European club, Man City, to advance further in the playoffs.
