Everything You Need to Know about Rocket League World Championship 2026

The 2026 Rocket League Championship Series will make its grand return to the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth (United States) from September 15 to 20, with 20 teams set to compete for the title and the $300,000 prize that comes with it. A total of $1.2 million will be up for grabs between the participants at the 15th World Championship.

Following a difficult season, NRG will try to bounce back to defend their title after retaining their iconic trio, with Massimo "Atomic" Franceschi, Landon "BeastMode" Konerman, and Daniel "Daniel" Piecenski. The runners-up from the last edition, Team Falcons, will also be in attendance but will have to go through the Play-In. The team has strengthened its roster with the addition of Moroccan world champion Samy "dralii" Hajji. Fresh off their EWC victory, Falcons are among the favorites and should have little trouble qualifying for the Main Event.

The World Championship will therefore begin on September 15 with a Play-In featuring eight teams competing in a GSL-style format. Matches will be played as best-of-five series, with the top four teams advancing to the Main Event. The Group Stage will then take place on September 16 and 17, also featuring best-of-five series.

The Playoffs will take place from September 18 to 20, with twelve teams competing in a Hybrid Elimination Bracket. The top four teams from the Group Stage will start with two chances before the Final Four, while teams ranked 5th–12th will start with one chance with the entire stage played in a best-of-seven format.

EMEA is the best-represented region in the Main Event. Almost every team from the region is among the contenders, starting with Karmine Corp, the champions of the last Major in Paris. After winning the Boston Major earlier this year, Gentle Mates have a chance to end their season on a high following a recent dip in form, while Vitality have another opportunity to finally end their international drought, which dates back to 2023.

Finally, Ninjas in Pyjamas will look to confirm their rise: after missing out on the Paris Major, the NiP trio made a strong impression at the EWC. The Ninjas were beaten there by another team that appears to be hitting its stride and keeping North American hopes alive: Spacestation Gaming.

This edition will see 20 teams competing, eight of which will have to go through the Play-In. Here are the teams participating:

The 2v2 tournament will also take place during the competition from September 17 to 19, while the 1v1 tournament will run from September 16 to 18.

In the 2v2 tournament, the Falcons twins will face the Brazilians from FURIA under the name Backyardigans in the first semifinal. The second semifinal will see SSG’s Jack "reveal" LeDuc and Zachary "zach" Stone take on No Miss Just Fake, a duo made up of Alexis "zen" Bernier and Tristan "Atow." Soyez. The winning duo will take home $100,000, while the runners-up will receive $50,000 and the semifinalists $10,000 each.

In the 1v1 tournament, the first semifinal will pit Twisted Minds Hisham "Nwpo" Alqad against BS+COMPETITION Danilo "kv1" Michelini, while the other matchup will see M8 Nassim "nass" Bali face SSG João "diaz" Henrique. The winner will earn $50,000, the runner-up $25,000, and each semifinalist $5,000.