Twenty teams are heading to Fort Worth chasing a $300,000 title and a $1.2 million total prize pool, as the 2026 Rocket League World Championship touches down at Dickies Arena from September 15 to 20. If you’re sorting out a ticket for the World Championship or just need to know when to clear your calendar, here’s the full rundown of the format, the confirmed field, and the side tournaments running across finals week.
Rocket League World Championship 2026: Schedule and Format
The tournament kicks off on September 15 with a Play-In featuring eight teams in a GSL-style format, with every series played as a best-of-five. The top four teams from that stage advance into the Main Event, joining the twelve squads who’ve already locked in their spots.
The Group Stage runs September 16 and 17, also as best-of-five series, before the Playoffs take over from September 18 to 20 in a Hybrid Elimination Bracket. The top four teams coming out of the Group Stage start the Playoffs with two chances before the Final Four, while everyone seeded 5th through 12th gets just one chance, with the entire stage played in a best-of-seven format.
World Championship Teams: Play-In and Main Event
The Play-In field is made up of Virtus.pro (North America), Team Falcons (Middle East and North Africa), TSM (Asia-Pacific), Five Fears (Sub-Saharan Africa), Mate y Tapa (EU Last Chance), R8 Esports (MENA Last Chance), FUT Esports (NA Last Chance), and Bigodes (SAM Last Chance).
Falcons, runners-up at the last World Championship, will have to fight through that stage despite adding Moroccan world champion Samy “dralii” Hajji to the roster. The twelve teams already seeded into the Main Event are Karmine Corp, Gentle Mates, Team Vitality, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Manchester City, NRG, Shopify Rebellion, Spacestation Gaming, MIBR, FURIA, Twisted Minds, and Wildcard.
NRG head into the defence of their title with the same trio that won it: Massimo “Atomic” Franceschi, Landon “BeastMode” Konerman, and Daniel Piecenski. Karmine Corp arrive as the champions of the most recent Paris Major, Gentle Mates come in off a Boston Major win, and Vitality are still chasing their first international trophy since 2023.
2v2 and 1v1: Schedule and Prize Breakdown
Alongside the Main Event, Worlds week also hosts separate 2v2 and 1v1 tournaments with their own brackets and prize pools, and the World Championship Bundle in the item shop ties into supporting the competing teams – you can find more on how that side of the event economy works in our guide to the World Championship Bundle and payouts.
| Event | Dates | Prize Split |
|---|---|---|
| 2v2 Tournament | September 17-19 | Winner $100,000 / Runner-up $50,000 / Semifinalists $10,000 each |
| 1v1 Tournament | September 16-18 | Winner $50,000 / Runner-up $25,000 / Semifinalists $5,000 each |
In the 2v2 bracket, the Falcons twins face FURIA’s Brazilian duo Backyardigans in one semifinal, while Spacestation Gaming’s Jack “reveal” LeDuc and Zachary “zach” Stone take on No Miss Just Fake – Alexis “zen” Bernier and Tristan “Atow.” Soyez – in the other. The 1v1 semifinals pit Twisted Minds’ Hisham “Nwpo” Alqad against BS+COMPETITION’s Danilo “kv1” Michelini, and M8’s Nassim “nass” Bali against SSG’s João “diaz” Henrique.
Tips for Following the World Championship
Keep an eye on the Play-In on September 15 – only four of those eight teams make it through, so it’s must-watch if you’re following Falcons or Virtus.pro. Expect best-of-five series to dominate the Play-In and Group Stage before things switch to best-of-seven once the Playoffs begin.
Group Stage placement matters more than it might look: finishing in the top four buys a team a second life heading into the Final Four, while a 5th-to-12th finish means one loss and you’re out. The 2v2 and 1v1 events run on their own separate dates within the week, so double-check the schedule if you’re planning to catch specific matches.
The 2026 Rocket League World Championship runs September 15-20 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, with twenty teams split across a Play-In and Main Event bracket. Add the 2v2 and 1v1 tournaments running alongside it, and it’s shaping up to be one of the busiest weeks on the Rocket League calendar.