After a chilly winter break, the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) is back for the Winter Split! Just a few weeks ago we crowned Team BDS the champions of the first international RLCS LAN in nearly two years at the Fall Major in Stockholm, Sweden. Now it's time for the best teams in the world to hit the pitch with all-important points and RLCS glory on the line.

Let's check out what you can expect from the Winter Split!

Mobil 1 Joins the North American RLCS as a Sponsor

You read that right! Mobil 1 has signed on as official sponsor for the North American RLCS through both the Winter Split and Spring Split!

Mobil 1 is back in the RLCS! Long-time fans will probably remember the Mobil 1 High-Performance Replays from seasons past. As a world-renowned innovator of synthetic motor oils, Mobil 1 is bringing their experience back to the pitch (and the rocket boosters) of the North American RLCS. We're thrilled to have them back as North American RLCS sponsors for the Winter and Spring Splits.

New Format

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As we announced earlier this season, each Split has its own distinct format. This time around, there will be four groups of four that play in a Round-Robin Format to determine who moves on to the Modified Double-Elimination Bracket. 

Teams that finish first in their group will be placed into the Upper Bracket and therefore have an "additional life" in the Modified Double-Elimination Bracket. Teams that finish second and third in their group will be seeded into the Lower Bracket, meaning one loss will knock them out of the tournament. Teams who finish last in their group will be eliminated from the tournament.

Split and Broadcast Schedule

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The event schedule will be similar to the Fall Split, with multiple RLCS regions playing each weekend. Each European and North American RLCS Regional Event will have their own unique names as well. Check it out below:

Event Schedule:

  • January 14-16: X Games Open (NA), Middle East & North African (MENA), Oceanic (OCE), Asia-Pacific South (APAC S) Regional #1
  • January 21-23: Apollo Open (EU), South American (SAM), Asia-Pacific North (APAC N) Regional #1
  • January 28-30: Rocket League 351 (NA), MENA, OCE, APAC S Regional #2 
  • February 4-6: Premier Cup (EU), SAM, APAC N Regional #2 
  • February 18-20: Mobil 1 Mountain Classic (NA), MENA, OCE, APAC S Regional #3 
  • February 25-27: Copa de Rocket League (EU), SAM, APAC N Regional #3 
  • March 23-27: Major (Location ???) 
  • March 28 - April 17: Transfer Window 

Broadcast Start Times

  • Asia-Pacific North (APAC N) RLCS: 7 p.m. JST (2 a.m. PT)
  • Asia-Pacific South (APAC S) RLCS: 5 p.m. SGT (1 a.m. PT), Fridays at 7 p.m. SGT (3 a.m. PT)
  • European (EU) RLCS: 8 a.m. PT (4 p.m. UTC)
  • Middle East & North Africa (MENA) RLCS: 6 p.m. KSA (7 a.m. PT)
  • North America (NA) RLCS: 10 a.m. PT (6 p.m. UTC)
  • Oceanic (OCE) RLCS: 5 p.m. AEDT (10 p.m. PT)
  • South America (SAM) RLCS: 4 p.m. BRT (11 a.m. PT)

Don't forget that you can catch all the RLCS action on the channels below. Make sure to follow them so that you don't miss a thing!

The broadcasts will also mirror the Fall Split's, except for Day 1 streams on Fridays. For Europe and North America, the first day of each Regional Event will now show a "featured match," per Round-Robin round. As results roll in, the main stream will check in on other matches in a given round. You can still catch matches across all the team streams that are live on Day 1. All of the Round-Robin Group Stage and the four Lower Bracket Round 1 matches will be played on Day 1. 

On Days 2 and 3, the broadcast will be the classic style broadcasts with each remaining match from the Modified Double-Elimination Bracket being broadcast! For APAC N, APAC S, MENA, OCE, and SAM, their broadcasts will remain the same as they were in the Fall Split (classic style broadcasts all three days).

We'll have more details about the Winter Major in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for those details!

Fan Rewards and Esports Shop Away Kits

Make sure to tune in all Split long to earn Fan Rewards (more items will be added in the coming weeks)! In addition, we know you're all excited to see and get your hands on all the Away Kits in the in-game Esports Shop. We'll be revealing them later this month, so the wait is almost over!

Just Getting Started

The Winter Split is just getting started. Make sure to keep it locked to @RLEports on Twitter and Instagram for the most up-to-date information on everything Rocket League Esports. We're excited to kick off another exciting Split of RLCS action this Friday, January 14, with the X Games Open, where the top two North American teams will receive medals for their performances. We'll see you then!