Get Ready for the Rocket League Championship Series’ 2026 Season!
The Rocket League World Championship 2025 came to a thrilling close today as NRG lifted the trophy in front of nearly 10,000 fans at the LDLC Arena in Lyon-Décines, France. Taking in the glory, the champions secured $300,000 and were declared Rocket League World Champions!
20 of the best Rocket League teams and 60 players from across the globe were onstage all together, representing every major region. North American team NRG’s Massimo "Atomic" Franceschi, Landon "BeastMode" Konerman and Daniel "Daniel" Piecenski dominated through the Group Stage before delivering a statement performance in the Grand Final, with a decisive 4-1 victory over Raleigh Major winners and RLCS 2025's highest-scoring LAN team, Team Falcons.
Congratulations to NRG, the 2025 Rocket League World Champions!
As the curtain falls on another unforgettable chapter of RLCS with the 2025 Season wrapping up in Lyon-Décines, we’re already looking ahead to what promises to be an even bigger 2026.
Many of the key additions from 2025 will remain in place: two online splits, two Majors, the continuation of 1v1 competition, and an expanded Rocket League World Championship featuring 20 teams.
But 2026 will also bring some exciting new moments: an early Season start in November 2025, a December RLCS Kick-Off Weekend in Copenhagen, Denmark, Major 1 to take place in North America, 2s joining RLCS, Worlds expanding to 6 days and the return of RLCS to France for Major 2 at La Défense Arena in Paris including an expanded three full audience days.
Sign-ups will open from mid-October.
Let’s dive into more details of the 2026 Season!
All NEW RLCS Kick-Off Weekend Event
2026’s RLCS Season will get underway earlier than usual. Online Opens will begin in November 2025, leading to a brand new three-day studio event at the BLAST Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark, from December 5 to December 7 to kickstart the 2026 RLCS Season!
The top six teams from North America (NA) and Europe (EU) competing in Open 1 will qualify for an offline Playoff Stage in a closed studio. Across the first two days, those combined twelve teams will battle through a Hybrid Elimination Stage to crown the NA and EU Open 1 champions.
On the final day, the top two teams from each region will advance into a four-team bracket, where they’ll compete for a coveted 2026 Regional Slot. The winner not only secures direct qualification to Major 1, but also earns their region an additional fifth slot at RL Worlds 2026.
That’s just the beginning — there are more exciting additions to the RLCS Kick-Off Weekend that we’ll be revealing in the weeks ahead!
2026 Majors
The 2026 Season will follow the same structure as 2025: two splits, each featuring three online Opens, leading into a Major tournament. Both Majors will pave the way towards the biggest stage of them all — the Rocket League World Championship 2026.
Major 1: Set to take place in North America with further location details and dates to be announced in the coming weeks.
Major 2: A landmark moment for Rocket League esports — our largest venue to date — taking place at La Défense Arena in Paris, France, from May 20 to May 24, with 3 crowd days.
We’ll share more details, including dates and the host city for the World Championship, in the coming months.
2026 Format
The RLCS 3v3 format introduced in 2025 will continue into 2026. Each region will once again compete across three online Opens per split — six in total across the Season.
As we head into the new RLCS Season, teams will need to take note of important updates to roster eligibility. All rosters must field a majority of players who are residents or citizens of the region they are competing in.
For standard 3-player rosters, at least two players must meet regional eligibility requirements through citizenship or permanent legal residency. Teams that choose to register a substitute (4-player roster) will need to ensure that three of the four players meet regional eligibility requirements.
These changes are designed to keep regional competition fair and balanced, while still allowing international talent to shine.
A full breakdown of which countries fall under each RLCS region, along with the exact eligibility rules, can be found in the official RLCS rulebook.
Schedule: First Opens of the Season
NA: Starting November 14
EU: Starting November 14
SAM: Starting November 15
APAC: Starting November 15
MENA: Starting November 21
OCE: Starting November 22
SSA: Starting November 22
Key Dates
Season starts: November 14
RLCS Kick-Off Weekend: December 5–7
Split 1: November 2025–February 2026 (exact dates to be announced)
Major 1: February 2026
Split 2: March 2026–May 2026 (exact dates to be announced)
Major 2: May 2026
1v1 and 2v2 Opens - June/July 2026
Regional Last Chance Qualifiers: July 2026–August 2026 (exact dates to be announced)
Rocket League World Championship: September 2026
RLCS 1v1s Return
The 1v1 format also returns for 2026 after a successful debut this year. There will be 1v1 Opens in each region, starting from June. The regional winners from NA, EU, SAM, and MENA will qualify for a spot at the Rocket League 1v1 World Championship 2026.
2v2s Joins RLCS!
After Major 2 we will host 2v2 Opens and regional winners from NA, EU, SAM, and MENA will qualify for a spot at the Rocket League 2v2 World Championship 2026.
As always, players are able to compete in all RLCS offerings
Road to Worlds
After all the Majors have concluded, the 16 teams with the most RLCS Points will automatically qualify for the Rocket League World Championship 2026 which will expand to six days!
They’ll be joined by four more teams via the Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQs), based on the four best-performing regions across the Season.
GL & HF!
We’ll have more information in the coming weeks and months covering regional dates, language broadcast partners, the Rocket League Worlds location, and third-party competitions . Make sure you’re following Rocket League Esports on X and Instagram to keep up with all the latest updates.
See you on the RLCS pitch!