Apex Legends Global Series: 2026 Championship

The Apex Legends Global Series: 2026 Championship (ALGS 2026 Championship) marks the fifth edition of the competition – hence the unofficial tournament name, the Year 5 Championship – continuing the annual cycle that began when Apex Legends Global Series launched its official championship structure in 2021. It’s the culminating event of the season for the battle-royale title. Every Split, every regional qualifier, and every LAN leading up to it funnels into this single event, making it the most prestigious event on the Apex Legends Global Series calendar.
Subject Apex Legends
Start Date January 15, 2026
End Date January 18, 2026
Status Coming Soon
Location Daiwa House PREMIST DOME, Sapporo, Japan
Prize Pool $2,000,000
Participants 40 men’s teams
Type Offline
Tournament Champion -
Format Round-robin group stage, double-elimination bracket stage, and match-point finals format
Organizer Electronic Arts (EA) and Respawn Entertainment

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The 2026 Championship is scheduled to take place from January 15 to January 18, 2026, hosted in the Japanese city of Sapporo. As always, the event gathers the absolute best teams from North America, EMEA, APAC North, APAC South, and South America—those who fought through Split Playoffs, regional leaderboards, and Last Chance Qualifiers to earn their place among the world’s elite.

The Championship’s importance can’t be overstated. It’s the crown jewel of Apex Legends eSports, carrying the largest prize pool of the season, the highest concentration of tier-one teams, and the ultimate prestige: the right to be called world champion. Beyond prize money and rankings, the ALGS Championship is the event that shapes roster moves, defines legacies, and often shifts the meta for the upcoming competitive year. Millions of viewers worldwide tune in annually, making it one of the most-watched esports events featuring a battle-royale title.

The tournament is organized by the famous video gaming company Electronic Arts (EA) and Apex Legends’ developer Respawn Entertainment, who oversee the entire ALGS ecosystem, from regional circuits to international LAN events. Their production partners manage broadcast, logistics, and on-site operations, but EA and Respawn remain the central authorities ensuring competitive integrity, rules enforcement, and the overall vision of the Apex Legends eSports landscape.

Venue, Format, and Prize Pool Overview for the Apex Legends Global Series: 2026 Championship

The Apex Legends Global Series: 2026 Championship will be held at a stadium dome, Daiwa House PREMIST DOME (also known as the Sapporo Dome) – a significant venue for Japanese eSports, drawing large crowds and boosting the local economy. The venue hosted last year’s Championship and, as EA already confirmed, the following year will have the event return there as well. The event is classified as a fully offline, i.e., a LAN event.

There will be 40 teams competing at the 2026 Championship. The total prize pool is USD 2 million. The champion team will receive a large portion of it – a USD 600,000 share. Not all 40 participating sides will earn money. Teams placed 31st-40th will remain empty-handed.

Participating Teams in the Apex Legends Global Series: 2026 Championship and Qualification Overview

Teams earn their place in the ALGS 2026 Championship through a multi-path qualification system implemented across the year for the four global regions (Americas, EMEA, APAC North, APAC South) under Apex Legends Global Series.
Alliance
1
Hakis
2
Effect
3
unlucky
Alliance
100 Thieves
1
Genburten
2
Verhulst
3
Phony
100 Thieves
Wolves Esports
1
CrazyCong
2
Donut
3
Xzz
Wolves Esports
Citadel Gaming
1
RemixPowers
2
Zuni
3
KaishiHaa
Citadel Gaming
Sentinels
1
LOTR31
2
Rileymekinac
3
Carter
Sentinels
RoadHouse
1
akku
2
Lufka
3
Blasts
RoadHouse
Boogie Boarders
1
Panayie
2
Metro
3
Rakiiii
Boogie Boarders
Outside
1
mosu
2
Noelsang
3
sato_kohai
Outside
Gen.G
1
ASIAZXD
2
Dexter
3
Z1CKKY
Gen.G
Shopify Rebellion
1
zap
2
Koyful
3
Xynew
Shopify Rebellion
Load more

Here is how qualification works:

  • Regional Pro League performance: The winner of each region’s Pro League final automatically qualifies.
  • Pro League seasonal standings: The team at the top of each region’s overall Pro League season standings also qualifies.
  • Championship Points: Over the course of the year (including Pro League splits, LANs like the ALGS Open, and other events), teams accumulate “Championship Points.” The top 24 teams by Championship Points qualify for the Championship, with the rule that at least one team per region is guaranteed (the region’s highest-scoring).
  • Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ): After all other qualification paths, there remains a final shot — eight slots are reserved via LCQ, with each region qualifying two teams through this route.

Below is the full roster of 40 teams (by region), along with their qualification path.

Americas

  • Shopify Rebellion — Split 2 Pro League – Americas Final / winners
  • TSM — Championship Points
  • Team Falcons — Championship Points
  • Ninjas in Pyjamas — Championship Points
  • 100 Thieves — Championship Points
  • Team Liquid — Championship Points
  • ROC Esports — Championship Points
  • Sentinels — Championship Points
  • GROW Gaming — Championship Points
  • FYR Strays — Championship Points
  • Virtus.pro — Championship Points
  • Hotdog Mafia — Championship Points
  • Oblivion — Last Chance Qualifier – Americas / winners
  • Men of Culture — Last Chance Qualifier – Americas / runners-up
  • LEGACY — Championship Points

EMEA

  • Alliance — Split 2 Pro League – EMEA Final / winners
  • Citadel Gaming — Championship Points
  • GoNext Esports — Championship Points
  • ex-NAVI (NAVI stepped away from the competitive Apex Legends scene; players who secured a spot will compete in the tournament under a different, non-organization name) — Championship Points
  • RoadHouse — Championship Points
  • Supernova — Last Chance Qualifier – EMEA / winners
  • FaZe Clan — Last Chance Qualifier – EMEA / runners-up

APAC North

  • UNLIMIT — Split 2 Pro League – APAC North / winners
  • SYRALE — Split 2 Pro League – APAC North Final / winners
  • ENTER FORCE.36 — Championship Points
  • Fnatic — Championship Points
  • KINOTROPE gaming — Championship Points
  • SBI e-Sports — Championship Points
  • RIDDLE — Last Chance Qualifier – APAC North / winners
  • REIGNITE — Last Chance Qualifier – APAC North / runners-up

APAC South

  • Gen.G Esports — Split 2 Pro League – APAC South / winners
  • Boogie Boarders — Split 2 Pro League – APAC South Final / winners
  • VK Gaming — Championship Points
  • Wolves Esports — Championship Points
  • S8UL Esports — Championship Points
  • Five Fears — Championship Points
  • Al Qadsiah — Championship Points
  • JD Gaming — Championship Points
  • Team Mango — Last Chance Qualifier – APAC South / winners
  • Outside — Championship Points

Tournament Structure and Match Format of the Apex Legends Global Series: 2026 Championship

The ALGS 2026 Championship is divided into three competitive stages.

Group stage — January 15–16, 2026

All 40 teams are split into four groups (A, B, C, D) of 10 teams.
Across two days, each group plays a round-robin block of matches against every other group.

  • Day 1 → First half of cross-group matches
  • Day 2 → Remaining cross-group matches

After these matches, teams are ranked by match points, determining their seeding for the next phase.

Bracket stage — January 17, 2026

All 40 teams enter a two-tiered bracket system:

  • Upper bracket (20 top-seeded teams from Groups)
  • Lower bracket – Rounds 1 and 2 (20 bottom-seeded teams)

Both brackets use a multi-match series where teams accumulate points based on placement and kills.

At the end of the bracket stage:

  • The 10 best-performing teams in the upper bracket advance to the finals. The 10 lowest-performing teams move to the lower bracket – round 2.
  • The 10 best-performing teams in the lower bracket – round 1 move to lower bracket – round 2. The 10 lowest-performing teams are eliminated.
  •  The 10 best-performing teams in the lower bracket – round 2 advance to the finals. The 10 lowest-performing teams are eliminated

Finals — January 18, 2026

The final day gathers the top 20 teams emerging from the bracket stage. A single match block is played using the classic “Match Point Finals” format. There’s no elimination during finals. The first team to hit 50 points and then secure a first-place finish in upcoming matches will be crowned the winner. The remaining teams will be ranked by total points awarded in the series.

All matches—group stage, bracket stage, and finals—use the standard ALGS scoring system:

  • No best-of series
  • Instead, each round is a full Apex Legends match, and teams earn:
    • Placement points
    • Kill points

These points determine standings across each stage.

The Apex Legends Global Series: 2026 Championship Favorites, Betting Options, and Where to Watch

As always, strong contenders tend to come from top-performing teams across regions — specifically those with high seasonal “Championship Points,” consistent LAN results, or established international pedigree. Teams like Gen.G Esports, Team Falcons, Alliance, and Team Liquid are among those with high rankings and often show strong performances. Past champions and experienced squads — those who have succeeded in previous editions of ALGS Championships or other major Apex tournaments — also automatically become favorites by reputation, composure under pressure, and familiarity with high-stakes LAN environments.

There are licensed esport gambling sites that offer betting markets for events like ALGS Championships. Examples include sites such as GG.Bet, Betway Esports, 22Bet, Thunderpick, and other sportsbooks that list “Apex Legends” under their “eSports” categories. Typical bets you can place include: tournament winner (outright), match winners (head-to-head), map-outcome bets (if maps are predetermined), and sometimes more specific bets like total kills, team to reach finals, etc.

The main official broadcast for ALGS is through the official channel on Twitch — PlayApex. Additionally, the event is streamed through the official YouTube channel for ALGS / Apex Legends eSports (often “PlayApex Esports”). For viewers who can’t watch live (or want to catch up), VODs (recorded matches) are usually made available — either on the official YouTube channel or through community / third-party channels. As noted by some fans:

Pros and Cons of the Apex Legends Global Series: 2026 Championship Favorites

TEAMPROSCONS
Gen.G Esports• Most consistent APAC South roster of Year 5

• Elite macro rotations

• LAN-ready discipline

• Strong synergy

• Slow early-game tempo

• Weak vs hyper-mobility meta

• Lower kill volume vs NA teams

Alliance• Strong strategic structure

• Meta-adaptive

• Top LAN consistency

• Elite IGL leadership

• Finals close-out issues

• Mechanical inconsistency

• Over-cautious mid-game

Team Falcons• High-kill aggressive style

• Strong mechanics

• Momentum-heavy

• LAN-proven aggression

• High-risk playstyle

• Late-circle discipline issues

• Vulnerable in slow macro lobbies

Team Liquid• Big org resources

• Balanced playstyle

• Improving LAN trajectory

• High clutch potential

• New roster chemistry

• Mid-game macro errors

• LAN pressure risk

TSM• Legendary LAN pedigree

• Exceptional finals adaptability

• Great leadership & comms

• Huge experience edge

• Inconsistent recent form

• Over-reliance on clutching

• Slow recovery from bad starts

What’s your prediction for the Match Point Finals?
MILOS VASILJEVIC
He’s the mastermind behind our captivating content, leveraging his extensive journalism experience to craft compelling sports news and insightful betting predictions. His passion for the game and knack for storytelling ensure our readers are always engaged and informed, bringing a unique and expert perspective to every piece he writes.
Publication date : 06.12.2025
Last modified date: 10.12.2025

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