With the growing interest in video games, esports has surpassed 640 million viewers in 2025. Organizers are always looking for new opportunities to keep the audience engaged. That’s why they come up with new esports tournaments around the world. In 2026, fans will witness their team competing in Esports Nations Cup and League of Legends World Championship. The expanded schedule also promises more online betting options for fans. Check out the major esports events to take place this year.
PGL Bucharest 2026
PGL Bucharest 2026 has a total of 16 teams from different parts of the world competing in the competition. A total of 12 teams will receive direct invites and 4 more will earn their spots through Open and Closed Qualifiers. All participants will be fighting for $1,250,000, with the biggest winnings split between first four teams in the leaderboard. Qualifiers have been decided in February and March, while the final event will take place in April.
PGL Bucharest 2026 has a well-structured qualification system, a transparent invitation policy, and a significant prize pool, creating the competitive play. Teams will fight for a massive payout, while fans will enjoy an amazing spectacle in the PGL Studio at the heart of Europe.
King Pro League Summer 2026
King Pro League Summer 2026 will be the 21st season of King Pro League. Organized by Tencent and TiMi Studios, it has been the main tournament for the video games since 2016. The 12 most successful teams in a high-stakes double-elimination bracket will directly reach the KPL Finals. Other 5 teams will be selected through qualifiers. The league has a franchise format, with 18 teams competing in the final tournament.
The KPL will take place in China. The exact location hasn’t been announced so far. All teams will fight for a massive prize of $2,115,208. The major payouts are promised to the first four teams in the final leaderboard. The KPL ensures premium esports action, attracting massive viewership across Huya, Douyin, and Kuaishou.
Esports World Cup 2026
Esports World Cup 2026 is an international esports tournament covering the most popular video sports. The annual event takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In July, teams will join the 5th season of the Esports World Cup. While not sponsored or organized by Riot Games, it is officially sanctioned by the developers.
Esports World Cup invites 16 teams, including EWC 2025 winners, the LCK, LPL, LEC, LCP, LCS and CBLOL champions, and 9 teams from online qualifiers from different regions. Each game has its own independent structure for qualifying. The championship series for each game form the Esports World Cup. Participating organizations can also take part in the Club Competition across all games to increase their winnings.
The International 2026
The International 2026 is the major Dota 2 tournament, organized by Valve. The annual championship will take place in Shanghai, China. They had to change the location from Europe to Asia. The decision became a quick reaction to the massive approval of video games by the Chinese regulator. Dota 2 fans are excited for a new location, which promises a totally different gaming experience both online and in place. The International 2026 will take place in August. Fans will have one month to watch their favorite teams competing for the most prestigious title and a massive prize pool yet to be announced.
We still have a lot of time until the tournament. That’s why more details will be revealed closer to the date. The group stage will last during the first week of the tournament to identify all the participants. The main event will last between 20 and 30 August.
Valorant Champions 2026
Valorant Champions 2026 is the biggest tournament organized by Riot Games. It will take place in Shanghai, China. Fans will enjoy the competition between popular teams fighting for the title. The tournament involves a group stage that will determine two teams from several groups to move to the playoffs. All matches are based on the best-of-three format. In the final stage, the winners of lowers move to the grand finals to determine the champion.
Valorant Champions 2026 has $2,250,000 in the prize pool. The winner can get $1 million, which is probably the largest esports reward in 2026. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th places can get $400,000, $250,000, and $130,000, respectively. Riot Games hasn’t revealed all the information about the future championship. Fans are still waiting for more information, including the final list of participants.
Fortnite Global Championship
Fortnite Global Championship is based on the Duos competition and two LAN events. In January, all teams were split into divisions based on their results. The winners from each division will qualify for Majors. Each one will have a Play-In Stage, Heat Stage, and Last Chance Qualifier. The Major Finals will consist of 12 matches to determine the FNCS Major Champions. The winning duo per region will share the prize pool and also get the Axe of Champions 3.0.
Fortnite Global Championship has 50 duos from around the world. All of them are competing for the $1 million reward that will be split among all participants. The biggest payouts are usually made to top four scorers.
PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2026
PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2026 is the final event in the competitive season. It will take place by the end of the year. Not much information has been revealed so far. A total of 32 teams will be participating in the final tournament. Considering the previous events, the prize pool will most likely exceed $2 million and will be spread between too scorers on the final leaderboard.
Participants will go through a complex qualification to the Fortnite Global Championship. They will take part in the FNCS Major 1 Summit, Major 2 Finals, and Major 3 Finals, building the competitive way for duos. Fans will watch their favortie teams establishing themselves as the world’s best.
