2024 was the year Rocket League esports tried something genuinely new. After a longer-than-usual 2023 offseason, BLAST took over from Psyonix as the tournament organizer for RLCS in January, ushering in a redesigned open qualifier format, a smaller Worlds field, and a calendar that fit into a single calendar year for the first time since the League Play days.
Here's how it played out.
Major 1: Copenhagen, March 28-31
Gentle Mates Alpine kicked the year off with a 4-2 Grand Final win over G2 Stride in Denmark. It was the first international trophy under the new BLAST-run format, and a statement piece for a roster that had spent much of the previous season as "almost-there" in EU.
The Mates win also began a pattern that would repeat in 2025 and 2026: France and its surrounding region absolutely refusing to share the spoils.
Major 2: London, June 20-23
G2 Stride answered three months later, this time on the other side of the bracket. They beat Team Falcons 4-1 in the Grand Final to claim the London title — and to underscore how dangerous they were heading into Worlds.
Team Falcons taking second was its own story. MENA had now reached two consecutive international finals without quite breaking through. That was a very loud knock on the door.
The World Championship: Fort Worth, September 10-15
And then, finally, Team BDS. The French organization went into Worlds as a contender but not the consensus favorite, and walked out as back-to-back World Champions at the same venue — Dickies Arena had now hosted two BDS title runs in a row (2022 and 2024). They beat G2 Stride 4-2 in the Grand Final.
BDS's win cemented a few things at once:
- Europe is still the center of the Rocket League universe — all four 2024 international finalists were either European or had a European core.
- The new open-qualifier system can produce real champions — not just one-off hot streaks.
- Evan "M0nkey M00n" Rogez is one of the great Worlds players, period — back-to-back titles at the same arena is genuine LAN immortality.
The biggest stories you might have missed
Karmine Corp's frustrating year
On paper, KC's roster was as talented as anyone's all season. In reality, 2024 ended with a 3rd-4th finish at Worlds after G2 Stride sent them home. For a team this strong on individual talent, the question heading into 2025 isn't "can they win a Major?" — it's "can they close in a Grand Final?"
Team Falcons knocking
Saudi Arabia's pride showed up at every international event in 2024. They have yet to win one, but no other non-EU/NA region has put together this kind of consistency at the top end. They're a finalist away from breaking the dam.
NA's slow rebuild
North America had a quiet year. No NA team made an international final in 2024. That's the longest such streak the region has ever had. The next 12 months will test whether 2024 was an anomaly or the new normal.
Looking ahead
The 2025 season has already been announced — a $5M prize pool, 20-team Worlds, and the introduction of 1v1 as a parallel circuit. We dug into all of it in our RLCS 2025 preview earlier this month.
Birmingham hosts Major 1 in March. Until then, take the holidays off, watch some replays, and we'll see you back in the scrim queue in January.