Announced from the stage at the Paris Major and confirmed on the official RLCS channels, the Rocket League World Championship 2026 will run September 15-20 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas — the same building that hosted Worlds in 2022 and 2024.
Twenty teams. Six days. A $1.2 million prize pool, plus additional money flowing in from in-game content tied to the event, the same model used for the Paris Major bundle. Here's everything we know — and everything still to be decided.
The venue
Dickies Arena has become Rocket League's North American home. Team BDS lifted the trophy both previous times the event was held there, in 2022 and 2024. The French org has since left the esport — but Evan "M0nkey M00n" Rogez, who won both of those titles, is still very much in the picture. He's currently the star of Twisted Minds, the team that finished 2nd in Paris.
How teams qualify
Sixteen of the twenty slots are decided by RLCS Points, distributed across regions based on prior performance. The other four come from the Last Chance Qualifier, which runs July 2-26 and gives one extra spot apiece to EU, MENA, and NA, with the fourth slot going to either APAC or SSA depending on Paris Major results.
The LCQ format is an eight-team GSL play-in bracket, with the top four feeding into a group stage alongside the twelve auto-qualified teams. From the group stage onward, the format mirrors the Paris Major: hybrid elimination playoffs, best-of-seven series, and a Grand Final under the lights on day six.
Confirmed qualified teams (as of late May)
- EU #1 — Gentle Mates
- EU #2 — Team Vitality
- EU #3 — Karmine Corp
- EU #4 — Ninjas in Pyjamas
- EU #5 — Manchester City Esports
- NA #1 — Shopify Rebellion
- NA #2 — NRG (defending World Champions)
- NA #3 — Spacestation Gaming
- SAM #1 — FURIA
- SAM #2 — MIBR
- MENA #1 — Twisted Minds
- APAC #1 — TSM
- APAC #2 — Five Fears
That leaves NA #4, MENA #2, OCE #1, and the final LCQ slot still to be sorted.
The favorites
European Rocket League is in one of its strongest stretches ever, and the top three on the EU board are all live contenders:
Karmine Corp
Coming off the Paris win, peaking at exactly the right moment, and finally looking like the version of this roster that the talent suggested they could be. Atow, Vatira, juicy. The only thing missing is the Worlds trophy itself.
Gentle Mates
Won Boston Major 1 in February, came in as the EU #1 seed in Paris, and have been the steadiest team in Europe all season. If KC is the high-mech ceiling, Gentle Mates is the high-consistency floor.
Team Vitality
Lost the Boston Major final 4-2 to Gentle Mates, then took Karmine Corp the distance in the Paris semifinal. They're due. The third leg of the French triumvirate is genuinely a coin flip away from a Major title.
NRG
The reigning World Champions from Lyon 2025 (Atomic, BeastMode, Daniel) are still North America's top seed. A 4-1 finals win over Team Falcons last year wasn't a fluke, and they've stayed in the top two of NA all season.
Twisted Minds
Wrote a lower-bracket story in Paris that very nearly ended in a trophy. With M0nkey M00n back in the building where he's never lost a Worlds, they may be the most dangerous non-EU team in the field.
What we're watching
- Can Karmine Corp finally close at Worlds? They've never won it.
- Does NA hold serve at home? NRG defending is one storyline, but Shopify Rebellion (Lj, kofyr, Firstkiller) is one mechanical step from a deep run.
- Is M0nkey M00n's Fort Worth magic real, or coincidence? Two-for-two in this building. We'll find out.
- Does an underdog region break through? SAM has FURIA and MIBR, APAC has TSM. The bracket gets cruel after the group stage — anyone surviving day three is a problem for everyone else.
September is going to be loud. We'll have on-the-ground coverage, daily recaps, and probably one or two takes that age badly. See you in Fort Worth.