The Rocket League Championship Series, or RLCS, is the official pro circuit run by Psyonix and Epic Games. The best teams from several regions play for points and prize money, and one team becomes world champion. This guide explains how the 2026 season worked, who won, what comes next and how to watch. Facts come from official Rocket League posts and tournament coverage, checked on October 10, 2026.
Key takeaways
- The 2026 World Championship ran September 15 to 20 in Fort Worth, Texas, with a $1.2 million prize pool and 20 teams.
- Team Falcons won it by beating Spacestation Gaming 4-0 in the grand final.
- Next is the new RLCS Club Championship. Its Kickoff is December 9 to 13, 2026 at Copper Box Arena in London, with $2.5 million in prizes.
- Broadcasts are free on Twitch, YouTube and TikTok.
How a season works
The 2026 season started in November 2025 and followed the same structure as the year before. Regions are North America, Europe, South America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, Oceania and Sub-Saharan Africa. Rosters must be mostly made of players who live in or hold citizenship of the region. A normal three-player roster needs at least two eligible players.
- Opens: online qualifiers in each region. There are three per split and six in total.
- Kick-Off Weekend: an early live event in Copenhagen, December 5 to 7, 2025, for top North American and European teams. The winner gained a direct path to Major 1 and an extra Worlds slot for its region.
- Majors: big live events. Major 2 was held at La Défense Arena in Paris on May 20 to 24, 2026, and Karmine Corp won it in front of a home crowd.
- Last Chance Qualifiers: extra spots for the final event. Per the season post, the top 16 teams by RLCS Points after the Majors qualify automatically and four more come from these qualifiers.
- World Championship: the big finale, held for six days this year.
The season also has 1v1 and 2v2 events. Regional winners from North America, Europe, South America and MENA qualify for the 1v1 and 2v2 World Championships. The official post does not explain how RLCS Points are calculated.
The 2026 World Championship in detail
| Day (September 2026) | What happened |
|---|---|
| 15 | Play-In |
| 16 | Group Stage and 1v1 semifinal |
| 17 | Group Stage and 2v2 semifinal |
| 18 | Playoffs Round 1 and 1v1 grand final |
| 19 | Playoffs Round 2 and 2v2 grand final |
| 20 | Championship Sunday |
Twenty teams took part, including Team Vitality, Karmine Corp, Spacestation Gaming, NRG, FURIA, Twisted Minds and Team Falcons. Falcons came through the lower bracket and beat Karmine Corp 4-2 in the semifinal before sweeping Spacestation Gaming in the final. Reports say it was the first world title for a Middle East and Africa team. Kiileerrz was named tournament MVP. Samy "dralii" Hajji became a two-time world champion, having also won in 2024. Our source says the article was still being updated, so check the official results for the full bracket.
The new Club Championship
This is a separate competition from the Majors. Psyonix invites 20 clubs directly, and four more spots come from an Open Online Qualifier starting in November. After London, the 24 teams play regional online leagues, and 16 of them go to a Club Finale LAN in 2027. Ticket details and sign-up rules were still to be announced when we checked.
| Event | When | Where |
|---|---|---|
| World Championship 2026 | September 15 to 20 | Dickies Arena, Fort Worth |
| Club Championship Kickoff | December 9 to 13 (live audience December 11 to 13) | Copper Box Arena, London |
| Club Finale | 2027, date not announced | Not announced |
Where to watch
The Worlds broadcast ran on the Rocket League channels on Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. Alternate-language streams were offered in French, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Swedish. Expect a similar setup for London, but the schedule was not published yet. Our tournaments page lists upcoming events and the live page shows who is playing now.
Esports words you will hear
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Open | An online qualifier that teams enter from their home region |
| Major | A large live event with a crowd, played in an arena |
| LCQ | Last Chance Qualifier, the final way into Worlds |
| Lower bracket | The path for teams that already lost once in a double-elimination event |
| Play-In | A first round that decides who joins the main group stage |
| Club | The new Club Championship format, where organizations enter a team under their club name |
How to follow the scene without spending hours
You do not need to watch every series. Watch the grand finals of each Major and Worlds, then read a short recap of the rest. During a live event, the Sunday broadcasts carry the most important games. Many streamers also co-stream, which means they watch the same match and talk about it in their own language. That is a good way to learn what is happening if you are new. Remember that streams carry chat. If you are young, ask an adult before joining chats with strangers.
Learning from the pros
- Rotation: one player attacks, one supports and one stays back. Pros swap these roles every few seconds.
- Boost control: pros collect small pads on the way instead of chasing the big ones every time.
- Patience: the best teams do not challenge every ball. They wait for a mistake.
Next steps
Want to play like them? Start with our beginner guide and learn how ranks work in the ranks guide. The Rocket League hub has live streams.
