The esports 2026 season is underway, with a growing calendar of events. Whether you’re a fan of Dota, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, or some less mainstream games, chances are you will find plenty of esports action at LAN and online events.
Here are the biggest events esports fans will get to watch and bet on at online sportsbooks throughout 2026.
IEM Cologne
- Game: Counter-Strike 2
- Date: 2 - 21 June
Also known as the Cathedral of Counter-Strike, the IEM Cologne might be “just” one of the annual events, but it is THE Counter-Strike tournament to watch.
Prize pool of $1.25 million, 32 teams, hundreds of hours of world-class Counter-Strike. What makes it so iconic, then? It’s the legacy, Cologne being the central point of the CS competitive scene for decades, and the tradition of organising the highest-level events.
The final part of the tournament is held in Lanxess Arena from 18 to 21 June.
PUBG Nations Cup
- Game: PUBG
- Date: 23 - 28 June
Seoul is hosting the sixth edition of the PUBG Nations Cup, sort of an all-star event in the PUBG Battlegrounds season. 24 nations will be sending their best teams to compete, where the top 8 from the 2025 edition will get an automatic qualification to the final stage, while others have to win their spots.
Beyond expanding the number of participating nations, the competition has also allowed each country to select their own method of choosing the players.
EVO 2026
- Game: Fighting games
- Date: 26 - 28 June
The most important weekend for the fighting game community. EVO gathers thousands of fighting game players and fans for three days of non-stop action in Las Vegas. Among the 12 games played in this tournament, we’ll see Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Invincible VS, and Guilty Gear Strive.
EVO is also an event where game developers announce their new projects and additions to ongoing titles, so all eyes of the FGC are on it.
Esports World Cup 2026
- Game: Various
- Date: 6 July - 23 August
The Esports World Cup (EWC) is entering its third edition this year. Like previous editions, it will be held in Riyadh and span nearly two full months.
Over seven weeks, esports fans will get to watch 25 tournaments in 24 different games. Teams compete for a piece of the $75 million prize pool.
Events for this massive tournament include staples like Dota, Counter-Strike, and Valorant, but also Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite Reload, and even chess.
Overwatch World Cup 2026
- Game: Overwatch 2
- Date: 21 August - 13 September
Blizzard’s own longstanding tournament is coming back after a two-year hiatus, exactly a full decade after its first edition.
The game’s turbulent esports scene is now mostly centred around this event, where national teams compete through conference cups and online qualifiers to secure their spot at the OWC.
Final matches of the Overwatch World Cup are played at BlizzCon, an annual convention dedicated to all things made by Blizzard Entertainment.
The International 2026
- Game: Dota 2
- Date: 13 - 23 August
Dota may have several big events throughout the year, but it’s The International where all things converge. This is the most prestigious event of the season, and traditionally one of the best-organised esports events.
16 teams will compete for the Aegis of Champions and a big cash prize. Some of them get a direct invitation, while others have to prove themselves through qualifiers during the month of June.
Shanghai is chosen for this year’s edition of TI, and Dota fans should expect some big announcements during the finals, alongside top-notch esports betting opportunities.
RLCS 2026 - World Championship
- Game: Rocket League
- Date: 15 - 20 September
Rocket League Championship Series remains the game’s biggest offline event in 2026. With a $1.2 million prize pool and new features, this will be a championship well worth watching.
Besides the classic (and most popular) 3v3 format, the championship is also played in 2v2 and 1v1 formats, so Rocket League players get to compete at different levels based on their skills and style.
VALORANT Champions 2026
- Game: Valorant
- Date: 24 September - 18 October
VALORANT, Riot’s response to Counter-Strike, has a pretty healthy esports scene, culminating in the annual Champions tournament. This year, it will be held in Shanghai, with a $2.25 prize pool and a neat $1 million prize for the winning team.
The tournament itself follows the classic structure - a Bo3 double-elimination round and Bo5 for group finals and the grand final match. Before it, a whole Champions Tour was held, through which teams earned spots for the main event.
From next season, though, the VALORANT Champions Tour will go back to open qualifiers.
2026 Asian Games
- Game: Various
- Date: 23 September - 2 October
Esports will be part of the Asian Games for another year in a row.
The number of titles grew to 11, so athletes attending the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will compete in fighting games, Pokémon Unite, various mobile MOBAs, Gran Turismo 7, PUBG Mobile, eFootball series, and several more underrepresented games.
League of Legends World Championship 2026
- Game: League of Legends
- Date: 16 October - 14 November
While other events may be big within their respective niche, the Worlds transcends the esports world. Big musical numbers, TV broadcasts, and unbelievable production are why the world audience tunes into this event.
It’s the culmination of several big competitions and leagues, where players compete to represent their regions and, hopefully, raise the Summoner’s Cup. The 2026 edition will be held in the United States, with the final match taking place in New York City.
Marvel Rivals Ignite 2026: Grand Finals
- Game: Marvel Rivals
- Date: November
Marvel Rivals has entered its second esports season and, with it, the Marvel Rivals Professional League officially begins.
Only 12 teams can earn a place in the Grand Finals of Marvel Rivals Ignite, having to fight their way through several stages of playoffs, but only after earning their pro cards through Marvel Rivals Championship.
What’s more important for the esports athletes - the prize pool is now set at $3 million! On top of that, teams will enter a partnership program that earns them a piece of revenue from in-game items.
Fortnite Global Championship
- Game: Fortnite
- Date: November
The 2026 Fortnite Championship Series will dish out over $10 million in prize money to players. Culminating with the Fortnite Global Championship, it is the longest-running competitive event for this game.
FNCS 2026 is going back to duos again, so 50 teams will get to participate in the Championship in November. The final event is played over two days, where teams compete in 12 matches and try to score the most points via match placements and eliminations.
PUBG Global Championship 2026
- Game: PUBG
- Date: December
Closing out the year is the final event of the PUBG competitive season, the Global Championship. Since last year, the tournament has been played in the third-person perspective and is part of the big month-long Unite event.
The tournament is divided into three three-day stages, each seeing teams compete over 18 matches and collecting points. From the initial 32 teams, 15 get to compete in the grand finals alongside a host team.
