2026 is already a month old, and in true esports fashion it has been quite the start to the year. We’ve already had multiple world championships, some big upsets, longstanding records broken, new game releases and major business moves in just the opening weeks of 2026, signaling that it is likely to be one of the biggest years for esports in a long time.
As the new year gets underway the Esports World Cup has started to break from cover with some major announcements, including the first details on the Esports Nations Cup, which could finally crack the national esports code that has remained elusive for so long. With two events set for Riyadh and the usual long list of other major tournaments 2026 is already busier than ever.
With such a packed year ahead it will be harder than ever to keep up to date with everything that happens in the world of esports, so be sure to read our monthly newsletter right here on Linkedin to get all the biggest stories of the month and make sure you have all the info you need when it comes time to vote in the 2026 Esports Awards.
Industry News
Credit: Moonton
MLBB M7 Championship Is The Fourth Biggest Esport Event Ever
The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M7 World Championship broke records this month, becoming the most watched mobile esports tournament ever and the fourth most watched event of any esport, according to data from Esports Charts. The tournament peaked with 5,680,511 viewers during the final, beating out the 2021 Free Fire World Series for the top spot in the mobile esport rankings.
Esports World Cup Returns With $75 Million Prize Pool
Once again, the Esports World Cup has announced a record breaking prize pool, with the 2026 event offering up $75 million for teams and players. That’s a $5 million bump from last year, making it the biggest prize pool in esports history. The EWCF also announced that Trackmania is being added to the games list for 2026, along with Fortnite which is returning after skipping the 2025 event.
ENC Breaks Cover With First Game Announcements
Along with the EWC news, the EWCF has also revealed the first details on the Esports Nations Cup, which is due to take place this November in Riyadh. The competition will see national teams compete against each other during the four week competition that will feature 16 titles. Three of those titles have been announced, with Trackmania, Dota 2 and Mobile Legends Bang Bang kicking off the lineup. More information on other games and formats will be announced in the coming weeks.
2XKO Officially Launches
Riot’s fighting game 2XKO officially launched this month, after a brief spell in early access. The initial reception has been mostly positive, with the game sitting on a 79 Metacritic score. Riot has also announced initial competitive plans for the title, with five major events, three of which are the planned EVO events, and 15 challenger tournaments confirmed for the rest of the year. The events will be run by the community, in true FGC spirit, but Riot will be contributing to prize pools for all events.
CoD Warzone Resurgence Gets $1.2 Million Circuit
After a couple of years of solid growth, largely down to the Esports World Cup including the mode, the pro Call of Duty Warzone Resurgence scene is getting its own circuit. Resurgence is the battle royale game mode that allows respawns and is typically much quicker than the traditional battle royale mode, and now it has its own official pro scene. The circuit will feature three LAN events, one at DreamHack Birmingham, one at DreamHack Atlanta and then the culmination at the Esports World Cup, with all three events featuring online qualifiers. In total $1.2 million is up for grabs, bringing some much needed stability to the Warzone scene throughout the year.
CS2 Major Heads To Argentina In 2027
The first Counter-Strike 2 Major of 2027 has been revealed, with the event heading to Buenos Aires in Argentina for the first time. FiReSPORTS, a local tournament organiser, has announced the event, with the top CS2 teams in the world set to compete for the biggest prize the game has to offer. This will be the first time South America has hosted a major since the IEM Rio Major in 2022, giving fans in the region the chance to see the best CS has to offer once again. The other major event in 2027 is expected to be held in Shanghai, China, according to a report from HLTV.
Luminosity Founder Buys Back Org
Steve Maida the original founder of Luminosity, has reacquired the organisation from Vertiqal Studios, who only purchased the brand in August of 2025. The deal sees Maida take back control of the organisation that he founded years ago and saw win multiple top titles, including a CS:GO Major. Over the past few years Luminosity has had a difficult time, with multiple debts racking up, the sale allowed current players and creators to be paid, but many historical debts are still outstanding according to reports. Hopefully with the original owner at the helm, Luminosity can climb back to the top of the industry once again.
Prodigy Agency Merges With SEG
Prodigy Agency, winner of the Esports Supporting Service of the Year award at the 2025 Esports Awards has merged with international talent agency Sports Entertainment Group. The agency, which has stars such as Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut on its books, will now operate as part of SEG, but will continue to be run by original founders Jérôme Coupez and Manon Lagarrigue. The two agencies’ esports rosters will now be merged together under one entity.
Credit: BLAST
Competitive Results
Aurora Gaming PH Wins MLBB World Championship
Aurora Gaming PH took down Alter Ego 4-0 in the MLBB M7 World Championship final to become world champions in front of the record breaking audience. The win sees them take home $320,000 and the biggest trophy available in MLBB. While the final was pretty one sided, the competition as a whole offered up some of the best MLBB action of the year, which was also shown in the impressive viewership numbers throughout.
PARIVISION Take Shock Win At BLAST Bounty CS2 Event
The first tier one LAN event of 2026 in the world of Counter-Strike gave us an unexpected winner in the form of PARIVISION, who entered the tournament as the 14th ranked VRS team. They took down Team Falcons 3-0 in the grand final, which rocketed them to 4th in the VRS rankings. With the very top teams, mostly Team Vitality, having a stranglehold on top tier LANs over the past 12 months, an unexpected winner is certainly a positive for the scene.
Orgless Team Oblivion Win ALGS Year 5 Championship
Another somewhat surprising result to kick off the year was Oblivion, a team without an organisation backing them, winning the ALGS Year 5 Championship in Sapporo, Japan. The team, which is made up of Apex veterans Miguel “Blinkzr” Quiles, Bowen “Monsoon” Fuller, and Brandon “FunFPS” Groombridge, won the tournament through the match point format, pipping multiple other teams to the win by taking a thrilling match win to become world champions. Once again the ALGS finals delivered an incredible event, with the annual championship now routinely being one of the best battle royale events of the year.
And Finally…
Dota 2 World Champion Admiral Bulldog Puts TI Ring Up For Sale
Former Dota 2 world champion and popular streamer Henrik “AdmiralBulldog” Ahnberg is selling his championship ring from The International 3 on Ebay. Initially Bulldog listed the ring with a $70,000 starting price, but after failing to sell that has since been reduced to $40,000. In a post confirming the listing was real Bulldog said “I believe its monetary value exceeds the sentimental value.” If you want to own a truly unique piece of esports history then this is your chance, although you’ll have to have some deep pockets if you do want to add it to your collection.
