The first quarter of 2026 has come to an end. Just like January and February, the month of March was packed full of high-stakes esports tournaments taking place across the globe, new brands joining forces with powerhouse organisations, and more blockbuster business moves.
Alongside the world’s best teams battling it out in front of sold-out arenas, the anticipation for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup continues to build, with over 100 national partners confirmed to build rosters ready to compete for national pride.
With March delivering so many memorable moments and major industry updates, keeping up with everything that happens in the world of esports can prove tricky. Thankfully, our monthly newsletter contains all of the biggest stories keeping you up to date on all the latest developments in March.
Industry News
Credit: ESL FACEIT Group
Savvy Games Group Acquires MOONTON Games
Savvy Games Group continues to cement its place as one of the world’s largest companies operating within the gaming and esports industries, with the acquisition of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang developer MOONTON Games. Founded in 2014, the studio behind the mobile MOBA title has established a thriving competitive circuit, recording huge viewing figures in Southeast Asia.
Esports Nations Cup Names 100 National Partners
After unveiling the majority of games appearing at the inaugural Esports Nations Cup in February, the ENC organisers have revealed over 100 National Partners that will help build teams for the event. With each nation having a unique ecosystem the selection of National Partners will allow for a central representative to manage areas such as roster assembly and logistics for their nation.
LoL Worlds And MSI Locations And Formats Revealed
Although this year’s League of Legends season is still in its early stages, Riot Games has tweaked the format for this year’s editions of the World Championship and the Mid-Season Invitational. For MSI, which is set to take place in Daejeon, South Korea for the first time, the Play Ins will now see four teams competing in a double-elimination bracket. For Worlds, CBLOL receives an extra slot, giving Brazilian teams even more opportunities to qualify for the main event. The bulk of Worlds will take place at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center (CUTX) in Allen, Texas, but the Play-In stage has been shifted to the Riot Arena in L.A. while the final will head to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Counter-Strike Changes Core Mechanic After Decades
Valve are no strangers to making small adjustments to Counter-Strike 2 in order to inject a breath of fresh air onto the battlefield. The March 19th update for the iconic first-person shooter overhauled reload mechanics, sparking change in the meta. Now, reloads are more realistic. When players replenish their ammunition, any remaining bullets in the magazine are discarded, adding a further layer of strategy to the action.
ExpressVPN Signs Esports Deal
ExpressVPN has expanded into the world of esports, securing major deals with the LEC, VALORANT Champions Tour, G2 Esports, and World of Warcraft guild Method. The collaboration includes broadcast activations across tournaments and exclusive in-game rewards for players to get their hands on.
ESL Commits To Mammoth $11.45 million CS2 Prize Pool In 2027
ESL has announced its plans for Counter-Strike competition in 2027, confirming a prize pool of $11.45 million across the year. That prize pool will be split across seven top events, with the first being the return of IEM Krakow next February. The company also announced that every event will end with a final in front of a live audience and not in a studio, giving fans more of a chance to see top tier CS action in person.
Esports Awards Appoints Morgan Tremaine
Ahead of the Esports Awards, MEGA (that’s us!) has promoted Morgan Tremaine to Executive Producer. Morgan has worked as a show producer on many of the previous Esports Awards, and has been so good that we couldn’t resist the opportunity to make him an even bigger part of what we do. Please join us in congratulating Morgan on his new role.
Tournament Results
Credit: Riot Games/Bruno Alvares
BLG Lifts LoL First Stand 2026 Trophy
Despite a defiant display from G2 Esports, the Chinese side of Bilibili Gaming (BLG) managed to secure the first international League of Legends trophy in its history at the First Stand tournament. The European powerhouse G2 opened the best-of-five final with a strong showing from Rasmus “Caps” Borregaard Winther, before BLG bounced back, taking three wins in a row to claim a 3-1 victory and break European hearts.
Nongshim Redforce Wins VALORANT Masters Santiago
Heading into the first international VALORANT tournament as the top seed from VCT Pacific, Nongshim Redforce managed to translate its regional form into a dominant performance against the rest of the world. Victories over Gentle Mates, G2 Esports, and defending VCT Champions NRG secured Nongshim a place in the Grand Final alongside local rivals Paper Rex. But when the final day rolled around, Nongshim Redforce was no match for Paper Rex, sweeping them aside 3-0 to secure the victory in the Chilean capital.
NAVI Returns To Winning Ways In CS2 But Vitality Still At The Top
NAVI is no stranger to success in the world of Counter-Strike 2, having won the Copenhagen Major in 2024 and now in 2026, a revitalised roster has claimed victory at ESL Pro League Season 23. With the notable absence of Team Vitality, NAVI bested Aurora Gaming 3-1 in the Grand Final, to claim its first trophy of the season. However, just weeks later Vitality were back in action at the BLAST Open Spring and beat NAVI 3-0 in the final to claim yet another trophy.
Sahara Conquers Capcom Cup 12
Good 8 Squad’s Sahara continued his strong performance during the Street Fighter 6 season after successfully navigating his way through a stacked Capcom Cup 12 bracket. Two victories in Group D saw the Japanese superstar advance to the playoffs, defeating talent from Europe and the Americas to book his place in the Grand Final against Kilyan ‘Kilzyou’ Faucheux. Kilzyou took the opener in the best-of-nine final, before five straight wins for Sahara’s Ed sealed a convincing 5-1 win, along with a huge $1 million prize.
Tundra Wins Second Major Dota 2 Trophy Of 2026 At ESL One Birmingham
Tundra Esports locked in its second tier one tournament win of 2026 in front of a capacity crowd at ESL One Birmingham 2026. After a strong Group A showing, the DreamLeague Season 28 winners cruised through the bracket, eventually taking down Team Yandex 3-1 in the grand final. The win was celebrated wildly by the crowd in attendance, with British player Matthew “Ari” Walker getting the rare chance to lift a trophy in front of a home audience.
FaZe Vegas Knocks Down The Green Wall At CDL Major II
ESL One wasn’t the only esports action taking place in Birmingham. On the other side of the National Exhibition Centre, the Call of Duty League’s second Major of the Black Ops 7 season saw the world’s best players in action in front of a capacity crowd. After eliminating Toronto KOI and hometown hero Jamie ‘Insight’ Craven, FaZe Vegas stunned defending CDL champs OpTic Texas 4-1 in a one-sided Grand Final.
And Finally…
Team Redline Rebrands To Verstappen Sim Racing
Team Redline is one of the longest-standing esports teams, competing across various virtual motorsport disciplines over the years, but it now has a new look. Having joined forces with four-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen a few years back, the team has now undergone a rebrand to Verstappen Sim Racing to align with his real-world racing efforts. While Verstappen himself may not be having a great time in the current F1 season, his sim racing project is only growing and looks to have a bright future.
