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Apex Legends Global Series: 2026 Championship - All the info
The international Apex Legends scene heads to Sapporo, Japan, for the Apex Legends Global Series 2026 Championship. Here’s everything to know and expect.
The Apex Legends Global Series: Championship (ALGS for short) is the annual pinnacle of the Battle Royale hit's competitive scene. Comparable to the League of Legends World Championship. ALGS 2026 is already the fifth edition of the mega event. A player from Austria is also taking part: Andre 'unlucky' Türk is competing for Alliance. Everything you need to know and who you should keep an eye on can be found here.
01
ALGS 2026: The ultimate showdown event in competitive Apex Legends
The Apex Legends Global Series: 2026 Championship is the most prestigious and highest-paying esports tournament on the Apex Legends scene in 2026. As the grand finale of the official Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS), this event brings together the best professional teams from around the world to compete for glory, titles and huge prize money. Unlike regular online tournaments, the championship takes place as an offline LAN event. A highlight in the international esports calendar that can be followed both live on site and via several streams worldwide.
The Apex Legends Global Series Championship is the grand finale of the ALGS season. The ALGS itself is the official tournament system for Apex Legends organised by Electronic Arts (EA) and Respawn Entertainment, which evaluates teams throughout the year via regional leagues, Pro League split events and qualifying competitions.
It culminates in the Championship, which brings together 40 of the season's best teams in an intense LAN competition to determine the global champion. Unlike in the early years, when regional online finals were held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ALGS Championship is now a classic offline event with a huge production, audience and international competition.
ImperialHal starts for Team Falcons
© Chansey Augstine / Red Bull Content Pool
Incidentally,Phillip 'ImperialHal' Dosen is one of the most frequent participants, having taken part in the ALGS five times. The US American will be competing for Team Falcons at the ALGS 2026.
02
Where and when will the ALGS 2026 take place?
The ALGS 2026 Championship will take place from 15 to 18 January 2026. A four-day spectacle full of high-calibre matches, exciting duels and professional esports action. The venue is the Daiwa House PREMIST DOME in Sapporo, Japan. This city was already the venue for the ALGS finals in 2025 and provided the perfect setting for the global Apex tournament. This year, the international Apex scene is back in Japan.
Sapporo was deliberately chosen because it is an international location in the Asia-Pacific region that is easily accessible for fans from different regions. In addition, the modern venue allows for a professional production on site. Including a stage, grandstands, TV broadcasts and fan activities.
03
Prize money and rewards at the ALGS 2026
One of the biggest incentives at the ALGS Championship is, of course, the prize money. A total of 2 million US dollars will be awarded to the teams that qualify and take part in the event. The prize money is distributed according to the ranking and divided among the players of a team. The exact scale is as follows:
placement
Prize money
1. Place
600.000 US dollars
2. Place
300.00 US dollars
3. Place
200.000 US dollars
4. to 8. Place
Between 160,000 and 60,000 US dollars
9. bis 30. Place
Between 50.000 and 6.000 US dollars
31. to 40. Place
Participation bonus
This distribution makes the ALGS Championship the most lucrative competition in professional Apex Legends esports, while incentivising each participating team to fight for every point.
04
The tournament format of the ALGS Championship 2026
The ALGS 2026 Championship consists of several consecutive phases of competition in which the participating teams progressively advance or are eliminated.
Group stage (15 - 16 January)
At the start, the 40 qualified teams will be divided into four groups of ten teams. Within a round-robin format, each group will compete in a series of matches against other groups. Each team plays a total of three match series, with one match series consisting of six games. The results are used to rank the teams for the next stage.
Bracket Stage (17 January)
Based on the results of the Group Stage, teams will compete in a bracket format, where they will be divided into Winners and Losers brackets. The top 20 teams from the group stage will start in the Winners Bracket and fight for a direct place in the final. The bottom 20 go into the Losers' Bracket, where they have to give their all in an elimination round to stay in the tournament.
Match Point Finals (18 January)
On the final day, the remaining 20 teams will compete in the so-called Match Point format. The first team to reach 50 points and then win a match secures the championship title. This format combines a points and ranking system and makes for an exciting and dynamic conclusion to the tournament.
05
Participants: The best teams worldwide
The ALGS Championship brings together 40 teams from different global regions, including:
- AMERICAS (North and South America)
- EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa)
- APAC North (Asia-Pacific North)
- APAC South (Asia-Pacific South)
These teams qualify via regular leagues, Pro League splits and regional qualifying routes to secure a place at the Grand Final in Japan. Some of the well-known organisations that regularly participate in ALGS Championships include Alliance, Boogie Boarders, Citadel Gaming, Crazy Thieves, GaiminGladiators, Legacy, Rex Regum Qeon, Sentinels, team mango and Wolves Esports - teams with strong roster lineups that stand out through consistent performances in the regional leagues. An overview of all the teams can be found on the ALGS website.
06
An Austrian is taking part: unlucky starts for Alliance
A player from Austria is also taking part. André 'unlucky' Türk from Gratkorn, who is just 20 years old, will be competing for Alliance. This will be the young Austrian's fourth ALGS. He has been active in the Apex Legends scene since 2021.
Facts about unlucky
unlucky has been playing video games since he was four years old. At the age of 10, his declared goal was to become an esports pro. The opportunity for a professional contract arose for André Türk after he started an apprenticeship as a metal technician.
André 'unlucky' Türk starts for Alliance
© Electronic Arts
Although his parents were not overly enthusiastic about the switch to esports, Türk was able to assert himself and continue to pursue his goal. At the age of 16, he started in the competitive scene for Team NCD, where he was able to win the ALGS: Preseason Qualifier #4 - EMEA with the squad.
A short time later, he joined YungMoneyGuild, followed shortly afterwards by Mutariuum. After a short stint with BOSH, unlucky made a name for himself in 2022 with the victory of his team Vexed Gaming in the ALGS: 2022 Split 1 Pro League - EMEA. The following year, the team took second place in the same event.
However, André Türk's real breakthrough came with his move to Alliance. Here, unlucky quickly developed into one of the best support players in the world. At the first edition of the Esports World Cup in 2024, unlucky's team even managed to win and take home 600,000 US dollars in prize money.
At the ALGS Championship 2025, unlucky and the Alliance team ended up in second place. This year, the organisation led by the Austrian support player is hoping to finish the event at the top of the podium.
07
History of the ALGS Championships
Since its introduction, the ALGS Championship has become an integral part of the esports scene. In the first two years after the pandemic (2022 and 2023), the final was still partly held online or as a regional event. However, with the growing success and importance of the competition, EA and Respawn established a regular LAN tradition with high production value.
Year
Location
Prize Pool
Sieger
ALGS 2022 Championship
Raleigh (USA)
2 Million US dollars
DarkZero Esports
ALGS 2023 Championship
Birmingham (United Kingdom)
2 Million US dollars
TSM
ALGS 2025 Championship
Sapporo (Japan)
2 Million US dollars
GoNext Esports
ALGS 2026 Championship
Sapporo (Japan)
2 Million US dollars
TBD
This continuous development shows how much Apex Legends has established itself as a competitive game and how important the ALGS Championship has become for professionals and fans alike.
08
How you can follow the ALGS 2026 Championship
Even if you can't be there in person in Sapporo, there are many ways to watch the ALGS Championship live. Official livestreams will be available in multiple languages on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube, including maincast commentary, individual team POV streams and in-depth analysis. In addition, many content creators and esports channels broadcast the games with their own commentary and insights, creating an exciting and interactive viewing experience for fans worldwide.
