Esports events calendar 2026: Every major esports tournament

Every month, the world’s best esports players compete across studios, arenas, and stadiums, attempting to qualify for major international tournaments and be crowned champions. However, due to the size of the ecosystem, it can be quite difficult to keep track of important esports events.

To help you out, Esports Insider has created the 2026 esports calendar, providing a month-by-month list of the major tournaments happening throughout the year.

Editor’s Note: This list primarily reflects S-tier and A-tier events with international relevance and will be updated periodically as more events and dates are announced. First published by Tom Daniels on Jan. 16. Updated by Chadley Kemp on Aug. 3.

The 2026 esports calendar began with several major tournaments, including Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s M7 World Championship and the ALGS Championship for Apex Legends.

January also marked the beginning of Riot Games’ tier-one regional seasons for League of Legends and VALORANT, alongside major Counter-Strike 2, Call of Duty, Honor of Kings, and FGC competitions.

February was headlined by the Six Invitational in Paris, where the world’s top Rainbow Six Siege teams competed for one of the most prestigious trophies in the game.

The month also featured major international events for Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, Rocket League, and VALORANT, as well as the PUBG Mobile Peacekeeper Elite League.

March saw the UK and Japan take centre stage, with both countries holding notable esports events for multiple titles. Starting with Japan, the country hosted three FGC events across Street Fighter 6 and Virtua Fighter 5.

Meanwhile, Dota 2’s ESL One tournament series headed to Birmingham, alongside the Call of Duty League 2026: Stage 2 Major. Other notable events in March included League of Legends’ first international event, First Stand.

April saw the return of League of Legends’ leading regional competitions after First Stand, as well as the first stages of the VCT 2026: Stage 1 regular season.

The month also featured the start of the Free Fire World Series Southeast Asia season, as well as major events for Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Fortnite, and Age of Empires II.

May delivered one of the year’s busiest collections of international LAN tournaments.

The month included majors for Rainbow Six Siege and Rocket League, multiple high-profile Counter-Strike 2 competitions, EVO Japan, the Brawl Cup, and Fortnite’s first international LAN of the year, the FNCS Major 1 Summit.

June was headlined by the IEM Cologne Major, VALORANT Masters London, and League of Legends’ Mid-Season Invitational – all highly prestigious events on the esports calendar.

Not to be outdone, the month also featured the PUBG Nations Cup, PUBG Mobile Global Open, and the final Call of Duty League Major before the CDL Championship. Moreover, EVO’s biggest FGC event also hosted multiple staple fighting games, including Street Fighter 6, Guilty Gear -Strive-, and Tekken 8.

July marked the beginning of the Esports World Cup 2026, which relocated from Riyadh to Paris. The competition runs across seven weeks at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, featuring 25 tournaments across 24 games.

The opening weeks included competitions for Apex Legends, Dota 2, VALORANT, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Free Fire, and FATAL FURY. In the United States, a Call of Duty world champion was also crowned via the Call of Duty League Championship 2026.

The Esports World Cup continues throughout August, with tournaments for Honor of Kings, Tekken 8, Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, PUBG Mobile, Rocket League, Chess, Counter-Strike 2, CrossFire, Fortnite, and Trackmania.

Additionally, Dota 2 will crown its world champion at The International in Shanghai.

September features several world championship events, with new champions set to be crowned in VALORANT, Rocket League, and Fortnite. Additionally, BlizzCon will also host the Overwatch World Cup Finals in Anaheim, while the LEC season concludes with a three-day finals event in Nice.

October will be headlined by the League of Legends World Championship, which begins in Los Angeles before moving to Allen, Texas, and concluding at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The month also includes the LCS Championship, the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs, and the PGS 2026 Circuit 4 Series Final.

Whilst not as popular in the Western World, the record-breaking King Pro League Grand Finals for Honor of Kings will also occur in October.

November brings another major multi-game competition: the inaugural Esports Nations Cup.

Unlike the club-based Esports World Cup, the Nations Cup features national teams across 16 games. The confirmed lineup includes Apex Legends, Chess, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, EA Sports FC, FATAL FURY, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League, Street Fighter 6, Trackmania, and VALORANT.

The month also includes world finals for Brawl Stars, Free Fire, Marvel Rivals, and PUBG Mobile, alongside the second Rainbow Six Siege Major of the season.

The 2026 esports calendar concludes with major world-level competitions.

The PUBG Global Championship will take place in Istanbul, while the Overwatch Champions Series will hold its World Finals in early December. The PGL Major Singapore, which begins in November, will also conclude during the month.