The first Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) Major of 2026 heads to Boston, Massachusetts, US, as 16 squads fight for a lion’s share of its $354,000 (~£250,570) prize pool.
The top teams from regional rankings, earned through the various Boston major Opens, qualified for the event from February 19th to 22nd. Moreover, Karmine Corp guaranteed a place at the LAN event following its RLCS Kick-Off Weekend victory.
Gentle Mates, Team Vitality, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Geekay Esports are representing Europe. North America’s teams include NRG, Shopify Rebellion, [REDACTED], and Spacestation Gaming. South America sends FURIA and MIBR, while Team Falcons and Twisted Minds will represent MENA.
Other top-ranked regional teams will also play, including PWR from Oceania, Project Delacruz from Asia-Pacific, and Five Fears from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
Teams will compete across two stages in the RLCS Boston Major. The Group Stage will divide the competition into four groups of four, playing in a single round robin where all matches are best-of-five. After each team plays three matches, the top two teams of each group move to the Playoffs, while the rest are eliminated.
The Playoffs will move to an AFL Final Eight system, where the top four teams from the Group Stage earn a second chance if the organisation loses early. Matches will be best-of-seven, with the winner of the Grand Finals receiving $102,000 (~£74,000) in winnings and 30 RLCS Circuit ranking points.
Top Teams to Look Out For
NRG is one of the frontrunners of the competition as the winners of the RLCS 2025 World Championships. In 2026, the team has shown no signs of slowing down, winning the second and third North American Boston Major Opens.
RLCS Kick-Off Weekend champion Karmine Corp is another team that is favoured to win following its impressive start to the season. On top of the LAN victory, the team won the first two Europe Opens for the Boston Major, defeating Ninjas in Pyjamas and Geekay Esports, respectively, in the Grand Finals.
Another strong side is Team Falcons, which won the RLCS 2025 Raleigh Major and finished runner-up in the 2025 World Championship. The team qualified after winning the third Boston Major MENA Open, but only time will tell whether the organisation can go all the way this year to become a champion.
The tournament could also give way to underdogs, with lesser-known teams potentially stealing the spotlight. Five Fears entered the Rocket League esports scene last November after signing the no name team roster, and has since won two out of the three SSA Opens.
