With the conclusion of the 2025 World Finals (congrats, Crazy Raccoon!), it’s time to take a peek at 2026!

You can expect a familiar roadmap, updated formats, and several quality-of-life improvements. 

2026 CALENDAR

Two splits, three LANs, one great year!

• Spring Split: Kicks off January 30 with the in-game Championship Challenge.

• February Monthly Finals Schedule: 

  • East Asia - February 14

  • EMEA - February 15

  • South America - February 22

  • North America - February 23

• Global Events: Brawl Cup is here to stay as a tentpole, mid-year event, with Last Chance Qualifier and World Finals closing out the year. We’ll also be touring three new countries this year (more details coming in late January)!

PATH TO WORLD FINALS

You can expect a familiar journey next year. If you’re new, check out our 25' guide to get started.

This year has taught us a lot, and we’re gearing up for a few major changes: 

Improving Strategy: 

• We saw an impressive comp diversity at World Finals, and we want to continue identifying the most well-rounded players.

• In 2026, a map pick system will be introduced, bans will be refined (adding global match bans and visible match bans), and new modes may be added in the future as we continue the exploration exercise. 

• Keep your eyes peeled for a pre-season invitational in January.  

Shifting LAN Focus: With Brawl Cup and World Finals serving as our tentpole events of the year, we’re rebalancing the priorities of each LAN:

• Brawl Cup features 12 teams, bringing global competition and team representation earlier in the season. Teams will also see an increased prize pool and BSC points on the line, rewarding early performance and increasing their chances of making it to the World Finals. 

• LCQ features 8 teams, making this more intense for those who qualify. Two teams advance to World Finals. 

• World Finals features 12 teams and remains the most prestigious event of the year. Our goal is to achieve higher-quality matches, a tighter match schedule, and to eliminate backstage matches. 

Southeast Asia/South Asia: These two subregions will have an alternative path to qualify in 2026 - more to be shared in a separate announcement. 

In summary, the slot allocation looks like this: 

Thanks to your feedback, we’ve identified a few areas for improvement. Here are our top priorities for 2026:

• Rewards for Competing: Players should be rewarded at every step. We’re looking to introduce rewards for competitors during the Monthly Qualifiers stage.

• Rewards for Engaging: Unique drops are returning to event.brawlstars.com. That means, Pins, Sprays, and Icons you can’t get anywhere else.

• Streamlining Qualification: Pro Rank qualification into Monthly Qualifiers will be sunset. Everyone will follow the same path into BSC.

• Points: Summer split BSC Points will go from 2x to 1.5x, which is in line with rewarding consistent performance. 

These are just a few initial highlights. Thanks for an amazing 2025 — catch you in the New Year!

Signed,
Mr. Brawl Esports