It’s another jampacked year for esports in 2026, and here are a few that you won’t want to miss.
2026 is a big year for competitive video games as we’ve got some big, groundbreaking esports events this year on top of the established ones. Amidst all the Majors and World Championships, esports is slowly inching towards becoming a national-level competition.
But we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves there. There’s still a lot happening this year so here are five esports events that you should all be looking forward to in 2026.
M7 World Championship – MLBB
First up on the list is already happening this weekend. The most prestigious MLBB tournament in the world is back in Indonesia and the competition is going to be fierce.
Team Liquid is on track to completing their Golden Road while delivering the Philippines its sixth world championship. ONIC has other plans as they want to finally return the world championship back to Indonesia. It’s an intense start to the year and it’s definitely an esports event that you don’t want to miss.
Tekken World Tour Finals 2025 – Tekken 8
To say that Tekken 8 has had a tough 2025 would be an understatement. The scars of its big season two update still linger in the game and while it’s been slowly moving into a better state, many players and fans are looking at the TWT Finals 2025 with cautious hope for the future.
Besides that, it will also be former Tekken Director and Producer Katsuhiro Harada’s last TWT appearance. As the longstanding face and leader of the Tekken franchise, many were shocked to hear his announcement about his departure from the role late last year. Harada’s has helped shape the very DNA of Tekken, and you only need to listen to his 30th anniversary mix of the series’ music to understand this.
It’s going to be an emotional farewell at the TWT Finals and something every Tekken fan should look forward to.
Esports Nations Cup
The culmination of Saudi Arabia and the Esports World Cup Foundation is taking place later this year. While nations-based esports events already exist, the Esports Nations Cup aims to elevate that into something prestigious.
It remains to be seen if this endeavor will be worthwhile or even necessary. More events are always welcome but there’s a difficult balance between nations-based and organizations-based competitions, as seen in traditional sports. In the end, it all comes down to execution so we’ll be keeping an eye on this one.
Worlds 2026 – League of Legends
One would think, given T1’s dominance for the past three years, that Worlds would begin to lose its luster. But even as the legendary Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok collects more accolades, Worlds continues to be one of the most anticipated esports events of the year.
Of course, we say that but T1 and Faker are never guaranteed to appear at Worlds. A lot can happen in 2026 and that’s also where part of the fun lies. T1’s Worlds dominance has always felt fragile and we eagerly await to see if they can keep it up.
Asian Games 2026
Esports is back at the Asian Games and this time they’re expanding. The inclusion of mobile games such as MLBB and HoK really opens the doors for other nations. And obviously that means the Philippines gets another chance to win a gold medal.
More importantly, however, is that it’s more opportunities for esports to show that it can be an Olympic level event. While the Esports Olympics are still slated to take place in 2027, there’s still an uphill battle for esports when it comes to wider recognition. Esports players and athletes train and sacrifice just as hard as traditional ones and hopefully being included one again in the Asian Games can help prove that.
Banner photo by Colin Young-Wolff / Riot Games.