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Rocket League Paris Major 2026: All You Need to Know
The second Major of the RLCS 2026 season heads to Paris La Défense Arena from May 20th to 24th. Sixteen teams from seven regions will play for a $354,000 prize pool and RLCS points that count toward the World Championship later in the year.
Event Details
The Rocket League Paris Major takes place from May 20th to 24th, 2026, at Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre, on the western edge of Paris. The arena expects tens of thousands of fans for the playoff weekend.
- Dates: May 20th-24th, 2026
- Venue: Paris La Défense Arena, Nanterre, France
- Teams: 16
- Prize pool: $354,000 USD
Rocket League Paris Major Format Explained
The Paris Major uses two stages: a group stage and a playoff bracket. Every series is best-of-five.
In the group stage, the 16 teams are split into four groups of four. Each group plays a single round robin, so every team plays three matches. The group winner goes straight into the Upper Bracket of the playoffs. Second and third place drop into the Lower Bracket. The last-place team in each group is eliminated.
That leaves 12 teams in the playoff bracket. The bracket runs on the AFL Final Eight system: the four group winners start with two lives before the Final Four, while the eight teams placed 5th to 12th get only one chance before going home. Every game in a Bo5 or Bo7 counts individually for RLCS points.
Teams and Qualification
The 16 teams come from seven competitive regions: Europe, North America, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), South America, Asia-Pacific, Oceania, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Slots are distributed by RLCS points earned across Split 1 and Split 2 regional opens, plus the Kickoff Weekend earlier in the season. Here's the complete list:
| A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Vitality | NRG | Twisted Minds | Gentle Mates |
| Karmine Corp | MIBR | Ninjas in Pyjamas | Spacestation Gaming |
| Wildcard | Manchester City Esports | Shopify Rebellion | R8 Esports |
| FUT Esports | Five Fears | TSM | FURIA |
Prize pool and All at Stake
The total prize pool is $354,000 USD, split among the 16 teams by placement. On top of the prize money, Epic released a Paris Major Bundle in-game for 1,000 credits, with 100% of net sales going back to the competing players and teams. Half of those funds go to individual players through Player Performance Awards in three categories (Striker, Playmaker, Savior). The other half is distributed across the 16 teams by tournament placement.
Then there's the matter of coveted RLCS points up for grabs. Paris is the last Major of the season, so a deep run here can move a team from the bubble into a comfortable World Championship qualification, or push a borderline team toward the Last Chance Qualifier.
Favorites and Storylines
NRG come in as the defending world champions after winning the 2025 Worlds in Lyon last September in front of nearly 10,000 fans at the LDLC Arena. They missed the Boston Major final, so Paris is a chance to remind everyone where the title belt sits.
The Boston Major was won by Gentle Mates, a French organization, which sets up a strong home angle in Paris. They face direct pressure from Karmine Corp, the other French team in the field and the Kickoff Weekend winners. Two French orgs with realistic Major-winning ceilings at a Major in Paris is the headline narrative of the weekend.
MENA also has a real claim on the trophy. Team Falcons have been one of the most consistent international rosters of the last two seasons, and Twisted Minds remain a tier-one threat. Expect at least one of them in the late bracket.
Rocket League Paris Major: How to Watch
The official broadcast is on the Rocket League Esports channels on Twitch and YouTube. Co-streams in various languages tend to appear around Majors, including French streams given the host city, so French-speaking viewers will have options beyond the main feed.
See below the opening matches on May 20th (times in CST):
Main stream
| Time | Match |
| 2 PM | Man City vs Made in Brazil |
| 3 PM | Wildcard vs Team Vitality |
| 4 PM | R8 Esports vs Spacestation |
| 5 PM | Twisted Minds vs Shopify Rebellion |
| 6 PM | Made in Brazil vs NRG |
| 7 PM | Karmine Corp vs Team Vitality |
Alt stream
| Time | Match |
| 2 PM | Five Fears vs NRG |
| 3 PM | Karmine Corp vs FUT Esports |
| 4 PM | Furia vs Gentle Mates |
| 5 PM | Ninjas in Pyjamas vs TSM |
| 6 PM | Five Fears vs Man City |
| 7 PM | Wildcard vs FUT Esports |
Why Paris Will Be Unmissable
The Rocket League Paris Major 2026 at Paris La Défense Arena promises to be one of the biggest events in RLCS history, with organizers expecting dozens of thousands fans flooding the venue over three explosive playoff days.
French fans, renowned for their passionate support and massive turnouts will turn Nanterre into an electrifying sea of noise, flags, and unrelenting energy.
This $354,000 showdown in Europe's largest indoor arena is about to become a blowout of fandom that will put Rocket League esports into the hotspot once again in 2026.
Stay tuned to Strafe Esports for more Rocket League news and information. Don't forget to follow us on our Social Media for real time updates of your favorite game.
Featured image credits: Rocket League.
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