The Rocket League Paris Major gets underway soon as one of the biggest events in the RLCS calendar.
It might not be the only major esports event the French capital sees this year, with the Esports World Cup set to move to Paris due to the ongoing conflict in Iran.
The Paris Major is the second Rocket League LAN of the year and one of the biggest events in the RLCS calendar.
The tournament will see sixteen teams from seven different regions compete for huge prize money and crucial RLCS points which contribute towards Esports World Cup and RLCS World Championship qualification.
When Is The Rocket League Paris 2026 Major?
The Paris Major will take place from May 20 to May 24 at the Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre.
The first two days will be played behind closed doors before an expected crowd of tens of thousands of fans watch the eventual top 12 compete for the title.
The schedule for the event is as follows:
- Wednesday, May 20: The Group Stage begins
- Thursday, May 21: The Group Stage concludes
- Friday, May 22: The 12-team Playoffs begin with a live audience with Lower Bracket matches only
- Saturday, May 23: Lower Bracket continues and Upper Bracket begins, with multiple elimination matches to decide the final six
- Sunday, May 24th: The final five matches take place, the remaining teams battle it out in best-of-seven series to crown the RLCS Paris Major 2026 champion
Prize Pool
The 16 teams will be competing for a share of the $354k prize pool and RLCS points to climb regional rankings.
The prize breakdown is as follows:
- 1st: $102k — 36 RLCS points
- 2nd: $51,000 — 24 RLCS points
- 3rd-4th: $36,000 — 16 RLCS points
- 5th-6th: $22,500 — 12 RLCS points
- 7th-8th: $15,000 — 8 RLCS points
- 9th-12th: $9,000 — 6 RLCS points
- 13th-16th: $4,500 — 4 RLCS points
Additionally, teams will receive extra funding through the in-game Rocket League Paris Major Bundle.
The bundle costs 1,000 credits and will see 100% of its net sales shared between the participating players and teams.
This funding will then see 50% go towards the best-performing individual players across three rewards.
And the rest will be split between the teams, with a higher percentage going to teams that place higher at the tournament.
Paris Major Format
The Paris Major will be split into two stages: the Group Stages and Playoffs.
Every series will be a best-of-five, apart from the final five series which will all be played as best-of-sevens.
Initially, teams will be split into four groups of four. Each team will play every team in their group once, with the group winners advancing straight to the Upper Bracket and Quarter-finals, second and third moving on to the Lower Bracket, and last place in each group facing elimination.
The Playoffs will utilise the “Final Eight” system typically used in the Australian Football League: Each group winner starts with two lives before the final four, while the remaining teams only receive one.
Participating Teams
Teams from across seven regions qualified for the Paris Major by acquiring RLCS points across Split 1 and Split 2 regional tournaments.
The opening draw resulted in the following groups:
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Team Vitality (EU #1) | NRG (NA #1) | Twisted Minds (MENA #1) | Gentle Mates (EU #2) |
| Karmine Corp (EU #4) | MIBR (South America #1) | Ninjas in Pyjamas (EU #3) | Spacestation (NA #2) |
| Wildcard (OCE #1) | Man City (EU #5) | Shopify Rebellion (NA #3) | R8 Esports (MENA #2) |
| FUT Esports (NA #4) | Five Fears (Sub-Saharan Africa #1) | TSM (APAC #1) | FURIA (South America #2) |
Who do you expect to win the Paris Major? Share your predictions with us on the Insider Gaming Discord.
And find out everything you need to know about Rocket League at the Esports World Cup later this year.
