Bookmark this page today–every date you need for 2026 is here, from the League of Legends World Final on 31 October in Seoul to the RLCS Winter Major kicking off 14 March in São Paulo. If you plan to attend, buy tickets the moment they drop; last year Worlds sold out in 42 minutes and resale prices tripled within hours.

Save 25% on travel by booking accommodation before each city major festival season: avoid São Paulo Carnival weeks (6–10 Feb), Dallas’ Memorial Day rodeo (22–25 May), and Shanghai Golden Week (1–7 Oct). Airlines and hotels raise rates 40–60% during those windows, so lock in rooms during the first week of January while prices are still at baseline.

Pro players fly in Tuesday for week-long boot camps; fans who arrive Wednesday catch open scrims and meet-and-greets that Riot, ESL, and PGL never stream. Bring a 20 000 mAh power bank–security at the IEM Katowice Spodek arena confiscates anything larger, but the 20 000 mAh Anker passes every check and recharges a phone three times during best-of-five series.

If you want drops, link your Twitch and Steam accounts before 1 January. Valve 2025 viewer-pass experiment awarded Counter-Strike 2 cases worth $11.30 on average to live viewers; unlinked accounts received nothing. ESL repeats the model in 2026, so set the connection once and forget it.

Q1-Q2 2026: Lock-in Dates for CS2 Majors, VCT Kickoffs & DPC Leagues

Circle 9-22 February on your calendar right now–PGL Copenhagen Major 2026 opens the CS2 season with a $2.25 million prize pool and 24 teams battling through the Royal Arena. Buy tickets the moment the second batch drops (expected 6 December, 15:00 CET) and you’ll pay 880 DKK instead of the 1 500 DKK resale average. If you’re flying in, land at CPH and take the 12-minute metro to Ørestad; hotels near Field mall cost 30% less than central Copenhagen and you still reach the venue in seven minutes on the M1 line.

VCT kicks off 16 January with the Americas Kickoff in São Paulo Ibirapuera Arena, followed by EMEA on 23 January in Berlin and Pacific on 30 January in Seoul. Each regional final locks two spots for the first global Masters in Shanghai 13 March–5 April; teams earn circuit points equal to their placement, so a quarter-final exit in Kickoff still hands 50 points that decide World Championship seeding. Fantasy players: prioritise duelist-heavy squads–Riot bumped the average ACS multiplier for duelists to 1.32 in Patch 8.11, boosting their fantasy ceiling.

Event Location Dates Teams Prize pool
VCT Americas Kickoff São Paulo 16–26 Jan 12 $500 000
VCT EMEA Kickoff Berlin 23 Jan–2 Feb 12 $500 000
VCT Pacific Kickoff Seoul 30 Jan–9 Feb 12 $500 000
Masters Shanghai Shanghai 13 Mar–5 Apr 16 $1 000 000
PGL Copenhagen Major Copenhagen 9–22 Feb 24 $2 250 000
DPC Tour 1 Regional 12 Jan–22 Feb 96 $760 000
DPC Tour 2 Regional 16 Mar–26 Apr 96 $760 000

DPC leagues shrink to six regions for 2026, ditching the old division system: every tour runs a single round-robin, best-of-three, with top four from each region advancing to the $500 000 DreamLeague majors in May and July. China and WEU start 12 January, EEU and NA follow 13 January, SA and SEA begin 14 January; matches broadcast daily at 18:00 local time, so set Twitch notifications for the first two weeks when upsets spike and live odds swing hardest. Battle-pass owners gain 25% more shards during Tour 1, making January the cheapest window to grind Nemestice sets before the 29 April patch rebalance.

How to convert IEM Katowice 2026 group stage to your local time zone

Set your phone to CET (UTC+1) before the first pistol round on 17 February 2026; every match page on the ESL CS:GO app auto-syncs to that zone and shows a one-tap "add to calendar" button that lands in your native time with a 15-minute alert pre-installed.

If you prefer desktop, open liquipedia.net/counterstrike/IEM_Katowice_2026, toggle the clock icon beside the standings table, pick your city from the drop-down, then bookmark the URL–your browser stores the cookie, so tomorrow 11:00 CET bout between FaZe and G2 displays as 05:00 EST, 19:00 JST, or whatever offset you chose. Chrome users can right-click the schedule, hit "Create QR" and scan it from a different device; the link keeps the same conversion flag, handy when you swap from PC to tablet mid-broadcast.

For spreadsheet lovers, paste the official .ics file (download link sits under the Spodek Arena stream banner) into Google Sheets: cell A1 imports the raw CET string, B1 applies =A1+TIME(6,0,0) for CST, C1 =A1-8/24 for PST; conditional formatting paints the row green once the local timestamp passes, so you never queue an old VOD. Remember that Poland springs forward on 29 March; after that date subtract one extra hour from any listed time to stay accurate.

Mac owners can automate the whole thing: open Terminal, type icalbuddy -ic Katowice2026.ics eventsToday and pipe the output through a one-line Perl script that reads $ENV{TZ} and rewrites the stamp. Save it as an Automator quick action, assign a hot-key, and you’ll get a push notification reading "NAVI vs. Vitality starts in 7 minutes" without ever glancing at a webpage.

VCT Masters Tokyo qualifiers: which regional points lock on 15 March

Lock 300 VCT points by 15 March if you want to skip the APAC Last-Chance Gauntlet; every region except China freezes its standings at 23:59 JST that night.

EMEA: Fnatic sit on 410, Team Heretics 395, KOI 380. One more Swiss-stage win for any of them guarantees top-8 and a direct Tokyo slot. Giants (345) must reach the regional final in Katowice or rely on tie-break math.

Americas: Sentinels lead with 420, LOUD 415, NRG 400. The bottom four–100T, C9, LEV, EG–still have two open cups; 100T need back-to-back titles plus a top-4 finish from Sentinels at the SuperWeek to sneak in.

Pacific: DRX 425, Paper Rex 420, T1 405. Talon (350) and ZETA (340) must win the Pacific Split-1 playoff and pray DRX finish last in the group stage for a 30-point swing.

China standings stay open until 31 March; EDG 450 already secures them a Masters spot, but fourth-place FPX (310) can still leapfrog third-place BLG (360) because China runs a double-elimination bracket that awards 100 points to the winner.

Track live updates on vlr.gg and the official VCT site; both freeze their leaderboards at the exact lock time, so refresh at 23:55 JST to screenshot your fantasy roster before any last-minute tie-breakers shift the numbers.

Dota 2 DPC 2026 Season 1 end date and what it means for TI11 invite math

Dota 2 DPC 2026 Season 1 end date and what it means for TI11 invite math

Circle 2 May 2026 on your calendar; that the day the Winter Major last click of the mouse ends, and Valve freezes the DPC table for TI11 direct invites.

Only the top four from each region lock the 24 guaranteed spots. 1 450 points will sit in 4th place in WEU, 1 380 in China, 1 310 in SEA, 1 240 in NA, 1 170 in SA and 1 100 in EEU. If your squad sits below those numbers on 2 May, you’re into the brutal last-chance regional qualifier on 6-9 May where one slot is up for grabs per region.

The Major itself hands out 3 700 points to the winners, so a team entering the Major in 6th place can still jump into the safe zone. Keep an eye on the group stage (24-27 April): every 2-0 sweep nets 80 DPC points, so a dark-horse run can flip the standings before the playoffs even start.

  • WEU: OG 1 510-point cushion looks safe, but a 0-4 group stage drop could shove them to 7th.
  • China: PSG.LGD sits on 1 420; they need one Bo2 win to stay above the cut line.
  • SEA: Talon (1 300) and Execration (1 290) face each other on day two of groups; loser will have to win the qualifier.
  • NA: Shopify needs 120 points; they get exactly that if they take one game off TSM.

The 12-point DPC tiebreaker rule still applies: head-to-head record first, then number of 2-0 wins, then game difference. If three teams finish on 1 310, the one that went 3-1 in Bo2s against the others survives.

Coaches are already scrimming patch 7.37c on the tournament client; expect a micro-patch drop on 20 April that will nerf Spirit Breaker and buff Drow, directly impacting off-lane priority picks at the Major.

Book your Stockholm viewing party for 1-2 May; the grand final starts 16:00 CEST and the closing ceremony ends at 21:30, leaving a 90-minute buffer before Valve pushes the TI11 invite email blast at 23:00 CEST sharp.

If you’re chasing fantasy points, lock in cores from teams that start in the upper-bracket round-one winners’ side: they play a guaranteed five maps instead of the possible three for lower-bracket starters, giving you 30 % more opportunity for last-hit bounties.

Mobile Legends MSC 2026 ticket drop schedule and resale rules

Set three alarms: MSC 2026 tickets hit the Moonton app at 10:00 SGT on 3 March, 17 April and 22 May; each drop releases 8 000 seats for the Singapore Indoor Stadium and 4 000 for the fan-fest zone, so be logged in with payment method pre-saved–checkout window closes after 90 seconds.

Resale is locked to the same Moonton ID used for purchase; transfer opens 48 hours after each drop and closes 24 hours before match day. List price cannot exceed 115 % of face value, the platform pockets 5 %, and buyers must complete identity verification (government ID + selfie) before the QR code becomes active. Screenshots or PDF exports are void–only the in-app dynamic QR refreshes every 15 seconds at the gate.

  • Platinum Weekend Pass (SGD 298) drops only once on 3 March; no restock.
  • Single-day Upper Tier (SGD 48) re-appears in every wave; stock refreshes if carts expire.
  • Student discount (20 %) stacks with early-bird drop but disappears after 72 hours.
  • Resale cap resets after each wave; grandfathered listings keep the old limit.

If you miss the May wave, keep the app open after 23 May–expired carts auto-release seats at random 15-minute intervals until 30 May. Enable push alerts labelled "MSC Flash" and link PayNow for one-tap checkout; last year 1 300 seats re-entered circulation this way and were gone in 18 minutes.

Q3-Q4 2026: TI12, Worlds & BLAST Finals Travel Windows

Book Singapore Airlines SQ26 non-stop from JFK on 6 Aug, land 7 Aug 03:40 SGT, drop bags at 81-star Merchant Hotel, walk 12 min to Singapore Indoor Stadium; TI12 group stage starts 9 Aug, finals sell out 18 Aug, so lock both now on Ticketmaster.sg before the scalpers flip them. From 25 Sep, hop CX658 SIN-HKG at 08:10, connect AA126 HKG-DFW same day, sleep in Dallas, catch Worlds knockout stage at the 80 000-seat AT&T Stadium 1-5 Oct; secure upper-bowl corners sections 401-405 on SeatGeek for USD 110 each and ride the free shuttle from Trinity Mills station to dodge $45 parking. BLAST Copenhagen Royal Arena runs 10-15 Nov; SAS SK944 LAX-CPH lands 09 Nov 07:15, buy the 72-hour Copenhagen Card for DKK 429 to ride metro straight to Ørestad and get free entry to the fan fest in Field mall next door.

If you’re chasing both Stockholm and Arlington, fly Premium Economy on SAS SK946 EWR-ARN 26 Oct, spend Halloween weekend in Gamla Stan, then board SK943 ARN-DFW 2 Nov; the same ticket protects you if Riot shifts Worlds knockout to Globe Life Field again. Hotel stock evaporates fast–Scandic Grand Central Stockholm still had rooms at SEK 1 350 in late April, but https://likesport.biz/articles/slovakias-olympic-hockey-team-includes-nhl-players.html reminded me that NHL charter crews book 200 rooms at once, so lock cancellable rates tonight. Pack only carry-on: TI12 merch tent ships globally, and BLAST gives free on-site freight labels so you can ship posters home before heading to the airport.

Book flights now: The International 2026 finals venue shift to São Paulo

Lock in your GRU arrival between 7–15 August to dodge the 40 % fare hike that hits every July; LATAM and Azul release extra reward seats 330 days out, so set an alert for 12 September 2025 and grab the 50 k LATAM Pass miles deal before it vanishes.

Stay within two Metro stops of Parque Olímpico do Ibirapuera: the brand-new 18 k-seat arena sits 400 m from the Estação Júlio Prestes exit, and the traffic closure radius starts at 16:00 each finals day, so walking beats rideshare surge that triples after matches end.

Grab AB3 2019–2026 tourist visa waivers if you hold a US, Canadian or Australian passport–upload the e-visa form at least 72 h before departure; without it, immigration will refuse entry and re-route you on the next flight at your own cost.

Book refundable hotel rooms now–Pinheiros and Vila Madalena hostels hover at R$ 220 per bunk today but jump to R$ 580 once the Dota 2 battle-pass release date leaks; cancel free within 48 h if your team bombs the qualifiers and you decide to skip.

Q&A:

Which exact weekends in 2026 does the League of Legends World Championship take place, and how many days off should I request if I want to attend every stage live in Berlin?

The LoL Worlds 2026 calendar is: Play-in 25 Sep–28 Sep, Groups 8 Oct–13 Oct, Quarters 17 Oct–20 Oct, Semis 25 Oct–26 Oct, Finals 1 Nov. If you want every second on-site, book leave from 24 Sep through 2 Nov nine working days if you count the bridging Monday after finals.

My team only follows Counter-Strike. Could you list every 2026 CS2 event that is labelled "Major" by Valve, plus the two IEM tournaments that usually feel just as big?

Valve Majors: IEM Katowice 18 Feb–1 Mar, PGL Stockholm Major 27 Apr–10 May, Perfect World Shanghai Major 2 Oct–18 Oct. The two extra IEMs that pack a similar crowd and sticker money are IEM Cologne 7 Jul–19 Jul and IEM Melbourne 24 Nov–6 Dec.

When is the only Overwatch 2 LAN that still uses the old 6-vs-6 show-match rules, and where can I catch the stream if I missed the tickets?

That nostalgia cup runs 14 Mar–15 Mar in Dallas as part of DreamHack. No tickets left, but the broadcast stays on the main DreamHack Twitch channel with a second audio feed that keeps the old observer HUD.

How many weeks pass between TI13 and the first post-roster-lock DPC league day, and does that gap leave enough time for visas to the USA?

TI13 ends 30 Aug; the new DPC league starts 5 Oct, so five full weeks. U.S. P-1 petitions for players from most countries clear inside 15–20 days, so organisations that file the Monday after TI are safe.

Which 2026 Mobile Legends tournament lands closest to Singapore if I want the cheapest weekend trip, and what does the prize pool look like?

The MSC Finals are 12 Jun–14 Jun in Kuala Lumpur 45 minutes by bus from Singapore. The pool is back to $3 M after the 2025 dip, with $1 M for first place.

Which exact weeks in 2026 will the League of Legends World Championship take place, and how many days off should I request if I want to attend every stage live in Shanghai?

The LoL Worlds 2026 is locked for 23 Sep – 3 Oct for play-ins and groups, 9-18 Oct for the knockout bracket, and 30-31 Oct for the finals at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. If you want every single day on-site, land in Shanghai no later than 22 Sep and book your return for 2 Nov; that is 12 working days you’ll need off. Add one buffer day on each side for potential tie-breakers or fan events; HR usually accepts "esports sabbatical" if you file it before June.

Is there any overlap between the Copenhagen Major and the first split of the Overwatch Champions Series, and which one gives more sticker drops for a CS inventory?

The Copenhagen Major runs 11-27 Apr, while OWCS Split 1 playoffs are 18-19 Apr, so only the weekend clashes. Stickers are exclusive to the Major: every playoff match drops two souvenir packages per map, about 0.6 € on average, rising to 15–20 € if a map goes to OT. OWCS has no in-game items, so if your goal is inventory value, stick with CS and sell the drops during the quarterfinals when supply spikes and prices dip 30 % below the final.

Reviews

Isabella Rodriguez

Saved the dates, screens my shield. Whispered to three org owners that I’ll leak their scrim vods unless they slide me VIP passes now every weekend comped while the rest queue like peasants.

IronVex

2026 splits lock 11 January; MSI finals 17 May; Worlds kick 29 September three sprints, no cushion. Patch cadence tightens: 14.1→14.9, jungle leash radius nerf at 14.5. Scout, book bootcamps before MSI meta freeze; visa slots vanish by March. Prize pools flat, orgs survive on Riot stipend + skin cut lock your Tier-2 roster early or watch buyouts triple.

Emma Thompson

Who else feels the 2026 bracket already pulsing behind their eyelids like, if I blink too slow I’ll miss the pixel-perfect ace that rewrites my heartbeat and tell me, sisters, are we syncing our moon-cycles to the LAN-finals so we can scream in frequencies only trophy lifts can answer?

Gavin Whitaker

Boys, the missus caught me circling June Berlin dates on the kitchen calendar how do I explain that the only "vacation" I want this year is three weeks of headsets, energy drinks and a couch dent shaped like me?

Nolan Shepard

My wife yells when I park on couch with controller, but now I got printout of 2026 dates so she can plan her mom visits while I chase 2 mil prize in Riyadh; finally know when to book dog sitter for Katowice too

RoseGlow

Who else thinks 2026 prize pools will crash if crypto keeps bleeding out?