RLCS Boston Main 2026 preview: groups, format, schedule and extra

The RLCS Boston Main kicks off on February nineteenth with the Group Stage, earlier than wrapping up with the Grand Finals on February twenty second, 2026.

The main will happen on the Agganis Area in Boston, Massachusetts, US, with groups competing in entrance of a reside crowd on the ultimate two days of the occasion. The RLCS makes its long-awaited return to Boston after two years, final holding a match within the area throughout the 2022-2023 Spring Cut up Main.

The match will as soon as once more be hosted and produced by BLAST, an esports organiser recognized for internet hosting worldwide occasions for different aggressive titles. In 2024, BLAST secured a multi-year partnership cope with the racing video games proprietor, Epic Video games.

Followers will watch 16 groups go head-to-head within the RLCS Boston Main. Groups from throughout the areas will collect within the Agganis Area, that includes organisations from Europe, North America, South America, the Center East and North Africa, Oceania, Asia Pacific, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

14 organisations certified straight by the regional rankings, that are formed by factors earned by the three RLCS Boston Main Open Cups held in every area. Groups climb the leaderboards by securing as many factors as doable, incomes extra the upper a roster locations in every Open.

Nonetheless, there are some exceptions for the RLCS Boston Main. Geekay Esports certified by sharing the identical rating as Man Metropolis Esports on the EU leaderboards. The previous ultimately gained 4-2 in opposition to the rival staff within the area’s tiebreaker.

French organisation Karmine Corp additionally certified for the most important after successful the RLCS Kick-Off Weekend, the primary LAN of the 2026 season.

Some main organisations have additionally entered the competitors after signing groups that already certified for the occasion. Virtus.professional just lately introduced that it has signed the trio of Rocket League gamers that beforehand represented REDACTED. The identical is true for TSM after buying the Mission Delacruz roster.

These are all of the groups competing within the occasion:

There are a number of prime groups price maintaining a tally of all through the match. Primarily, the highlight might be on NRG because the winners of the RLCS 2025 World Championships, with many followers questioning if the staff can file one other historic run in 2026.

Nonetheless, the most important might additionally sway in direction of the underdogs. 5 Fears entered the Rocket League esports scene final November after signing the no identify staff roster, and went on to win two of the three SSA Boston Main Opens. Undoubtedly, although, the early favourites might be Karmine Corp, because the winner of RLCS’ final LAN occasion.

The RLCS Boston Main will unfold throughout two phases, the Group Stage and the Playoffs, earlier than deciding a victor within the Grand Finals.

The Group Stage is scheduled to happen behind closed doorways from February nineteenth (4PM GMT) to twentieth. 16 groups are cut up into teams of 4, with every group competing in a single round-robin format. All matches be best-of-five, and the stage will conclude as soon as all groups play three video games every.

These are the teams that may kickstart the RLCS Boston Main:

The highest-performing staff of every group will then be seeded into the Higher Brackets of the Playoffs. The runner-ups will advance to the Decrease Brackets, whereas the remaining are eradicated from the RLCS Boston Main.

The Playoffs will run from February twenty first (4PM GMT) to twenty second (10PM GMT), 2026, and groups will compete in entrance of a reside viewers within the area. The second stage of the most important options best-of-seven matches and the AFL Ultimate Eight System. This method offers the highest 4 groups from the Group Stage a second likelihood in the event that they lose early, whereas groups ranked fifth to eighth are eradicated after one loss.

For followers who had been unable to amass tickets to the RLCS Boston Main 2026, the matches might be broadcast reside all through the occasion.

Followers can tune into the RLCS Boston Main by the official Rocket League Esports YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch channels. Moreover, viewers can earn Twitch Drops and Tik Tok rewards, which embody Participant Titles, Wheels, Decals, and extra.

The RLCS Boston Main incorporates a $345,000 (~£250,570) prize pool, the very best provided within the 2026 season to this point. This might be distributed based mostly on a groups placement by the top of the match. Every staff may also earn RLCS circuit factors for taking part within the match, with 30 factors provided to the best-performing staff. These factors play a major half in qualification for the RLCS World Championship later within the 12 months.

Right here is how the prize pool and factors might be cut up:

As soon as the match concludes, groups will as soon as once more compete throughout a number of regional Opens to achieve the Paris Main in Might, 2026. Every win brings a staff one step nearer to reaching the RLCS World Championship, the place a staff can cement itself in Rocket League esports historical past because the champions of 2026.