This tournament is an unusual start to the new Rocket League esports season. The best teams from Europe and North America showcase the power of their new rosters. The winners advance directly to the Boston Major.
Rocket League Championship Series 2026 (RLCS 2026) started with the traditional series of online Open qualifiers in all main regions. What makes Open 1 special is that it concludes with a unique LAN tournament!
The RLCS 2026 Kick-Off Weekend features the regional finals in an offline environment and a battle of the top 4 EU and NA teams.
In addition to the general excitement of top-level Rocket League esports, we can witness new players competing for the biggest teams.
The early qualification stages already brought us a big surprise: NRG, the World Champions 2025, could not make it to the Kick-Off Weekend. The finals may show the rise of some fresh names on the scene.
How to watch the Rocket League Kick-Off Weekend: Stream
All the Kick-Off RLCS 2026 matches are on the official YouTube channel of Rocket League Esports. You can watch the tournament here, as the stream is embedded above.
Schedule of matches at the RLCS 2026 Kick-Off Weekend
The event goes on for three days, from Dec. 5 to Dec. 7.
- Friday, Dec. 5: EU Open 1 finals.
- Saturday, Dec. 6: NA Open 1 finals.
- Sunday, Dec. 7: EU vs NA.
The detailed schedule for the Rocket League esports Kick-Off Weekend is shown in the image below: Day 1 matchups.
Kick-Off Weekend Day 1 schedule: EU Open 1 finals (Image via Rocket League Esports)
Results: Rocket League Kick-Off Weekend
In a way, we have three Rocket League tournaments woven into one event. The European and North American teams have regional finals first: to determine the top 4 and their placements in the final brackets. The Playoffs of the RLCS 2026 Kick-Off Weekend are between these regions — the matches are for qualifying for the Boston Major in February 2026.
EU Open 1 finals
FullscreenTeam Vitality vs Gentle MatesKarmine Corp vs TBDTBD vs TBDMan City vs NOVONinjas in Pyjamas vs TBD
NA Open 1 finals
FullscreenFUT Esports vs Shopify Rebellion[REDACTED] vs TBDTBD vs TBD100X35 Esports vs Gen.GSpacestation vs TBD
EU vs NA: Final brackets at the Rocket League esports Kick-Off Weekend
FullscreenTBD vs TBDTBD vs TBDTBD vs TBDTBD vs TBDTBD vs TBDTBD vs TBD
Final standings
Fullscreen1stTBD+2ndTBD-3rd–4thTBD
TBD-5rd–6thTBD
TBD-7rd–8thTBD
TBD-
Europe at the start of RLCS 2026: Fresh rosters of the biggest teams
It’s the first regional split without two of the strongest players.
The regional favorites
Karmine Corp, the Rocket League EWC 2025 winners and the former team of dralii, is doing pretty well at the Open 1 qualifier. After the Swiss and Group stage, KC advanced to the regional semifinal and guaranteed themselves a spot in the Kick-Off Weekend.
Karmine Corp at the RLCS 2026 Kick-Off Weekend (Image via Rocket League Esports)
Team Vitality has some troubles without M0nkey M00n. They lost to Ninjas in Pyjamas and should face Gentle Mates for a Kick-Off Weekend qualification.
Team Vitality at the Kick-Off Weekend (Image via Rocket League Esports)
Ninjas in Pyjamas has a fully new roster this season. It’s a mix of players from Complexity, Dignitas, and Geekay Esports. NiP reached the regional semifinal, and they are playing in the RLCS 2026 Kick-Off Weekend for sure.
Ninjas in Pyjamas at the Kick-Off Weekend (Image via Rocket League Esports)
The current version of Gentle Mates is formed by two NiP players, Nassim “nass” Bali and Oskar “Oski” Gozdowski, with Archie “Archie” Pickthall from Geekay Esports.
Gentle Mates at the Kick-Off Weekend (Image via Rocket League Esports)
Newer teams
Manchester City Esports is a Rocket League team directly associated with a football organization. The Manchester City club purchased the roster 2 Danes 1 Bruv after these guys made it to the regional lower quarterfinal.
Manchester City Esports at the Kick-Off Weekend (Image via Rocket League Esports)
Man City should face another smaller team on the European Rocket League esports scene. NOVO Esports refreshed the roster for this season, and these players have a chance to advance to the final part of the Kick-Off Weekend.
NOVO Esports at the Kick-Off Weekend (Image via Rocket League Esports)
Underdogs on the top in North America: New names in the regional RLCS 2026
Quite a few newer teams reached the top placement in the North American Open 1 qualifier.
In the Kick-Off Weekend brackets
It’s the first-ever tournament for [REDACTED], as the esports organization was formed right before RLCS 2026. Still, the players are not new to the scene: Jayden “2Piece” Horton and Dylan “Wahvey” Thanus come from Shopify Rebellion. Cohen “Tawk” Hawco is a younger competitor, but he also played in some regional tournaments.
[REDACTED] at the Kick-Off Weekend (Image via Rocket League Esports)
Spacestation Gaming is the second NA team with a guaranteed Kick-Off Weekend presence, alongside [REDACTED]. The roster of this team is also refreshed: Nick “Chronic” Iwanski from The Ultimates and João “diaz” Henrique from Complexity are in SSG now.
Spacestation Gaming (Image via Rocket League Esports)
Need to qualify
FUT Esports returned to pro Rocket League esports at the start of 2025. For the next season, FUT acquired a new roster and moved from Southeast Asia to North America. They face Shopify Rebellion for one spot in the RLCS 2026 Kick-Off Weekend.
FUT Esports (Image via Rocket League Esports)
Shopify Rebellion has a mixed roster of players from The Ultimates and Spacestation Gaming. Playing in the final part of the Kick-Off Weekend would be a nice early achievement for this Rocket League esports season.
Shopify Rebellion (Image via Rocket League Esports)
100X35 Esports and Gen.G Mobil1 Racing battle for one more spot in the finals. Players from 100X35 Esports are surprising underdogs at this tournament stage.
100X35 Esports (Image via Rocket League Esports)
Gen.G strengthened their roster with Finlay “rise.” Ferguson from Twisted Minds. Eliminating NRG from the Kick-Off Weekend run is already an achievement.
Gen.G Mobil1 Racing (Image via Rocket League Esports)
While the Kick-Off Weekend winners advance directly to the Rocket League Major 2025 in Boston, other teams still will have their chances to qualify. The regional splits continue in January and February 2026.
