THE FINALS announced the return of The Grand Major, alongside a dedicated TGM26 Online Series esports circuit that allows any team in the world to qualify for the biggest stage.
On April 16, Embark Studios announced the expanded THE FINALS esports season for 2026. TGM26 Online Series is an open, region-based circuit spanning EMEA, Americas, and APAC. Teams can sign up and play using FACEIT to earn points across four competitive cycles throughout the year.
Every competitive cycle features up to 256 teams and consists of three stages: Swiss, The Promotion, and Show Day. During the Swiss stage, teams battle in 3v3 Final Round matches. The top 16 teams enter The Promotion stage, a series of Cashout tournaments, where the winner of each tournament secures a spot in the top eight. The top eight then enter the Show Day, with placements awarding prize money and points.
Throughout all four cycles, teams accumulate points. At the end of the season, the top team in every region secures a spot at The Grand Major 2026. Teams placed second to fifth secure a spot in the closed qualifiers. Lastly, teams placed sixth to ninth enter open qualifiers with advantages.
Much like last year, The Grand Major 2026 takes place at DreamHack Stockholm on Nov. 27-29. It still features open and closed qualifiers, creating another opportunity for teams to enter the competition. From the closed qualifiers, six teams from the Americas, five from EMEA, and two from APAC advance to The Grand Major.
For the final day of The Grand Major 2026, Embark prepared a new format, The Throne. It works like King of the Hill. One team is holding the Throne, while the other four compete with each other to become a Challenger. Challenger then faces off against the Throne holder. The winner keeps the Throne and earns a crown. The first team to earn three crowns becomes the world champion.
THE FINALS esports is back and bigger than ever before, with signups for TGM26 Online Series opening now and the first competitive cycle kicking off in May.
