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GamingALGS Champs 2026 Day 1 Recap: ImperialHal Dominates, Liquid & Thieves Struggle
The action in Sapporo kick-started before a single bullet was fired at the ALGS Championship 2026, foreshadowing what a brilliant opening day of Apex Legends competition was.
Hours before the tournament started, the Apex Legends Global Series organisers banned the popular ZD Ultimate controller just 12 hours before the first match, due to its wireless functionality that allows scripts to be executed remotely.
This function cannot be turned off and poses an obvious threat to the competitive integrity of the tournament, leaving pros, including Apex esports’ undisputed GOAT, Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen, scrambling for an alternative.
“Gotta be a joke surely,” he said, questioning the timing before a $2M tournament. However, his replacement ‘roller didn’t hold him back as he led Team Falcons to third place after the first day’s action, with the Saudi Arabian team racking up an incredible 37 kills and two first-place finishes in the first three matches of the weekend alone.
Which Teams are Flying?
Consistency proved key over the first day’s play, though, as Enter Force.36’s South Korean roster grabbed four first-place finishes over 12 matches to emerge on top, practically guaranteeing a spot in Saturday’s upper-bracket playoff.
Placement isn’t everything, though, as British underdogs Citadel Gaming achieved one fewer first-place finish yet finished the day just one point behind EF36. Averaging over 6 kills per match, it’s safe to say nobody expected such lobby dominance from a roster that has been playing together for under a year.
Ever the favorites with the home crowd, Fnatic improved on a lacklustre performance in the first round of group stage matches with a respectable showing later in the day. However, the Japanese team, Led by Yuga “YukaF” Horie, will need to continue improving if it wants to secure a spot in the winner’s bracket.
That said, I’m sure the crowd wouldn’t complain at seeing more of the best-supported team at the tournament, and a reverse sweep from the loser’s bracket always makes for a good story on finals day.
Who Needs to do Better?
At the other end of the spectrum, it’s surprising to see both Team Liquid and Crazy Thieves so low on the rankings.
Liquid’s all-star squad of Rhys “Zer0” Perry, Nicholas “Sikezz” Odom, and Nicholas “Fuhhnq” Wall should expect better than 26th place, but they’re capable of turning everything around at any point to improve on the 59 points already on the board.
Crazy Thieves is a brand collaboration between Crazy Raccoon and 100 Thieves, which changes nothing except the name of the 100T roster and creates new merchandising opportunities.
However, it may be a curse on another superteam, as the trio of Josue Daniel “Phony” Ruiz, Evan “Verhulst” Verhulst, and Noyan “Genburten” Ozkose hadn’t finished below eighth place in any tournament before now.
Finishing the first day in 35th place out of 40 teams, Crazy Thieves will need a miracle on Day 2 to make it into the winner’s bracket. However, if any roster has the capability to produce magic on the biggest stage of all, it’s this one. With five LAN wins between them, only the Falcons are more decorated when it comes to in-person competition.
100 points should secure you a spot in the winner’s bracket, so only a handful of teams are guaranteed a spot in Saturday’s semi-final. EF36, Citadel, Falcons, and Alliance already have their tickets booked (sans a massive upset), but anyone currently sitting below ninth place has a fight on their hands.
With some major players underperforming, we can expect significant changes in the final group stage matches on January 15.
