Another year, another ALGS World Champion. Oblivion defied the odds to give us a feel-good story in Sapporo in January, but there are a lot of changes in store for the next year of competition. Here is the full rundown of ALGS Year 6.

While we already knew the Championship would return to Japan next January and a return to Riyadh for the Esports World Cup was expected, the ALGS will also visit Las Vegas for the first time. 

Year 6 ALGS LAN Event Schedule

After the initial Online Open (formerly known as the Preseason Qualifiers), Pro League Split 1 will occur from April 5-June 15 ahead of the Split 1 Playoffs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7-11 at the Esports World Cup. 

Pro League Split 2 will take place between August 22 and October 4, before the spooky Split 2 Playoffs at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas from October 29-November 1.

The Last Chance Qualifier, which produced winners Oblivion in Year 5, will occur from November 20-22, before we return to Sapporo, Japan for the ALGS Championship from January 28-31.

While players will have to work hard to reach the pinnacle tournament of the calendar, fans can book their flights early.

Full Year 6 ALGS Calendar

It’s a testament to the state of ALGS competition that so little is changing for Year 6. The POI draft remains unchanged; legend bans will be extended to the semi-professional Challenger Circuit, and EA has added US$1 million to the annual prize pool (which now totals US$7 million). The only real changes are technicalities. 

Before now, teams have been able to chop and change their rosters at any point in the season. However, this will change in Year 6, when pros can only swap to new teams after Match Day 6 in each Split. This should help rosters remain stable and make storylines easier to follow. 

There’s another update to Championship Points: players must have competed in at least 12 Pro League matches for the CP to count toward their team’s total. This eliminates some loopholes that teams have previously exploited to qualify for competitions. 

After another exciting tournament in Sapporo, we’ve now got a few months off Pro League action before Split 1 kicks off again in April. Whether you’re planning on using this to rest and recuperate, to save up enough cash to book flights to a LAN, or you’ll be competing in The ALGS Open yourself, we’ll be back in business before you know it.