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ESL One Birmingham 2026 Survival Guide: Teams, format, schedule, prize pool
There is a special kind of electricity that comes ahead of ESL One Birmingham 2026. It is because it marks the return to the stage and crowds (for the playoffs at least). There is also the expectation that the results here might solidify some of the front-runners and hopefuls for both the Esports World Cup and The International.
Right now, the top feels wide open. Almost anyone could claim it — especially with Team Liquid out of the picture. Tundra Esports arrive fresh off their DreamLeague victory. Team Spirit are beginning to stir again, their form sharpening at just the right moment. Team Falcons finally step in with a complete roster, still chasing the version of themselves everyone expected this season. And then there’s Team Yandex — the name on everyone’s radar, riding the momentum of a statement win and carrying a kind of dangerous, unpredictable energy.
Then there are the roster shuffles and stand-ins that have quietly rewritten the script before the first draft even begins. GamerLegion roll in with Shad on trial, a ticking question mark in a high-stakes environment. Yakult Brothers adjust on the fly with a stand-in of their own. And perhaps the most delicate experiment of all, Nigma Galaxy arrive mid-rebuild, role swaps in place and a near-rookie stepping onto one of the biggest stages of his career.
With EPT points on the line, the road to TI quietly taking shape, and a live audience energy, the stakes are at an all time high.
ESL One Birmingham 2026 is an upcoming tournament held in Birmingham, between March 22 and 29. It is the fourth ESL One to be held in Birmingham, after the previous edition in 2024 and is the third point-obtaining event of the 2025/26 season. It is also part of DreamHack Birmingham 2026, featuring other gaming events and esports competitions, such as Call of Duty and Halo.
ESL One Birmingham 2026 opens with four series at 13:00 CET:
ESL One Birmingham 2026 Teams
- Team Yandex (EPT Leaderboard 1st place)
- Team Spirit (EPT Leaderboard 2nd place)
- PARIVISION (EPT Leaderboard 3rd place)
- Xtreme Gaming (EPT Leaderboard 4th place)
- OG (EPT Leaderboard 5th place)
- Tundra Esports (6th EPT Leaderboard)
- Team Falcons (EU qualifier)
- Virtus.pro (EU qualifier)
- MOUZ (EU qualifier)
- Nigma Galaxy (WEU qualifier)
- BetBoom Team (EEU qualifier)
- Aurora (EEU qualifier)
- Rekonix (SEA qualifier)
- GamerLegion (NA qualifier)
- paiN Gaming (SA qualifier)
- Yakult Brothers (CN qualifier)
ESL One Birmingham 2026 Format
Group Stage
- March 22-25th
- Two single round-robin groups of eight teams each
- All series consist of two games
- Top two teams from each group advance to playoffs
- 3rd and 4th place teams advance to the lower bracket of the playoffs
- Remaining teams are eliminated
Playoffs
- March 26-29th
- Double-elimination bracket
- All matches are Bo3
- Grand Final is Bo5
ESL One Birmingham 2026 Prize Pool
The $1,000,000 prize pool will be split as below. Note that just like previously, $750,000 are awarded as Prize Money while $250,000 USD are awarded as Club Reward. The 35,460 EPT Points will be spread among the participants.
- 1st place $250,000/$40,000/ 8,000 base EPT points
- 2nd place $100,000/$30,000/6,000 base EPT points
- 3rd place $80,000/$25,000/5,000 base EPT points
- 4th place $60,000/$20,000/4,000 base EPT points
- 5th-6th place $45,000/$15,000/2,800 base EPT points
- 7th-8th place $27,500/$12,500/1300 base EPT points
- 9-10th place $20,000/$10,000/700 total EPT points
- 11-12th place $17,500/$10,000/350 total EPT points
- 13-14th place $15,000/$10,000/180 total EPT points
- 15-16th place $10,000/$10,000/100 total EPT points
ESL One Birmingham 2026 Broadcasts
Primary
- English Twitch, Youtube
- Russian Twitch, Youtube, Kick, VK, okko
- Chinese Douyu
- Ukrainian Twitch, Youtube
- Spanish Twitch, Youtube, Kick, facebook