Honor of Kings Challenger Cup 2026 returns with the sixth edition of the event

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The Honor of Kings Challenger Cup 2026 is about to begin its sixth season. It’s a major esports competition for Honor of Kings players within the country, offering a prize pool of almost $1.5 million.

This year’s competition will include teams from major leagues like KPL, KGL, MKL, PKL, and IKL. Weibo Gaming is the current champion and will be aiming to defend its title, but other teams will be competing fiercely to take the crown.

This article provides a complete overview of the Honor of Kings Challenger Cup 2026, covering all the key details you need to know.

Honor of Kings Challenger Cup 2026: Schedule and Format

The event will happen in stages, beginning on April 25th, 2026 with Stage 1. This first stage will unfold over several days, with the initial matches being best-of-five and the second round best-of-seven. A special rule called ‘Challengers’ Blessing’ will be in effect during Stage 1. Two top teams will have guaranteed spots, while the remaining teams will be randomly assigned their starting positions. The eight highest-performing teams from Stage 1 will move on to Stage 2.

The second phase of the competition runs from May 8th to the 17th, with an additional day of matches on the 23rd. The eight teams will be randomly assigned to a double-elimination bracket, playing best-of-seven matches (BO7). The championship match will be a best-of-nine (BO9). All matches will use a global ban and pick system, and each final match – whether BO7 or BO9 – will feature an Ultimate Battle.

Participating Teams

Prize Pool

I’m so excited about this tournament! Not only is the prize pool massive for a local competition, but teams will also get KPL points, which is amazing. The total prize money is a whopping ¥10,000,000 – that’s about $1,467,000! It’s going to be incredible to see who takes it all home.

Team Ranking Prize Pool (approx. in USD)
The Champion ¥3,000,000 ($440,000)
Runner-up ¥1,100,000 ($162,000)
3rd ¥750,000 ($110,000)
4th ¥550,000 ($80,000)
5th-6th ¥400,000 ($59,000)
7th-8th ¥300,000 ($45,000)
9th-16th ¥200,000 ($30,000)
17th-32nd ¥100,000 ($15,000)

Where to watch the Honor of Kings Challenger Cup 2026

The intense competition kicks off this April, and fans are excited to see which team will come out on top. The live event will be held in Beijing and Shanghai, but viewers around the world can also tune in on the event’s official YouTube channel.

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2026-04-21 05:42