ALGS Year 6 LCQ 2026: Dates, Eligibility, Format and the Final 8 Sapporo Spots

The ALGS Year 6 Last Chance Qualifier is the final door into the Championship in Sapporo, but it is not a fresh open tournament that any new team can simply register for in November. The LCQ brings together Split 2 Pro League teams that have not already qualified through Championship Points and the best Challenger Circuit Split 2 teams that earned entry through tournament wins or circuit points. It runs online November 20–22, 2026 across Americas, EMEA, APAC North and APAC South. Each regional LCQ contains 40 teams, and only the top two from each region reach the Championship, creating the final eight places in the 40-team world championship. This guide covers the qualification paths, player eligibility, registration deadline, roster locks and competition format.

1) When is the ALGS Year 6 LCQ?

The official calendar lists the Last Chance Qualifier for Friday, November 20 through Sunday, November 22, 2026. It is an online event with separate tournaments in Americas, EMEA, APAC North and APAC South. Detailed session times can vary by region and should be taken from the final ALGS/Battlefy schedule.

2) What is at stake?

The LCQ awards the final eight seats at the ALGS Championship. The Championship has 40 teams: 32 qualify through Championship Points and eight through LCQ, with the top two from each of the four regions advancing. There is effectively no extra regional margin after the Finals: third place does not go to Sapporo through this route.

3) Which Pro League teams qualify for LCQ?

The Year 6 rules say all Split 2 Pro League teams in Americas, EMEA, APAC North and APAC South that do not qualify for the Championship via Championship Points qualify for their regional LCQ. The final number of Pro League teams in each LCQ depends on the Championship Points picture after Split 2 and is posted on Battlefy.

4) Which Challenger Circuit teams qualify?

Challenger Circuit Split 2 sends the winner of each tournament, up to four teams per region, plus a minimum of the top six teams by Total Challenger Circuit Split 2 Points. EA says the final number of point-qualified teams will be posted on Battlefy after Pro League Split 2 concludes, because the regional LCQ field must ultimately total 40 teams.

5) Can a new team register directly for LCQ?

No. A team must first earn an LCQ place through Pro League or Challenger Circuit. Once qualified, the team still has to complete event registration on Battlefy by the applicable deadline. Challenger Circuit teams that fail to confirm by the deadline in their invitation can be replaced by the next eligible team in the points order.

6) What is the registration deadline?

Year 6 rules set the registration deadline for Online Open, Challenger Circuit, PLQ and LCQ events at 12:00 PM PT on the Wednesday before the event. Since LCQ begins Friday, November 20, the general LCQ registration deadline is Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM PT. Invited teams must also respect any deadline stated in their invitation.

7) What are the basic player eligibility requirements?

Players must meet the age requirement at registration: at least 18 in South Korea, 17 in Japan and 16 in all other eligible territories. They must be legal residents of an eligible country or territory, have a valid EA Account with Two-Factor Authentication, a Battlefy account linked to EA, and Player Level 50 or higher. Steam, PlayStation and Xbox identities must be linked to the valid EA Account, and certain tournaments may also require a connected Discord account.

8) What are the LCQ roster lock times?

ALGS teams can contain at least three and no more than four competitors, plus one optional non-playing coach. For PLQ and LCQ, removals close at 12:00 PM PT on the Tuesday before the event, which is November 17 for this LCQ. Additions close at 12:00 PM PT on Wednesday, November 18.

9) How do roster requirements differ by qualification path?

A Challenger Circuit team that qualified by winning a Split 2 tournament must retain the exact competitor roster from its most recently won CC Split 2 event. A team qualifying through CC Points must retain the exact roster from its most recently completed Split 2 Challenger Circuit tournament. A Pro League team entering LCQ must retain at least two competitors from the roster of its most recently completed Pro League series.

10) How does the 40-team format work?

Each region runs one 40-team LCQ. Seeding first uses Championship Points held by the three highest-earning competitors on the roster, followed by Challenger Circuit Split 2 Points. Teams are then snake-drafted into two Winners Round 1 heats of 20 teams each. The event uses a double-elimination bracket.

11) How long are the bracket series?

The official rules specify six-match series for Winners Bracket Round 1, Winners Bracket Round 2, Elimination Bracket Round 1 and Elimination Bracket Round 2. Teams earn standard ALGS match points throughout those series before the surviving field reaches the Finals.

12) How do the Finals work?

The LCQ culminates in Match Point Finals. Under ALGS Match Point, a team must first reach the eligibility threshold and then win a subsequent match to close out the series, rather than simply leading after a fixed match count. The top two final teams in each regional LCQ secure the two Championship berths.

13) Are POI Drafting and Legend Bans used?

Year 6 keeps POI Drafting and Legend Bans as core competitive systems, and the season announcement specifically notes that Legend Bans are used in LCQ competition. Teams therefore need plans for both landing priority and legend flexibility across long multi-series brackets.

14) What happens after an LCQ team qualifies?

A team that reaches the Championship through LCQ must keep its exact LCQ competitor roster for the Championship under the Year 6 rules. The Championship is scheduled for January 28–31, 2027 in Sapporo, Japan, with 40 teams competing for a $2,000,000 prize pool.

15) What is not final yet?

Do not publish a final 40-team list for each region before the qualification process is complete. The exact mix of Pro League teams and additional CC Points teams depends on Split 2 results and Championship Points. Final regional session times and seeding are also operational details that ALGS/Battlefy will publish later.

Key numbers

• November 20–22, 2026: LCQ dates.
• 4 regions: Americas, EMEA, APAC North, APAC South.
• 40 teams in each regional LCQ.
• Top 2 per region advance.
• 8 Championship spots come from LCQ.
• 32 Championship spots come from Championship Points.
• Nov. 18, 12:00 PM PT: general LCQ registration deadline.
• Nov. 17, 12:00 PM PT: LCQ roster-removal lock.
• Nov. 18, 12:00 PM PT: LCQ roster-addition lock.
• Championship: Jan. 28–31, 2027 in Sapporo.
• Championship prize pool: $2,000,000.