This landmark event will occur from January 29 to February 2, 2025, at the Daiwa House PREMIST DOME, a 42,000-seat stadium on the outskirts of Sapporo.

The championship will feature top Apex Legends teams from around the world competing for a share of a US$2 million prize pool.

This significant move highlights the growing global reach of Apex Legends and taps into Japan’s strong fanbase and competitive scene.

The announcement was made during the Split 2 Playoffs in Mannheim, Germany, where the tournament saw peak viewing figures of 371,239, making it the 13th most-watched event in Apex Legends history.

John Nelson, Senior Director of Esports at EA Entertainment, expressed excitement about bringing the championship to Japan, noting the massive community support in the region.

��Apex Legends is an internationally renowned franchise, and it��s incredibly rewarding when we get to show up in the hometowns of our players and fans around the world,” Nelson said.

��The ALGS has a massive community in Japan, and we��ve seen all of the comments asking us to bring the program to the country, which is why we couldn��t be more excited to celebrate the marquee event on our competitive calendar at the iconic Daiwa House PREMIST DOME.��

This event in Sapporo promises to be a highlight in the Apex Legends competitive calendar, offering a spectacular setting and high stakes for teams and fans alike.

ALGS IS GOING TO JAPAN! pic.twitter.com/75wxSoWRnb

— Apex Legends Esports (@PlayApexEsports) September 1, 2024

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At the outset of the opening day’s group stage, Alliance faced a daunting challenge as Effect was unable to compete due to visa delays.

However, a glimmer of hope has emerged on the horizon.

Despite the setback of playing without Effect, Alliance exhibited an exceptional performance.

They secured a crucial victory on Worlds Edge during the Group C vs. Group D matches, thanks to the outstanding contributions of their substitute player Mikkel “Mande” Hestbek.

Following this impressive triumph, Alliance received uplifting news.

I GOT MY VISA BIRMINGHAM I COME LFGGGG

— Effect (@xEffecto) September 6, 2023

If this visa approval holds, Effect could soon join his teammates in Birmingham.

Under ALGS rules, teams are allowed to switch players and utilize their designated substitute throughout the tournament.

The inclusion of Effect in the line up adds a significant boost of firepower to the Alliance squad, making them a formidable contender for winning the ALGS Championship.

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Among the individuals are Miron “Effect” Novikov from Alliance, Kiryl ��9impulse�� Kostsiu and Lev ��taskmast33r�� Grigoriev of Aurora Gaming.

To fill in for Effect, Mikkel “Mande” Hestbek will step up, while Aurora Gaming will fill the spots of 9impulse and taskmaster with Jose ��Uxako�� Llosa from Entropiq and Keenan ��Tax�� Mackey from Myztro Gaming.

Welcome to ALGS: Championship 2023

Due to visa issues, we had to invite substitutes to participate in the Champs. Thanks to @Taxington and @UxakoTTV for help.

Important note: if @9impu1se & @taskmast33r can get a visa before/during ALGS, they will arrive and play. pic.twitter.com/YEIqGTvOlm

— Aurora Apex (@AuroraApex_GG) September 5, 2023

These visa related challenges mark another instance within a series of issues that have plagued the ALGS this year.

Back in May, several players were unable to attend the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs in Stockholm, Sweden, due to similar visa complications.

The frustrations stemming from these visa problems have affected both players and fans alike.

The general manager for the Alliance Apex Legends team Pontus “Chef P.” Bengtsson, released an update on the team and what things will look like at the ALGS Championship via his twitter account.

Short #ALGS update

Mande will start the group stage as our sub

Effect will come if we get VISA news before Friday

A prize cut split is already in agreement between Effect/Mande

The squad is confident no matter who plays, time to bring it home! #LongLiveAlliance pic.twitter.com/Ni08LLZChI

— Alliance | Pontus (@chefPontus) September 4, 2023

Despite these setbacks both Alliance and Aurora Gaming are still eligible to participate at the event.

However they will face a disadvantage because they will have to rely on substitutes who may not be as acquainted with the game or their teammates.

Unfortunately, Fire Beavers will not get to participate at the Championship at all, as none of their players received visas in time, leaving them with no choice but to forfeit their spot at the event.

The ALGS Championship marks the pinnacle of the year ALGS circuit.

This tournament will showcase 40 top notch Apex Legends teams from across the globe vying for a portion of the $2 million prize pool.

The ALGS Championship is scheduled to take place from September 6-10.

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The newly signed team, previously known as “Fire Beavers”, has earned its acclaim notably in the CIS region��s esports scene as a top-ranked outfit.

With Aurora��s backing, they now eye the grand prize in the much-anticipated ALGS Championship.

The team comprises of team captain and IGL Kiryl ��9impulse�� Kostsiu, Lev ��taskmast33r�� Grigoriev, Svyatoslav ��ojrein�� Korochinsky, and coach Nikita ��clawz�� Marchinsky.

They have cemented an impressive track record on their home front with several first-place finishes, reflecting a promising feat ahead of the championship.

Here is a mysterious story about a wandering beaver who fears nothing and is willing to take risks to achieve the highest results in his business.

Starting today @9Impu1se, @taskmast33r, @ojrein and @clawzzzy will officially represent our organization at Apex Legends�� pic.twitter.com/SB43fkRptV

— Aurora (@TheAurora_GG) August 24, 2023

It’s now up to the squad to uphold and image and deliver on the heightened expectations within the esports community as they chart their course for the ALGS competition.

Since its founding in 2020, Aurora eSports has been clear in its mission: to foster remarkable teams and help them reach their potential in the esports sphere.

With this strategic move, cementing a position within the top tier of the CIS esports scene, the future continues to shine promisingly for the organization.

From an outsider��s perspective, this acquisition may signal an intensified betting field in the upcoming ALGS Championship.

The added firepower from Aurora eSports increases the competition pressure, thus making the event more thrilling than ever.

As such, the signing is not merely a win for Aurora and the signed team, but undeniably the esports industry at large.

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The ALGS continues its upward trajectory in official broadcast average viewership as the just concluded tournament surpassed the previous event. According to Esports Charts, the event’s grand finals attracted more than 632,000 concurrent viewers.

Although it could be argued that the peak does not quite match nor surpass the 676,000 concurrent viewers mark set by the Split 2 Playoffs in May. It does, however, outperform that event in a few key ways. Among them is a higher average viewership over a longer event, with nearly 290,000 viewers across platforms throughout the event.

??In terms of total hours watched, the Championship surpassed the Split 2 Playoffs due to higher average viewership and more broadcasting hours. At the conclusion of the tournament, the Split 2 Playoffs had 9.6 million hours watched, while the Championship had 11.2 million hours watched.??

Another significant milestone for Apex Legends esports occurred on Twitch. According to TwitchTracker, the PlayApex channel that hosted the official broadcast surpassed the 200,000 viewers mark for the first time, peaking at more than 213,000 viewers.??

In most online tournaments, the ALGS allows individual players to stream their own games with a delay, but Apex esports is a little different. Traditionally, Apex events’ audiences have been dispersed across many pro players’ channels, the main broadcast, and content creators hosting their own watch parties. With many of those individual streams no longer available due to players being on LAN, the main broadcast saw its highest viewership numbers ever.

??The official B Stream of the event on Jack “NiceWigg” Martin’s channel, where the 100 Thieves streamer cast the tournament on location alongside Charlotte Phoenix pro Athanasios “MrGreekGod” Alestas, supplemented the main broadcast. The stream attracted more than 10,000 viewers on a regular basis. There were also more successful watch parties. During the finals, Timmy “iiTzTimmy” An had over 50,000 viewers on his channel, while Dalton “Daltoosh” Hester had over 25,000 viewers at his watch party on the final day of the event.

There was also the total viewership on the Apex Legends Twitch channel, which was the most popular last night. With the promise of the third year of ALGS just around the corner, the viewership numbers for Apex esports look promising for the future.

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This is one of the most intriguing success stories in title history. DarkZero, who joined Apex Legends on July 5 after signing the former Reignite roster, have won one of the biggest tournaments in the ALGS.

The victory would be more fulfilling for team captain Noyan ��Genburten�� Ozkose. The Australian-Turkish player was unavailable to help his team during the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs in Stockholm due to COVID-19.

However, the team won the event with Jake “Jmw” Walters, who was Genburten’s replacement for the tournament. With the Australian reunited with his compatriots, they won their second straight Apex title.

It was not an excellent start for DarkZero in the ALGS Championship. Although they finished 13th in the group stage, they failed to record a single kill in the first two maps. Fortunately, they went on an incredible spree to finish in the top 20 and secure a winners bracket berth.

Although DZ were the ultimate champions, they were not the first team to become ‘Match Point Eligible’. The ALGS format maintains that the first team to win a match after they are Match Point Eligible is declared the winner.

To get to that point, teams have to gather minimum total points of 50 in the finals. FURIA Esports were the first team on match point after accumulating 64 points in the first five rounds. Unfortunately, that single win to get over the hump seemed elusive.

DZ reached match point in Round 8, joining eight other teams who needed one victory to be declared champions. Where every other team failed, the Aussie team succeeded.

OpTic Gaming, TSM, and Cloud9 needed a victory to deny DZ and stop the tournament from ending. However, DZ collected six kills in the final circle to win first place.

FURIA finished second with 85 total points, the most in the finals. 100 Thieves, Fnatic, and GMT Esports round up the top five.

The tournament was rife with inconsistencies, as there were several complaints from players each passing day. Several teams complained of visa issues, with most having to field substitutes.

Sadly, Team Empire, who were considered one of the favorites to win the event, did not make it to Raleigh, North Carolina. All three Russian team players were denied visas, forcing the organization to withdraw from the competition.

AYM Esports replaced Team Empire in the competition but did not do as well as the Russian team might have done. They finished 14th with 46 total points and won US$24,000 after the nine-round finals.

Along with bragging rights, DZ walked away with $500,000 from the $2 million prize pool.

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The latest team to share their experience on their path to the 2022 ALGS Championship is Luminosity Gaming. The North America-based team took to Twitter to announce that they will have to field replacements for the event.

Two of their players were unable to secure visas for the tournament, despite the efforts of PGL, RESPAWN Entertainment, and the host city.

“Due to issues securing visas, YanYa (Ghanja) and Neazul will not be able to attend the upcoming ALGS Championship. We would like to thank the City of Raleigh, PGL, and RESPAWN for their assistance throughout the process and working with us to try to secure the visas in time for the event.

“As temporary substitutes, we will have Monsoon and Shiny joining us from Complexity for next weekend’s event.”

The tournament is scheduled to be held at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina USA. Action will commence on July 7 with group stage bouts and will run through to July 10.

During the second split of the Pro League, LG were one of the teams with an incredible campaign in NA. It will be a shame to not witness them operate at full strength on the world stage.

The Mexican trio of Jacobo “NMEgo” Rios, Luis Enrique “Neazul” Ramos Suarez, and Saul “YanYa” Ocampo (also known as GhanjaMen) qualified for the Stockholm LAN despite competing as free agents, thanks to YanYa’s enthralling display.

In April, they were signed by LG just before the ALGS Split 2 playoffs, and have since flown the banner of the organization. They ended up finishing fifth in Sweden, which earned them a prize of $60,000 and a spot in the ALGS Championship.

Unfortunately, they will have to compete in the upcoming event without YanYa and Neazul. YanYa’s absence will prove to be a devastating loss for LG.

The talented team has taken a significant hit as a result of losing YanYa, in particular. The 18-year-old finished fifth overall after the conclusion of North America’s Pro League Split 2 in terms of the number of total kills. Added to that was a third-place finish in the Split Two Playoffs for most total damage registered.

One area where Luminosity Gaming could be thankful for, compared to other teams, is the ease of finding substitutes because they are based in the region. As stated in the press release, Complexity’s Bowen “Monsoon” Fuller and Bryan “iShiny” McCarthy will be the stand-ins.

Complexity’s failure to qualify for the event made it a lot easier for LG to attract both players. Although they failed to lead complexity to the LAN event, Monsoon and iShiny are two skilled veterans who have built chemistry over the years.

While they are undoubtedly not LG’s first choice, one could argue that they are the best available.

Recall that pros have expressed their displeasure with how events have unfolded in the past. Element 6’s Ali ��Naghz�� Naghawi will not be participating as the UK-based player failed to secure a visa early enough. He blamed the organizers for the late announcement of the schedule.

Team Empire also announced their withdrawal from the event after all three players were denied visas to the US. As things stand, only 39 teams will be competing as EA and Respawn have not announced a replacement for Empire.

LG is the first NA team to use substitutes for the tournament, which promises a prize pool of $2 million.
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Even as some of the best Apex Legends teams make their way down to Raleigh, North Carolina, others might have to do so without fielding their complete roster. In the case of Team Empire, they will completely miss the event due to difficulty obtaining a visa.

While this is the most recent bad news coming from ALGS Championship participants, it is not the first. Recall that Element 6’s Ali ��Naghz�� Naghawi will miss the event for the same issue. The UK player was denied a visa and blamed the organizers for the late announcement of the tournament date.

Team Empire, who had the best run in the EMEA split 2 pro league and an eighth-place finish in the playoffs have been forced to give up their spot. At the time of publishing, a replacement team had not been announced.

The organization revealed that players Kirill “RANCHES” Rulinwere, Denis “cleaveee” Rassokhin, and Alexey “Maliwan” Rusinov had all been denied visas to enter the United States, making it impossible to be present at the LAN event.

Seeing as all three players were denied, the team was forced to withdraw rather than look for replacements. Due to difficulties in obtaining visas, multiple teams from the Asia-Pacific region have been forced to use emergency replacements in their lineups.

So far, Team Empire is the only full team that’s been denied entry to the United States, which suggests that Empire’s problems might stem from Russia’s frosty international relations with nearly every other country in the world. The strained relations are due to their ongoing attack on Ukraine.

It undoubtedly will be more upsetting for Team Empire seeing as other CIS squads were given visas to participate. FA Kitties fields a three-man team of Russians, and two of ZETA DIVISION’s players are also Russians.

It is sad to see Team Empire out of the tournament, especially as they were considered favorites to win the competition. Fans have taken a liking to their hyper-aggressive playstyle and team composition.

In the Stockholm LAN, Team Empire managed a top-ten finish while using less popular legends like Mad Maggie in the tournament which was dominated by Valkyrie and Gibraltar. They have shown an innate understanding of the game, and not relied solely on legends.

The four-day event will commence on July 7 and will run through to July 10. Originally, 40 teams ought to participate, but it remains unclear if Empire will be replaced or if the organizers will consider a format change.

Regardless, all teams will fight for a piece of the $2,000,000 prize pool at PNC Arena. The finals will host 20 teams, and the winner will be whoever wins a match first after being “match point eligible.” To get to that stage, a team must first reach 50 points in the finals.

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Apex Legends has been denied a tournament of this magnitude for three years. The COVID-19 pandemic derailed several Apex plans, making this one of the most anticipated events.

Sadly, the build up to the event has been riddled with issues for the players. Although the fans are planning to come to watch their favorite players in action, many might be disappointed.

The tournament, which will be happening in Raleigh, North Carolina, US, might see teams fielding several substitute players.

Element 6’s player Ali ��Naghz�� Naghawi has revealed that he will miss the tournament due to failure to secure a visa. He faulted EA for announcing the date late.

“As some of you may know I was having troubles with getting the US VISA expedited on time for Champs and know this has resulted in me not having enough time to obtain the VISA because London is fully booked out till November,” he said.

“If the tourney was announced months before like it should have been I would not have this problem with the US VISA. I have no more options as I have tried everything and from what I have gathered EA & PGL doesn’t truly have any power in this situation once the expedited procedure has been denied.”

Although the 21-year-old is a UK citizen, he revealed that the office in London is fully booked till November. He pointed out that a visit to Iran in 2013 made him ineligible to apply for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).

However, it is worth pointing out that UK citizens are eligible for ESTA, which is essentially a visa waiver program. With ESTA, UK citizens can travel to the US for up to 90 days without needing to get a visa.

Naghz played a crucial role in helping Element 6 secure a spot in the ALGS Championship. Unfortunately, he will not be participating in the tournament.

In the past, players have had issues traveling to ALGS events. Acend’s Ameer ��VJEIX�� Hassan failed to secure a visa to the ALGS Split 2 playoffs in Stockholm, Sweden.

While securing visas has been a problem, players have also complained about not practicing. TSM’s Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen has taken to social media to complain about the lack of practice.

“Less than a month till the Biggest Apex tournament ever and still no practice to be done since Customs are still not fixed Nice”

Players will have to participate without getting a feel of the tournament setting. Meanwhile, some players have resolved to play ranked mode to stay frosty.

The global championship will commence on July 7 and run through to July 10. 40 teams will compete for a piece of the $2,000,000 prize pool.

The group stage will be played to a conclusion on July 7, while the next stage (bracket) will happen on July 8 and 9. Some 20 teams will participate in the finals on July 10, with the first team to win a match after being “match point eligible” wins the tournament.

To be declared “match point eligible,” a team needs to reach a minimum total points of 50 in the finals.