ALGS Championship begins

The Apex Legends Global Series Championship will kick off in Raleigh, North Carolina on July 7. 40 of the world’s best teams will battle it out for a share of the $2,000,000 prize pool.

The 2022 ALGS Championship marks the first truly international season-ending event for Respawn’s FPS battle royale, after regional championships were held in 2021.

Pre-event chaos

We would be remiss if this preview of the ALGS Championship didn’t address the sheer chaos the tournament has been facing over the past weeks. A major patch bug derailed the stability of private lobbies, meaning the ability for pro players to practice was severely reduced. Furthermore, eight of the 40 teams in attendance have been forced to use stand-ins due to issues acquiring visas for the United States. This includes AYM Esports, the team that replaced Team Empire after Empire were forced to withdraw from the tournament following visa application rejections for their entire roster.

Even as the event nears, chaos still reigns. On July 4, Reignite announced that they had released their roster. The Japanese/Australian organization were seen as a one of the favorites to take home title. It is unclear whether the releases will take effect after the championship or if Reignite will field a brand-new roster when the tournament begins.

ALGS Championship format

The tournament format can also be confusing and intimidating to the unfamiliar eye.

The Championship starts with a group stage held on July 7. The 40 teams in attendance are split into four groups of 10. Each team then plays a total of 18 games (six sets of three matches) against other teams in their group. At the end of the group stage, the top 20 teams will be seeded into the winners’ bracket and the bottom 20 will be seeded into the lower bracket.

The bracket stage will be played across July 8 and 9. Each portion will be comprised of an eight-game series. In the winner’s bracket, the top 10 teams will progress to the Grand Final, while the bottom 10 will fall into the lower bracket. This process is repeated twice in the lower bracket – top 10 progress, bottom 10 are eliminated. This leaves the field at 20 teams for the Grand Final.

The Final takes place on July 10 and is played in a match point format. The first team to reach 50 points wins the tournament. Once a team reaches 50 points, they become “match point eligible” and the first match point eligible team to win a match wins the tournament, as multiple teams can be match point eligible. Furthermore, the 10 teams from the winner’s bracket start with “advance points”, meaning they carry a points advantage of up to 10 points into the Finals.

Tournament favorites

If Reignite retain their roster, they will remain tournament favorites (though it’s hard to predict the effect of the roster’s impending release). Outside of the Australian trio, you also have Team Liquid and PULVEREX (formerly Team Unite), who finished second and third respectively behind Reignite at the ALGS Split 2 playoffs in May.

Overall, expect this to be a tournament heavily dominated by North American and Asia-Pacific teams.

ALGS Championship

The ALGS Championship is set to begin July 7 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Finals are scheduled for July 10.

Header: Alexisrael, Electronic Arts