Embark Studios is expanding its esports ambitions for THE FINALS with a new $200,000 global competitive circuit that will culminate in a live championship at DreamHack Stockholm later this year.
Announced on Thursday, the TGM26 Online Series will serve as the publisher’s open-entry pathway for the game’s 2026 competitive season, spanning the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. The circuit will feed into The Grand Major 2026, which is scheduled to take place in Stockholm from Nov. 27-29.
The move builds on Embark’s first live championship for the title and signals a broader effort to formalize THE FINALS as a structured global esports ecosystem rather than a one-off event property. Registration for the online series opened on April 16 on FACEIT.
Under the format outlined by Embark, teams of three will be able to enter without prior qualification and compete across four seasonal cycles in each region. Teams will earn points based on performance, with leaderboard placement determining their route into the year-end championship.
“What we saw from the first Major is that there’s real potential in competitive THE FINALS,” Christian Aarsrud, executive producer at Embark Studios, said in the announcement. “With the Online Series, we’re starting to build a more structured path into that. It’s about making competitive play more accessible, and giving more teams a clear way to reach the highest level of competition.”
The publisher said the season’s $200,000 prize pool will be split between $50,000 allocated across the online series and $150,000 reserved for the Stockholm final.
For Embark, the structure appears designed to balance accessibility with season-long competitive continuity. Each regional cycle will begin with an open-entry Swiss Stage, followed by a Top 16 phase called The Promotion, and a broadcast Top 8 Show Day in which teams compete for points and prize money.
Embark said leaderboard performance across all four cycles will determine qualification outcomes. Regional first-place finishers will receive direct invitations to The Grand Major 2026, while teams placing second through fifth will move into closed qualifiers. Teams finishing sixth through ninth will advance into open qualifiers with competitive advantages.
The year-end event itself will feature 16 teams, a three-day live format, and a revised competitive structure. According to the announcement, the first two days will consist of The Promotion, while the final day will feature The Throne, a King-of-the-Hill championship round in which five teams compete to earn three crowns.
“Embark is one of the most innovative publishers in gaming, and THE FINALS is a one-of-a-kind FPS with a dedicated cult following,” Adam Apicella, senior vice president of esports at ESL FACEIT Group, said in the release. “Last year’s 1,000+ strong crowd in Stockholm proved how passionate the fans are on Embark’s home turf. We’re proud to help continue to grow this ecosystem, providing the grassroots path for players to go from the couch to the main stage.”
Embark said more than 1,600 teams competed globally during the debut season. The 2026 campaign is set to begin in May, with the APAC portion of the circuit opening on May 30.
The online series is hosted on FACEIT, further extending ESL FACEIT Group’s role in the competitive infrastructure around the title, while DreamHack Stockholm will again serve as the live championship destination.