BSC 2026 LCQ Groups Set for Guangzhou
The eight-team field for the Brawl Stars Championship 2026 Last Chance Qualifier is arranged into two groups for Guangzhou. Group A contains Ace Xero, FUT Esports Academy, KDS Esports and Team Heretics. Group B contains LOUD, Natus Vincere, SKCalalas EA and TOC. The offline event runs on October 17 and October 18, with two places at the World Finals available through a group stage and double-elimination playoff.
Supercell and BLAST are listed as organizers, and the competition carries an $18,000 prize pool. The central value of the group draw is clarity: every qualified team now has a defined four-team pool before the playoff route begins. The field also brings together teams from several qualification paths, including regional points, Chinese Mainland competition and the Challengers Finals route. Once play starts, the group structure determines which four teams reach the elimination matches.
Each group uses the GSL form of double elimination. Two opening matches feed an upper path and a lower path, so a team’s route can continue after its first series. Two teams from each group advance. Every listed match uses Bo5xBo3, meaning five sets with each set played as a best of three games. Keeping that notation intact matters for readers following live scorecards: a series score and an individual game score sit at different levels of the format.
How the two-stage route works
The group stage reduces eight teams to four. Group A and Group B each produce two advancing teams, and those survivors enter the playoff elimination matches. The playoff is also double elimination. The published structure awards one World Finals qualification place through the upper bracket and one through the lower bracket, so the final two tickets can come from different paths through the same playoff.
That layout creates two distinct pressure points. First, a team must survive its four-team GSL group. Second, it must secure one of the two qualification positions in the playoff. A group win provides the cleanest route into the next phase, while a team that moves through the lower side still remains in the competition. The format rewards recovery, but every series carries weight because two losses within a double-elimination stage end that stage’s run.
The group composition gives each half a recognizable mix. Group A pairs China’s Ace Xero with FUT Esports Academy, KDS Esports and Team Heretics. Group B places LOUD with Natus Vincere, SKCalalas EA and TOC. These are the listed teams, and results must come from the matches in Guangzhou. The draw supplies opponents and routes; competitive form will determine any favorite.
The face-to-face setting is also important. Supercell’s competition guide describes the LCQ as an eight-team event for the final two World Finals places. Guangzhou is therefore the last competitive gate before the championship field is complete. The dates cover two days, allowing the group phase and decisive elimination matches to form one compact event. Fans following a single team can start with its group, then trace its upper or lower route after each result.
What viewers should track
The simplest viewing method is to separate group qualification from World Finals qualification. Reaching the top two of Group A or Group B earns a place in the playoff stage. It does not yet award one of the final two tickets. Those tickets are settled only through the subsequent double-elimination bracket. A standings graphic after the groups and a bracket graphic during playoffs answer different questions.
The exact Bo5xBo3 format also supports deeper series than a single-set match. Momentum can change across the five possible sets, while the best-of-three games inside each set determine that set’s result. When the event begins, complete reporting should preserve team names, the series score, the bracket path and the qualification consequence without collapsing those layers into one number.
- Group A: Ace Xero, FUT Esports Academy, KDS Esports and Team Heretics.
- Group B: LOUD, Natus Vincere, SKCalalas EA and TOC.
- Two teams per group reach playoffs; two playoff teams qualify for World Finals.
| Stage | Teams remaining | Format | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group stage | Eight | Two GSL groups; Bo5xBo3 | Four teams advance |
| Playoff | Four | Double elimination; Bo5xBo3 | Two World Finals places |
The Guangzhou LCQ now has a clean map from eight teams to two World Finals qualifiers. Group A and Group B each send two survivors into a double-elimination playoff, and every series uses the same Bo5xBo3 structure. The draw supplies the route; the October 17 and October 18 matches will supply the teams that complete it.
