Marvel Games and NetEase Games have announced the official launch of the newly established Marvel Rivals Professional League. The award-winning PvP hero shooter Marvel Rivals has gained significant traction across the gaming industry since its release in December 2024.
With an all-time Steam player peak of 642,333, Marvel Rivals has shattered its own records multiple times and has significantly surpassed player counts for other hero shooters such as Overwatch 2 and Apex Legends. In its first month alone, Marvel Rivals peaked at more than 400,000 concurrent players, a level of success that quickly sparked interest from the esports community.
In the past, NetEase organized the Marvel Rivals Championship, which launched in 2024, the game’s release year, and featured a prize pool of approximately $450,000. The newly announced professional league offers increased support for participating teams and an uncapped prize pool of up to $3 million.
The league will include teams from the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Pacific region and China. This year’s season will be played in three stages. The opening stage runs from May to June, followed by the mid-season finals in August.
Stage two will run from September through October, culminating in the grand finals in late November. Beginning this year, nearly all Ignite Series tournaments, along with the mid-season finals, will serve as qualifiers for the grand finals.
League points will be awarded based on final placements in stage one, the mid-season finals and stage two. Teams can secure a spot at the global finals either by winning the stage two playoffs or by finishing near the top of the overall league standings.
To enhance the competitive experience and support a sustainable development pipeline, the Marvel Rivals Esports team has introduced a promotion and relegation system. Under the new structure, teams can earn points throughout the Marvel Rivals Championship 2026. At both the mid-season finals and the conclusion of the season, top Championship teams will have the opportunity to compete against league teams for an official league position.
This year, NetEase has also collaborated with organizations across regions to launch the Marvel Rivals Esports Partner Teams Program. Selected teams will share revenue from in-game team-themed content and receive comprehensive support. Submission date ends January 15th.
