Kuaishou Gaming (KSG) has been crowned champion of the Honor of Kings World Cup at Esports World Cup 2026, defeating AG.AL 4-3 in a closely contested Grand Final. The victory gives KSG the largest share of the tournament’s US$3 million prize pool.
This year’s tournament also marked a milestone for the competitive scene, with Honor of Kings and Arena of Valor teams competing together on the international stage for the first time at the Esports World Cup.
Honor of Kings Esports Continues Global Expansion
The World Cup arrives in the middle of an increasingly packed year for Honor of Kings esports, as its competitive ecosystem continues to expand across international, regional, grassroots, and collegiate competitions. The first half of 2026 saw NOVA Esports claim the Honor of Kings Invitational Season 4 championship, while HYVE All Star emerged victorious in the Honor of Kings Women’s Series 3.
The competitive year will culminate with the 2026 Honor of Kings International Championship in December. The tournament will bring together 16 of the world’s best teams, providing one of the biggest international stages of the season as competitors battle for the opportunity to end 2026 as Honor of Kings world champions.
Honor of Kings will also feature as an official medal event at the 2026 Asian Games, with competition taking place from September 27-28 in Nagoya, Japan; while later in the year, Honor of Kings at the 2026 Esports Nations Cup will take place from November 24-29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Regional Leagues and Women’s Series Continue
Regional professional leagues will return for their Fall seasons across multiple markets, including:
- Indonesia Kings Laga (IKL)
- Malaysia Honor of Kings League (MKL)
- Philippine Kings League (PKL)
- Honor of Kings Brazil Championship (CHOKBR)
- Honor of Kings Major League (KML)
The Honor of Kings Women’s Series 4 will also run from September to October, with more than 36 teams expected to participate before an offline final. The competition will lead into the KWS4 World Championship, which will take place alongside KIC2026 in December.
Grassroots and Campus Esports Expand Across Southeast Asia
Honor of Kings is also continuing to develop its grassroots competitive scene through the Honor of Kings Open Series, with Split 6 running across July and August as a pathway into the Regional Professional Leagues.
At the collegiate level, the HOK Campus Series (KCS) will run from August to October across Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia, with more than 30,000 participants expected.
Meanwhile, KCS Future will take place from July to November across more than 16 secondary schools in Indonesia. The program is expected to attract over 2,400 participants and will feature a combined prize pool exceeding IDR 60 million.
