Cookie Run: OvenBreak said on the 26th that it unveiled plans to run the esports tournament "World Championship 2026" and will expand it into a large-scale offline fan festival to mark the 10th anniversary.
This year's World Championship will proceed in three stages: the in-game "Grand Champions League," regional qualifiers, and the main event. The main event will be held in Seoul on Oct. 24 and 25, and will be run in conjunction with an offline fan festival commemorating the 10th anniversary of the service.
The main event will use a "single-elimination tournament" format so every match carries the tension of a final. With one loss leading directly to elimination, the plan is to heighten viewer immersion.
The reward system is also being strengthened. All main-event participants will receive a commemorative title of "Ultimate" grade, and the final champion will be awarded a new, higher-grade title. The title includes a feature that uniquely changes the escape level icon.
A pre-season NAMING. system using the World Champion's name will also be introduced. The "Champions League" will run as the "kukusi" season using last year's champion's name, and a trophy and jelly skin set reflecting a champion-dedication design will be unveiled.
Viewer rewards are also being expanded. In addition to match-prediction events, tokens will be granted if a selected regional player wins in the qualifiers, and the scope of rewards in the World Championship token shop will be expanded.
The "Grand Champions League," which determines who advances to the qualifiers, will be held twice, from Feb. 27 to March and from late June to July. A total of 32 players will be selected, eight from each of four regions—snowfield, sea, grassland, and desert.
The selection rounds are subdivided into a first phase with 20 groups and a second selection round, and rules will be changed so the pause function cannot be used starting from the selection stage to enhance fairness and focus.
The regional qualifiers will be broadcast live online in early Oct., and a total of eight players—the first and second place from each region—will advance to the main event. The first-place player in each region will also receive 1 million won in prize money.