Honor of Kings International Championship expands to 16 teams as the global circuit grows

The world championship grows

Honor of Kings' flagship international event is getting bigger. The 2026 International Championship expands from 12 to 16 teams, adding slots for emerging regions as the mobile MOBA's competitive scene outside China continues to mature.

What's changing

The expansion reshapes the tournament bracket:

• 16 teams — up from 12 — qualify through regional leagues and the KPL.
• Two additional slots go to developing regions, giving more international teams a path to the world stage.
• A play-in stage seeds the lower-ranked qualifiers, with the top finishers joining the main bracket.

The KPL, the game's premier Chinese league, still sends the largest contingent. But the added slots mean more squads from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas will face the region's best.

Why it matters

Honor of Kings is the most-played mobile MOBA in the world, and its esports ecosystem has historically been China-centric. The expansion is a deliberate push to internationalize the competitive scene. More international slots means more regional investment, more local fanbases, and a deeper talent pool.

For viewers, the wider field should make for a less predictable tournament. The gap between the KPL powerhouses and the rest of the world has been closing, and a 16-team bracket gives the challengers more chances to prove it.

How to watch

The official Honor of Kings broadcast carries the championship live, with the group stage running across two weekends and the knockout rounds following. Regional co-streams cover the event in multiple languages.

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See our Honor of Kings coverage and the live channels page for the broadcast schedule.