Apex Legends esports is going from strength to strength, as evidenced by the success of the Winter Circuit Playoffs. While the scene has been growing consistently over the course of the first Apex Legends Global Series, broadcast viewing figures came to a head in the Winter Circuit.
Including player co-streams, the Winter Circuit Playoffs generated a cumulative 100,000 average minute audience, according to EA. This surpasses the previous most-watched ALGS tournament by over 50%. Most of these viewers appeared to be split between the official broadcast and Phillip ‘ImperialHal’ Dosen, and were likely enticed by the Championship stakes and the introduction of Twitch Drops that offered in-game cosmetics.
EA and Respawn have also revealed details about the ALGS Championship, including the full schedule and the finalised groups. As a reminder before we get into the nitty gritty of the groups, EMEA and NA regions will have four groups of ten teams, and APAC North, APAC South, and South America will have three groups of ten teams. Each group will play each other group twice in the case of EMEA and NA, and three times in the case of the remaining regions.
Points will then be tallied up based on placement and kills, and the top 20 teams from each region will go forward to the ALGS Championship Finals, which will be played with the iconic Match Point format.
A total of 170 teams have qualified for the ALGS Championship, and groups have been decided in a snake draft format based on their total ALGS points to date.
In the NA region, tournament favourites TeamSoloMid have been drawn in the same group as CounterLogic Gaming and Sentinels. However, every group looks pretty competitive, as Group C sees Complexity battle it out against Spacestation, and Group D pits AimAssist and Team Liquid against a strong lobby.
Here’s what the full NA draft looks like:
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| TSM | NRG | Complexity | AimAssist |
| CLG | Renegades | Spacestation | Team Liquid |
| Sentinels | MST | HRN | Charlotte Phoenix |
| My Little Phony | Team Superior | SMILE | Cloud 9 |
| 2Brains 1Controller | Bottom 20 | BSC | SZN |
| Ranked is Harder | Dudes Night Out | We want LAN | Honey Bunches of Ceryal |
| Team XD | TSS | ESA White | Letter E |
| Down with the Thiccness | FYP | Obey Alliance | Wallie Catchers |
| Kanaka’s Pets | Absolute Monarchy | Flashpoint | KSB |
| Pubstars | AMV | Content | Lonely Fans |
Group B looks strong in the EMEA region, with Nessy, NAVI, and an in-form Les cités de France all featuring. Group A is similarly strong, but Group D is the closest thing we have to a “group of death,” and could also see plenty of high-octane action (pun intended) if the inconsistent SCARZ boys turn up against big dogs Alliance. GnaskeYukiDel could also make things interesting in that group.
If you were looking to support an underdog, the biggest chance of an upset is likely Group C, where we could see a talented orgless team take the win. The likes of soloQgoats and Nuggets, Crumpets, and Dolphins feature some of EMEA’s biggest streamers, so the matches will undoubtedly be exciting.
EMEA is looking like this:
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Gambit Esports | Nessy | Fenerbache Esports | Alliance |
| Flavor of the Month | Reply Totem Esports | Third Impact | SCARZ Europe |
| ATK | NAVI | ChMK x LG | GnaskeYukiDel |
| Magicians | Les cités de France | dead inside | Team HLDC |
| 303 Esports | Flying Camels | DNMK | K1CK |
| NEW Esports | MajorPushers | Top Dogs | 789 |
| Team Legion | Disco Boys | UNDERRATED | SUCCUBUS |
| Game of Drones | Endeavour | soloQgoats | Fire Beavers |
| Forg Gang | WeLikeThatMate | Nuggets, Crumpets, and Dolphins | Insiders |
| ShexWillAndy | Yapeers | Samsung Morning Stars | T-REX |
T1 is the clear favourite in APAC North, having amassed more ALGS points than any other team in the world. However, with fan favourites Crazy Raccoon sitting in Group C, we could see some excitement (and high viewing figures) over there as well.
At this stage we don’t know if Hector ‘Dazs’ Felix will be conducting the English-language broadcasts, but if he is, then we’re in for a treat.
Here are the three APAC North groups in full:
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
| T1 KR | Fennel Korea | Reignite |
| Jupiter Vega | SunSister GOD | Team UNITE |
| UnsoldStuffGaming Ixla | Sengoku Gaming | HybridEclipse Arise |
| FENNEL | High Quality | Crazy Raccoon |
| GTS Black | GTS Art | LFT |
| OneSelf | Connect Gaming | USGCruller |
| ORTHROS Magical | Northeption | ice cream |
| ORTHROS Fang | Flora | Wararabe Choja |
| Lag Gaming | DAIKIN | C-VA Kagoshima |
| RxR clover | Aile9 | Good 8 Squad |
Tom Yum Kung dominated the APAC South region as Made in Thailand, but the now-orgless squad hopes to continue its success – if its players can stay off the toilet, that is. In Group B, Reignite will be hoping that skilled streamer Noyan ‘Genburten’ Ozkose can help them to victory.
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
| Tom Yum Kung | Reignite AS | INVATE Esports |
| Reject | TeamDreamFire | Inside The Ring |
| Wolfpack Arctic | EXO | ORGless grApe |
| NLN | Kindergarten | Athaim |
| DireWolves | LCQ Only | BearClaw Gaming |
| EVOLUTION Xenomorph | NOIR | K7 Esports |
| Team Perihelion | LNS | Evolution 1 |
| StrawVanChoc | Dynasty | Wolfpack Shadow |
| Roti Sai Mai | Perangai Gaming 2 | Ryze Empire TW |
| Sweet Assist | Inferno Apex | BIOS Esports |
In the final region, South America, Group A looks like it will be the closest-run thing. Perhaps the most interesting team to qualify, however, is Keep Moving Forward, who snuck in to take the SA region’s 30th spot via the Last Chance Qualifier, despite having not won a single ALGS point to date. Is there an upset on the cards?
Here’s the full groups for the South America region:
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
| Flying High eSports | Team Singularity | Paradox Esports |
| Flow Nocturns Gaming | 1iQ | Loto Gaming |
| Dynamics | Fenix II | Insomnia |
| Wild Esports | eRa Eternity | Antisocial Aimers |
| Flawless Gaming Br | Fenix I | ALWAYS UP TEAM |
| Four ALL Esports | TempesT | Balaligth |
| Most Valuable Players | NoORG SA | Maycam Evolve |
| FusioN Team | Team Brave Soldiers | Fake Love eSports |
| Potatos | Mase Team | LeaveNoWitness[SA] II |
| Keep Moving Forward | Lotus Branca | Without Name |
Now that groups have been confirmed, fans can pore over them and deduce the most exciting matchups for their team. Of course, every team will play every other team in its region, but those in the same group will play each other in every group stage match, potentially creating new rivalries as players fight it out to qualify for the Finals.
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