SNK Corporation has unveiled the schedule of preliminary competitions for its multi-game esports event, the SNK World Championships 2026
These contests will showcase several fighting game community (FGC) titles, such as FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, The King of Fighters XV, ART OF FIGHTING 3: The Path of the Warrior, and SAMURAI SHODOWN.
The initial event on the schedule is Frosty Faustings XVIII, scheduled for January 29th in Illinois, USA. Following this, subsequent competitions will unfold consecutively, culminating with Thunderstruck 2026 in Mexico on October 10th, 2026.
Competitions are set to occur globally, including events like Genesis X3 in California, USA, Evo Japan 2026, and the Kick Tournament hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Additional events, for instance, Ragnarok 2026 in Argentina, still await official scheduling. SNK has indicated that the roster will be continuously refreshed with new happenings and details to ensure participants remain ‘current.’ The complete compilation is available via the official SNK roadmap.
SNK World Championship 2026 Scoring and Prize Fund
SNK further disclosed crucial information regarding the forthcoming FGC season, such as its $4.1 million (approximately £3.04 million) prize fund, which will be allocated across its qualifying rounds and grand finales, mirroring the 2025 iteration.
Throughout the SNK World Championship 2026 season, competitors will vie for both monetary awards and crucial qualifying tournament points. Every point accumulated will be converted into prize funds, with each point equivalent to $1, to be disbursed at a subsequent time.
Consequently, all in-person tournaments are assigned to distinct ranking levels. The most esteemed events fall under the Legends classification, granting 8,000 points to the victor, whereas other events span from Masters 1 down to the lowest-tier Masters 3.
The SNK World Championship 2026 represents a year-round competitive series showcasing games developed by SNK. The year 2026 signifies the commencement of the fourth season, in which top FGC competitors globally contend through various qualifying stages to earn a spot in the Grand Finals for their preferred game.
This announcement regarding the SNK World Championship preliminary tournaments was initially published by Esports Insider.
