Madden NFL Esports: MCS 26 Returns with $1.5M Prize Pool

The Madden Championship Series (MCS) twenty-sixth iteration is set to commence later this month, presenting a sequence of five competitions slated to unfold until February of the coming year.

This season mirrors a similar structure to the prior arrangement, encompassing three separate challenges and a concluding Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), all culminating in the highly anticipated Madden Bowl, which provides a total sum of $1.5m (~£1.17m) in awards.

MCS reaches its eleventh season by presenting an accessible competition within Madden Ultimate Team (MUT). This affords individuals the opportunity to compete for a chance to participate in the culminating in-person event at the Madden Bowl, contingent upon accumulating MCS points and receiving prize money during the process.

As defined by official regulations, the season begins with the Kickoff, Most Feared, and Zero Chill challenges, each offering a prize pool of $150,000 (~£113,000). These challenges will initiate with a maximum of five days of online ladder play to determine a maximum of 544 of the top-performing players who will then proceed to the single-elimination phase.

During the Live Finals, the eight highest-ranking players will engage in direct competition at Full Sail University, with seedings determined by their achievements during the single-elimination phase. The overall victor will be awarded $50,000 (~£37,620).

Presented below is a complete timetable for the challenge events:

The LCQ stands as the fourth event following the culmination of challenges, and it is slated to transpire from December 13th, 2025, through January 21st, 2026.

Enrolled participants will vie in a maximum of four days of online ladder play to establish a group of up to 126 competitors who will advance to the single-elimination stage. In addition, four competitors will be chosen through ‘Premier Events’, which are events backed by third-party entities.

The LCQ will then replicate the single-elimination format before concluding with the Live Finals, where the victor will be granted $10,000 (~£7,530).

The LCQ timeline is presented below:

The Madden Bowl marks the culmination of MCS, scheduled for February 2026. It will be an invitational contest, restricted to thirteen players with the highest accumulated MCS points as of December 11th, 2025, in addition to one participant determined by the LCQ standings.

The competitors will engage in a sequence of elimination matches, with seedings established based on their cumulative MCS points. The event will reach its conclusion with the Finals, where the MCS Champion will be formally announced and awarded $250,000 (~£188,250).

This competition is open to players on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. Participants must be at least 16 years of age and must be residents of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Ireland, or the NFL’s most recent inclusion, Australia. Additionally, every player participating in MCS events will receive a MUT pack.

All events will be accessible via official Twitch and YouTube channels, complete with Twitch drops and MUT Player Items for viewers.