Honor of Kings KPL Grand Finals: Kuaishou and Hero JiuJing unbeaten as Elite Group sides upset seeds
World Cup champions Kuaishou Gaming opened the US$10.5 million KPL Grand Finals with two 3-0 wins, while Elite Group teams beat AG Super Play, Wolves and JDG.
The King Pro League Grand Finals 2026, the season-ending event for China's top Honor of Kings league, is under way in Guangzhou, and the first three days have produced a run of upsets alongside a strong start from the world champions.
Kuaishou Gaming, who won the Honor of Kings World Cup at the Esports World Cup in August, opened with two 3-0 wins. Hero JiuJing also lead their group at 2-0 after beating two of the competition's top seeds.
A US$10.5 million event in three cities
The Grand Finals run from 2 October to 14 November with a total prize pool of about US$10.5 million. The champions receive ¥20 million. The Challenge Stage is being played in Guangzhou until 18 October, followed by a Play-In from 20 to 22 October and a best-of-seven double-elimination Knockout Stage from 27 October to 8 November in Changsha. The grand final is on 14 November at the Chengdu Phoenix Hill Gymnasium.
China is on the same time zone as Malaysia, so evening matches can be followed live at local time.
Masters seeds stumble
The Challenge Stage splits 12 teams into a Masters Group (the top six seeds) and an Elite Group (seeds seven to 12), with teams playing best-of-five matches against the other group. That has made Elite Group wins especially notable.
Hero JiuJing beat AG Super Play 3-1, a significant result given that AG won the previous two Grand Finals in 2024 and 2025. They followed it with a 3-2 win over Talent Gaming. EDward Gaming edged JD Gaming 3-2, and TOP Esports Armor beat Wolves 3-2.
AG recovered on day three with a 3-0 win over Rogue Warriors.
Results so far
- Day one (2 October): Talent Gaming 3-0 Douyu Gaming; Kuaishou Gaming 3-0 Rogue Warriors; Hero JiuJing 3-1 AG Super Play
- Day two (3 October): Weibo Gaming 3-1 LGD NBW; EDward Gaming 3-2 JD Gaming; TOP Esports Armor 3-2 Wolves
- Day three (4 October): Kuaishou Gaming 3-0 Douyu Gaming; Hero JiuJing 3-2 Talent Gaming; AG Super Play 3-0 Rogue Warriors
What is at stake
The Masters Group sends four teams straight to the Knockout Stage and two to the Play-In. The Elite Group sends just one team directly to the knockouts and four to the Play-In, while its last-placed team is eliminated. Chinese-language broadcasts are on the official KPL channels on YouTube and Twitch, with English coverage expected through Honor of Kings global esports channels.
Key takeaways
- Kuaishou Gaming, the 2026 Honor of Kings World Cup champions, began with two 3-0 wins.
- Elite Group sides Hero JiuJing, EDward Gaming and TOP Esports Armor beat higher seeds.
- Two-time defending champions AG Super Play lost to Hero JiuJing before beating Rogue Warriors.
- The Challenge Stage runs to 18 October, with the grand final in Chengdu on 14 November.
FAQ
Where is the KPL Grand Finals 2026 being held? The Challenge Stage and Play-In are in Guangzhou, the Knockout Stage in Changsha and the grand final in Chengdu.
How much is the KPL Grand Finals 2026 prize pool? About US$10.5 million, with ¥20 million for the winners.
Who won the last two KPL Grand Finals? AG Super Play won in 2024 and 2025.
Sources: esports.gg, Fragster, GamingonPhone