Philippine Kings League returns with revamped format

Reigning PKL champions Blacklist International began its title defense with 3-0 sweeps in the opening week of the PKL 2026 Spring Edition.

Philippine Kings League

MANILA, Philippines — The country's professional league for Honor of Kings, the Philippine Kings League (PKL), has made a bigger return, now featuring 10 teams and an updated competitive format in its 2026 Spring Edition.

After fielding eight teams last season, PKL expanded to include six invited squads and four teams from the Open Series. The regular stage will follow a single round-robin format, with each matchup played as a best-of-five, totaling 45 matches across the season. The top two teams will advance straight to the playoffs; the third to sixth seeds will battle through the play-ins; and the bottom four teams will be eliminated.

Both the play-ins and playoffs will be contested in best-of-seven format, with the playoffs running from March 27-29 in a double-elimination setup. Beyond the domestic crown, the Spring champion will earn the right to represent the Philippines at the Honor of Kings World Cup 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this July.

In the opening week of PKL, reigning champion Blacklist International and last season's runner-up Boom Esports swept through their matches, defeating the likes of Team Flash PH, Team Nemesis PH and TNT Tropang Alab in a clean 3-0 sweep. Both teams sit at the top of the leaderboard with a 2-0 standing.

Open Qualifier second seed archives is in lone third place with a 1-1 record after falling short against Wetrnd Esports, 2-3. But it salvaged its weekend with a 3-1 win over JGame Esports.

Having won their lone match series, Wetrnd Esports sits at fourth with a 1-0 record, while TNT Tropang Alab, JGame Esports and Finesse Esports are tied at 1-1 after having mixed results over the weekend.

Yet to win their first match are Rough World Era by HYVE International (0-1), Team Nemesis PH (0-2) and Team Flash PH (0-2).

The regular season returns on Friday, February 27, with Wetrnd Esports against Rough World Era by HYVE International; Blacklist International versus Finesse Esports; and Boom Esports against TNT Tropang Alab.