Riot Games tag team fighting game 2XKO has become an official partner of FGC festival, Frosty Faustings XVIII 2026.

The 2XKO mixed mode tournament will run on January 30th, 2026, and features a boosted prize pool of $50,000 (~£37,565).

The increased prize pool has resulted in an expanded payout to the top 24 players in the tournament. Third place will receive $6,500 (~£4,875), second place will take home $10,000 (~£7,500), and first place will win $20,000 (~£15,000), which is 40% of the prize pot.

The 2XKO mixed mode tournament will remain free to enter for Frosty Faustings XVIII 2026 attendees with a competitor badge, with sign-ups available on the official webpage. Registrations will close on January 19th, 2026, at 5:59 AM UTC+0.

Furthermore, the partnership will also bring a $1,000 (~£750) pot bonus for the 2XKO duos special team tournament on January 29th, 2026.

Frosty Faustings XVIII 2026 has become the latest FGC event supported by Riot Games, which earlier this year sponsored over 22 community-led tournaments, including EVO France, through its First Impact programme.

Frosty Fausting XVIII 2026 is a four-day-long festival established by FGC icon Mike ‘ElvenShadow‘ Boczar, featuring various open bracket tournaments, contests and community events.

The 18th iteration of the event will run from January 29th to February 1st, 2026 in Illinois, USA. It will feature over 27 main game tournaments, and 50 community competitions for popular fighting games such as Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Tekken 8, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Street Fighter 6.

Other major tournaments are set to take place in the festival, including the Arc World Tour singles qualifiers for Guilty Gear: Strive and Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising. The Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O World Stage singles tournament will also be held at Frosty Faustings XVIII 2026.

The Marvel Rivals Ignite Grand Finals in DreamHack Atlanta kicked off last night with several intense match-ups across 10 games on the opening day.

Two teams, in particular, stood out as EMEA’s Citadel Gaming toppled 100 Thieves, while Asia’s REJECT secured a win against ENVY.

Esports Insider breaks down the first round of matches during the Group Stage of Marvel Rivals‘ biggest event of the year.

Teams are split up into two groups of six participants. The top four in each group will qualify for the Playoffs.

These are the day one results of the Marvel Rivals Ignite Grand Finals:

Following the results of day one, REJECT and Citadel Gaming are at the top of their respective groups with two wins each. Rosters Aconyx, OUG, and Crazy Raccoon, on the other hand, have experienced a rough start with two losses each, placing the teams at risk of elimination.

Fans witnessed an unexpected turn of events as Stage 1 Asia Champions REJECT secured a win against ENVY, one of the strongest rosters in America.

Against ENVY, the team claimed a 2-1 win on the first map, Hell’s Heaven, and followed with a narrow 3-2 win on Central Park, scoring 2-0 against the Mid-Season Final runner-up.

In addition to defeating Aconyx earlier that day, REJECT has made an explosive start to its Marvel Rivals Ignite Grand Finals run.

This is a surprising turn of events for the Asian representative, considering how REJECT only placed eighth in the Mid-Season Finals. If REJECT can continue this momentum and this level of performance against similarly strong opposition, such as Virtus.pro, it may prove to be the dark horse of the Grand Finals.

The day ended with a highly anticipated showdown between Marvel Rivals Ignite Stage 2 Americas champion 100 Thieves and Stage 1 EMEA champion Citadel Gaming.

100 Thieves claimed first blood as it prevailed 2-1 on Krakoa, positioning itself to secure its second win of the day. However, Citadel Gaming bounced back, winning 2-1 on both Yggrasill Path and Symbiotic Surface to take the series and showcase EMEA regional strength.

After defeating both 100 Thieves and Crazy Raccoon, Citadel Gaming has already positioned itself as one of the favourites to win the competition.

The second day of the Group Stage will feature 10 new matches between the world’s top teams, which will be livestreamed on the official Marvel Rivals YouTube and Twitch channels. The first set of matches will commence on October 28th at 4PM GMT.

In Group A, Virtus.pro will play twice, facing off against REJECT and ChopperMag. If Virtus.pro can take down the Asia Stage 1 Champion, then it can perhaps live up to its reputation as one of the best teams in the world.

Group B has a plethora of exciting matchups to look forward to. All eyes will be on Natus Vincere as it plays against 100 Thieves as well as its long-standing EMEA rival, Citadel Gaming.

The Spanish Call of Duty Federation (FECOD) has announced a partnership with esports tournament platform Torneum.

As a result of the deal, the two parties will collaborate to develop a Call of Duty esports circuit that will run during the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 season.

Announced on October 27th, 2025, Torneum will host online tournaments in addition to offering ’24/7 matchmaking.’ The platform is set to announce further details at a later date.

Torneum is one of Spain’s largest esports tournament platforms, hosting several tournaments across a range of titles. The platform is no stranger to Call of Duty, having hosted Call of Duty: Warzone tournaments.

“The agreement between Torneum and FECOD represents a strategic alliance to strengthen the Call of Duty scene in Spain,” said Anna Requensens, CEO of Torneum. “With this collaboration, we want to support FECOD’s tournament structure and create new growth opportunities for the entire community.”

Torneum becomes the second partner of FECOD, which continues to join forces with stakeholders looking to encourage the growth of the Spanish Call of Duty scene.

In September, the Federation partnered with Call of Duty League franchise Miami Heretics to assist with the launch of a national circuit.

This year, Toronto Ultra hosted the second Major of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 season in Madrid. The event was the first European CDL event to take place since 2020.

After Miami Heretics cemented its place as one of the Call of Duty League’s top franchises, the creation of a national league has the potential to discover the next generation of talent from the country.

With Torneum on board as a platform, the Spanish Call of Duty Federation is laying the foundations to establish a national circuit that will provide a platform for aspiring teams and players to compete in.

 Online casino games developer Holland Gaming Technology Ltd. has signed a multi-year partnership with Kambi Group plc as part of the company’s ongoing European expansion.

This agreement calls for Holland Gaming Technology to use Kambi’s complete Turnkey Sportsbook solution to launch its first sports betting platform through its Holland Power Gaming subsidiary.

This is Holland Gaming Technology’s first foray into sports betting after acquiring a sports betting license from the Dutch regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).

Through the agreement, Holland Gaming Technology will have access to Kambi’s betting tools, which include its Bet Builder product, a customisable open platform, and trading services.

Furthermore, Kambi’s product aims to offer partners scalable growth and differentiation in the cutthroat Dutch market thanks to its integrated player engagement features and operator control tools.

By joining forces, Kambi and Holland Gaming Technology aim to deliver an engaging and high-performance sports betting experience tailored to Dutch players.

Werner Becher, CEO of Kambi, commented: “We’re excited to partner with Holland Gaming Technology as they expand into sports betting for the first time. Their strong marketing and deep industry expertise make them an ideal fit for our Turnkey Sportsbook solution and, together, we look forward to delivering a high-performance product tailored to the Dutch market”.

Meanwhile, Eddy Hultermans, Director of Holland Gaming Technology Ltd, added: “Launching a sportsbook is a natural evolution for the business, and partnering with Kambi gives us the confidence to do so with a best-in-class product. Our team brings decades of experience in gaming, and with Kambi’s technology and support, we’re ready to deliver a compelling and engaging sports betting experience for our growing customer base”.

Swedish League of Legends player Martin ‘Rekkles‘ Larsson has shared an update on the future of his esports and streaming careers.

The Los Ratones support revealed that his immediate focus is on co-streaming the 2025 League of Legends World Championship before turning his attention to the 2026 season.

In a statement posted on social media on October 27th, Rekkles confirmed that he will compete in the LEC Versus 2026 event as part of the Los Ratones team.

The former Fnatic player began his statement by reflecting on his time representing T1 Academy in 2024. “2024 was an incredible year for me with T1, but I was looking for an opportunity to be closer to home,” said Rekkles.

After leaving T1 Academy in November 2024, Rekkles joined Los Ratones, winning two EMEA Masters titles and three NLC championships.

“Towards the end, some of the more positive spirit started to disappear,” he revealed.

After dominating several regional tournaments, 2026 will mark Rekkles’ return to the LEC when Los Ratones competes in LEC Versus 2026.

The tournament, which replaces the Winter Split as part of an LEC format change, features all ten LEC partner teams alongside two teams invited from EMEA Regional Leagues.

Rekkles stated that competing in LEC 2026 Versus is “an exciting challenge and something that I am really looking forward to being part of.”

Following the conclusion of LEC Versus 2026, it’s unclear what the future holds for Rekkles.

“What comes afterwards will depend on how the team develops and what opportunities come up,” he said. “My commitment is to give everything I can to Los Ratones and succeeding together.”

For now, Rekkles is focused on his co-stream of Worlds 2025, which resumes on October 28th with the opening quarter-final between Gen.G and Hanwha Life Esports.