Hero Esports ACL will turn to the second season, starting in the early stages of 2026.

Hero Esports has just announced the Asian Champions League (ACL) for the second season for Counter-Strike 2, where the leading teams in Asia will compete with a total prize worth $ 130,000.

The LAN part will take place in China, starting with a closed qualifying round from April 29 to May 3, then the playoff round from 11 to 17 May. A total of 16 teams will be invited through the Asian VRS system to play directly at the Lan stage.

The open qualifying round will be held from January to March 2026, stretching throughout China, Oceania & Southeast Asia, as well as the rest of Asia. These rounds will select 11 teams in the closed qualifying round.

The first tournament, taking place in May this year, has gathered many strong teams in the region such as Typo, Lynn Vision, Flyquest, and The Huns. Dongkai's squad "⁠jee⁠" Ji won the final, bringing $ 100,000 bonuses and attending Esports World Cup.

However, the ACL 2026 may have difficulty attracting top names, due to the same schedule with two S-Tier awards, PGL Astana (9–17/5) and IEM USA (11–17/5), most likely invited some strong teams from Asia to participate.

Hero Esports ACL 2026:

• Total prize: $ 130,000
• Open qualifying round: January - March (China, DNA, Oceania, the remaining Asia)
• Closed qualifying round: April 29 - May 3
• Playoffs (Lan in China): May 11 - May 17
• Number of teams participating in Lan Lan: 16 teams (invited via VRS)