The Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) announced on October 14 that the 2026 Korean Esports League (KEL) Eternal Return Super Week Gyeongnam will take place on October 17 and 18 at the Gyeongnam Esports Arena in Jinju, Gyeongnam.
This Super Week will feature Days 3 and 4 of Circuit 4, the final circuit of the season. Circuit 4 features a total prize pool of 12 million won, with 3 million won awarded to the champion. Teams advancing to the Championship will be determined based on the results of Circuit 4. Besides GC Busan Stella, who secured a spot in the Championship Finals by winning Circuit 3, all remaining teams still have a chance to qualify for the Championship. The Championship will take place on November 7 and 8 to crown the ultimate winner of the 2026 KEL Eternal Return category.
Circuit 4, which kicked off on October 10, is being operated in a dual-tournament format. The lower bracket and final match are played under a 6-round point system, while a sequential checkpoint format is applied to the finals. Matches on October 10 and 11 determined the teams competing in the lower bracket and final match for Super Week Gyeongnam.
The lower bracket match, starting at 11:00 AM on October 17, will feature eight teams: Jeonnam Esports, New Rise Gangwon, Goyang Mir, Chungnam CNJ, Daegu Guardians, Gwangju Slasher, Gyeonggi Innate, and Jeju Shadow. The top four teams among them will advance to the final match to compete against FN Sejong, Daejeon Autoarms, Seongnam ROX, and GC Busan Stella for spots in the finals.
The Circuit 4 finals will take place at 2:00 PM on October 18. Incheon Wave, Gyeongnam Sparkle Esports, Yangju Whales, and Gyeongbuk Ascenders have already qualified for the finals, where they will be joined by the top four teams from the final match to compete among eight teams for the championship.
Prior to the finals, an exhibition match titled the Gyeongnam Invitational will be held at 10:00 AM on October 18. Team BGM—consisting of Lee Chang-seok (GBM), Cho Geon-hee (BeryL), and Jang Gyeong-hwan (MaRin)—will participate alongside Gyeongsangnam-do invited teams eclipse and GNS FOR I AM. Top-ranking teams from Eternal Return Masters will also compete in the exhibition match.
Side events for on-site attendees will include Eternal Return mini-games, the Lumia Night Market, a Jinju City receipt exchange booth, and KEL team booths. Priority ticket holders and spectators in the Gyeongnam Sparkle Esports fan section will enter first, with general admission and remaining seats assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Commemorative floating lanterns for Super Week Gyeongnam, tied into the 2026 Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival, will also be displayed inside Jinju Castle.
Matches will be broadcast live on the official KEL Naver Chzzk, SOOP, and YouTube channels, as well as the official Eternal Return Naver Chzzk, SOOP, CMe, and YouTube channels. Detailed tournament information will be available on the official KEL website, X, and Instagram.
KEL launched last year with the goal of nurturing regional esports talent and strengthening regional competitiveness, entering its second year in 2026. The association explained that the league contributes not only to players' hands-on match experience but also to training professional personnel and creating jobs. Offline matches are held in collaboration with regional esports venues in Busan, Gwangju, Daejeon, and Jinju, Gyeongnam.
Super Week Gyeongnam is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and co-organized by the Korea e-Sports Association, Nimble Neuron, and the Gyeongnam Culture & Arts Foundation. Sponsors include South Gyeongsang Province (Gyeongsangnam-do), Jinju City, SK Telecom, Ggoobrakko Charcoal Chicken, Micronics, CLASS101, and the Korea Creative Content Agency.
