Source: Nexon

Nexon (co-CEOs Kang Dae-hyun and Kim Jung-wook) announced on the 22nd that a South Korean national team will compete in 'FC Pro Masters 2026,' a global esports tournament for its online soccer game, 'EA SPORTS FC Online' (hereinafter 'FC Online').

FC Pro Masters 2026 is a global club tournament where representative players from four countries—South Korea, China, Thailand, and Vietnam—will compete for a total prize pool of $150k and ranking points required to qualify for the 'FC Pro Champions Cup,' the highest-tier club competition. The tournament will be held in Shanghai, China, from May 28 to 31.

The tournament will feature two teams from each of the four participating countries, divided into a group stage and a playoff stage. The group stage will follow a round-robin format where every team in a group plays each other once. Each match consists of three games, and the top two teams from each group, based on total points, will advance to the semifinals.

From the semifinals onward, the tournament will follow a single-elimination format, with matches played as a best-of-five. The final, which will determine the ultimate winner, will be a best-of-seven showdown. Representing South Korea are GEN CITY and T1, the first and second-place finishers from the 2026 FTB Spring tournament held in April, both of whom are strong contenders for the title of Asia's best.

To celebrate the South Korean team's participation in FC Pro Masters 2026, Nexon plans to host a 'Drops' event, offering generous in-game rewards to users who watch the tournament via the streaming platform SOOP. Meanwhile, the upcoming FC Pro Champions Cup, the highest-tier club tournament, is scheduled to take place from October 13 to 18 with a total prize pool of $300k; the venue will be announced at a later date. Further details regarding FC Pro Masters 2026 can be found on the official FC Online esports website.