Twelve partners for 2026. Credit: Netease / Sheep Esports
Announced in late 2025, the global competitive circuit of Marvel Rivals, NetEase’s 6v6 hero shooter, is set to kick off in April next year across four regions, featuring 48 lineups and a total prize pool of over $3 million. Twelve of them will be part of the Partner Teams Program, granting them a range of benefits. According to sources close to Sheep Esports, these twelve clubs are distributed as follows: seven in the AMERICAS, three in the EMEA region, and two in the PACIFIC, with no teams selected for the Chinese league.
Teams invited to the Marvel Rivals Partner Teams Program for 2026:
100 Thieves (AMERICAS)NRG (AMERICAS)Sentinels (AMERICAS)Spacestation Gaming (AMERICAS)FlyQuest (AMERICAS)TSM (AMERICAS)Team Liquid (AMERICAS)Virtus.Pro (EMEA)Natus Vincere (EMEA)Team Heretics (EMEA)Gen.G Esports (PACIFIC)REJECT (PACIFIC)In the AMERICAS, more than half of the teams will therefore enter the league through invitations, with 12 participants in total. Among these names, four North American organizations have also previously competed in the game: Sentinels, 100 Thieves, Flyquest and DarkZero, with DarkZero and NRG now owned by the same group. The latter three, even took part in the Marvel Rivals Ignite 2025: Grand Finals, the equivalent of a World Championship. All of its affiliated clubs appear to have already finalized their rosters for 2026.
Avengers Assemble!
That tournament was won by the Russo-Armenian club Virtus.Pro, ahead of the Ukrainian organization Natus Vincere, with both teams answering the call and being selected as partner teams for the EMEA region. Team Heretics, along with Spacestation Gaming, TSM, and Team Liquid, will therefore make their debut at the launch of the leagues next February, despite never having fielded active players in the game before. In EMEA, as in the AMERICAS, both leagues will feature 12 teams, while CHINA will have eight and the Pacific league 16.
For the PACIFIC region, NetEase took advantage of the end of the 2025 season to merge Oceania and Asia at the international level, creating a single large region. Both sub-regions will continue to exist, with local group stages and the top teams advancing to global Pacific playoffs. Unsurprisingly, CHINA remains absent, as it will operate its own major domestic league. For this new region, only two organizations have been selected as partners: Gen.G Esports, one of South Korea’s biggest names, and REJECT, one of Japan’s largest organizations.
The benefits of being a partner
Teams selected under the Marvel Rivals Ignite Team Partners Program will benefit from a range of advantages aimed at stabilizing and professionalizing the competitive ecosystem. Partner status would notably guarantee access to major international competitions, as well as direct involvement in the co-development of competitive formats and community initiatives.
Partner organizations would also gain increased visibility through official broadcasts, the in-game client, and Marvel Rivals’ communication channels. From an economic standpoint, the program would include revenue-sharing mechanisms, with priority commercial opportunities and exclusive in-game content. Finally, partners would have direct access to the development teams, including early versions of the game, allowing them to anticipate competitive changes and adapt their long-term strategies accordingly.