Look, let us be honest—Nexon announced on August 21 that the APAC regional teams heading to THE FINALS global esports tournament Grand Major 2026 have finally been locked in. The three teams chosen as APAC representatives will head over to Sweden this coming November for the main stage, where a total prize pool of $150,000 is up for grabs. These contenders earned their spots based on accumulated points from the TGM Online Series, the official global esports circuit that ran across four cycles in each region from May through August.

Over in the APAC region, China's KingZero punched a direct ticket to the main stage by finishing at the very top of the leaderboard. The remaining two slots were decided through a closed qualifier held on August 19. A total of eight squads entered the APAC closed qualifier, including South Korea's Ape Squad and MIRGG alongside China's DRG. Following the opening matches, Ape Squad, Mosbongo, Hanabi, and 777rs secured the top two spots in their respective groups to advance. Afterwards, the South Korean and Australian joint roster 777rs clinched their Grand Major ticket after taking two consecutive wins against Ape Squad.

The battle for the final qualifying spot was a gritty affair involving DRG, Mosbongo, Hanabi, and MIRGG. MIRGG and Hanabi pushed through to the final showdown, where Hanabi struck first with a victory before MIRGG leveled the playing field by securing two cashouts. In the ultimate round, MIRGG pulled off a tactical masterclass to claim victory, securing the last remaining APAC representative spot for Grand Major 2026.

The final three APAC teams locked in for the event are KingZero, who sailed straight through as the leaderboard leader, alongside closed qualifier survivors 777rs and MIRGG. These squads will travel to DreamHack Stockholm in Sweden from November 27 to November 29 for the Grand Major 2026 main stage, where they will clash with representatives from three major regions—APAC, AMERICAS, and EMEA—for the ultimate crown and a $150,000 prize pool (approximately 216.72 million Korean won). Every single match will be broadcast live online, complete with Korean commentary provided via the official THE FINALS channels on CHZZK and SOOP. Adieu, and best of luck to all competing teams!