Daejeon has once again proven its status as the "capital of esports" by securing a series of global tournament hosting rights.
The Daejeon Metropolitan Government and the Daejeon Information and Culture Industry Promotion Agency announced Sunday that following their successful bid to host the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) international tournament, they have also secured the 2026 pro regular seasons for both Eternal Return and Battlegrounds Mobile.
By consecutively attracting major domestic and international esports tournaments and professional leagues, the city has further solidified its position as the "esports capital."
As a result, both the Eternal Return Masters Final and the Battlegrounds Mobile Pro Series (PMPS) will be held in Daejeon this year.
Both titles are popular games experiencing rapid growth in Korea. Eternal Return won the Popular Game Award at the 2021 Korea Game Awards, while PMPS is a title being strategically developed by Krafton (259960.KS). PMPS proved its global competitiveness after being adopted as an official esports discipline for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The Eternal Return season comprises four events: Season 10 (April 10–11), Season 11 (July 10), Season 12 (November 6), and the Korea Esports League (KEL) Finals (November 7–8). The PMPS season will hold three events: Season 1 (May 30–31), the Korea Esports League (KEL) Finals (July 25–26), and Season 2 (October 17–18).
July will be a particularly notable month, as the 2026 MSI Finals and the Eternal Return Third Anniversary Festival are both scheduled to be held in Daejeon, turning the entire city into a midsummer esports festival.
"Esports is a core future content sector where industry and culture converge," said Park Seung-won, director general of culture, arts and tourism at the Daejeon Metropolitan Government. "We will not only continue to attract tournaments but also build a related industrial ecosystem and expand infrastructure to develop Daejeon into Korea's leading esports hub city."