The SNK World Championship 2026 (SWC 2026) has been officially confirmed, featuring a global series of qualifiers beginning in January 2026. The announcement outlines the structure for the fighting game tournament, which will culminate in a grand final and boast a total prize pool exceeding $4 million. This continuation of the series aims to consolidate a major annual circuit for SNK’s flagship fighting game titles.

SNK Corporation confirmed the details for the worldwide tournament on December 19. The competition will mirror the 2025 edition by featuring four titles: FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, The King of Fighters XV, Samurai Shodown, and Art of Fighting 3. The qualification process for the grand final is set to commence on 29 January 2026 at the Frosty Faustings XVIII event in Illinois, USA, with a full schedule of participating events to be published.

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In a press release, SNK stated it “hopes that all players around the world will join in this celebration.” The total combined prize money for qualifiers and the finals is confirmed to be $4.1 million. Notably, player earnings from the circuit will be directly tied to a ranking points system, where points accrued during qualifiers will be converted into USD at a rate of 1 point = $1.

This 2026 iteration follows the model established by the SWC 2025, which was organised in partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) and held its finals at DreamHack Atlanta with $3.5 million awarded on-site. The previous edition set a precedent for featuring multiple classic SNK franchises with substantial individual prize pools, most notably for FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves.

For the 2026 championship, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves will have 32 slots at the grand final, with online qualifiers held across nine global regions. The slot allocation for The King of Fighters XV and Samurai Shodown will be announced later, while Art of Fighting 3 will follow an open tournament format. The full rules and regulations for the SNK World Championship 2026 are available on the official event website.

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