Samsung Electronics has been named an official partner for DreamHack Birmingham, to be held on 27-29 March 2026.

The partnership will see the tech giant establish a major presence at the NEC (National Exhibition Centre), utilizing the festival’s UK debut to showcase its latest flagship hardware, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphone, to an expected crowd of 50,000 gaming fans.

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The cornerstone of the partnership is the Galaxy Café, an immersive activation hub designed to blend a premium festival atmosphere with high-stakes mobile competition. Attendees will have the opportunity to test the performance of the hardware through several PUBG Mobile activations including daily leaderboards, in which the top 20 players each day will earn merchandise vouchers and a chance to compete in a grand finale for a S26 Ultra, DreamHack collectibles and complimentary gourmet coffee, and the chance to go head-to-head against high-profile creators and personalities in limited-time matches for additional rewards.

The addition of Samsung follows the recently announced Formula 1 Sim Racing World Championship launch at the same event. According to ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), these collaborations are part of a broader strategy to meet “hard-to-reach” audiences where they are most engaged. While F1 is using the event to embed motorsport into popular culture, Samsung is leveraging the festival’s “raw energy” to validate its new hardware in a high-performance gaming environment.

“Samsung’s Galaxy technology and DreamHack’s community-driven festivals are a perfect match,” said Andreas Jernberg, VP of Brand Partnership Development at EFG, in a press release. “The Galaxy Café will give fans a chance to experience cutting-edge mobile gaming while being an active part of creating gaming culture.”

With Samsung (Mobile), Formula 1 (Sim Racing), and the $1M Dota 2 ESL One tournament all sharing the floor, DreamHack Birmingham is shaping up to be a critical hub for global gaming and esports in the first quarter of 2026. Cologne, which in June hosts the Counter-Strike 2 IEM Major 2026, also organised by EFG, and the Global Esports Industry Week 2026, is set to be another pillar for the industry at the first half of the year.

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