The final stretch of the Apex Legends Global Series, the ALGS Birmingham (aka ALGS Championship) LAN, is ready to set the esports scene alight at Resorts World Arena, hosting the best talent that Apex Legends has to offer.
Following London’s Split 1 and Split 2 Playoffs, the ALGS Championship will see 40 teams fight for double the prize pool – $2,000,000 – and status as the best team in the world.
North American teams TSM and Dark Zero, winners of the Split 1 and Split 2 playoffs, respectively, have reputations to uphold, while 38 other teams battle to unseat them from the top.
Here is your go-to guide, courtesy of Hannah Marie, featuring everything you need to know ahead of ALGS Birmingham.
Table of Contents
ALGS Birmingham Format & Schedule, Broadcast & Talent, and Watch Parties:
Format & Schedule
Running from September 6th to 10th, the ALGS Championship will feature an altered schedule compared to the Split 1 and Split 2 Playoffs. Instead of spanning four days, the Championship will be spread over five, with the Double Elimination Bracket taking place over Friday September 8th and Saturday September 9th.
EA has confirmed that the format will remain the same as the Playoffs.
The full ALGS Championship Schedule is as follows:
- 06/09/2023 – beginning at 10 am BST – Group Stage Day 1
- 07/09/2023 – beginning at 10 am BST – Group Stage Day 2
- 08/09/2023 – beginning at 4 pm BST – Bracket Stage Day 1
- 09/09/2023 – beginning at 12 pm BST – Bracket Stage Day 2
- 10/09/2023 – beginning at 4 pm BST – Match Point Finals
Broadcast & Talent
VikkiKitty at the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs in London (photo by Joe Brady)
The primary broadcast for the ALGS Birmingham Championship will be on the official ALGS Twitch channel. It will also be broadcast on the Apex Legends YouTube channel. The official ALGS Broadcast Partners will also be streaming the event in six languages.
Four new additions join the official broadcast as talent for the Championship. Reuniting a classic on-air duo, caster Zephyr will reunite with Dia for the broadcast. They will be joined by the regular casters and hosts Raynday, SpiderTiff, VikkiKitty, Gaskin, Onset, GlitterXplosion and Genome. Also on the desk will be Luminosity content creator WeThePeople and professional players Graceful and BulletL.
Watch Parties (and Links)
There will also be official watch parties in five different languages. As usual, the official B-Stream will be hosted by NiceWigg & Greek on NiceWigg’s own Twitch channel. The full list of official watch parties is as follows:
- NiceWigg & Greek – English – @NiceWigg
- pOkizGames – Portugese – @pOkizGames
- Oraxe & WiseThug – French – @oraxe @Wisethug
- Restiafps – Chinese – @restiafps
- VickyPalami – Spanish – @vickypalami
ALGS Birmingham Twitch Drops
Those who watch more than one hour of the ALGS broadcast on their official Twitch channel will be rewarded with the following Twitch Drops:
- 06/09/2023 – Crimson Striker Peacekeeper
- 07/09/2023 – Crimson Hawk Valkyrie Skin
- 08/09/2923 – Championship Sticker
- 09/09/2023 – Championship Holospray
- 10/09/2023 – Championship Gun Charm
ALGS Birmingham Venue Information
The ALGS Championship is being held at Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena.
For those using public transport to reach the event, the closest train station is Birmingham International. For reaching the venue from the city centre, there is also a bus route which runs every 20 mins – the number 900 bus. This will take 30 mins on average.
There is a clear bag policy in effect for the event. These clear bags must not be any larger than 12″ x 12″ x 6″, (30cm x 20cm x 15cm) and they cannot be obstructed by any decoration that affects someone’s ability to see inside. A large ziplock back has also been deemed appropriate. A clutch-sized purse that is under 1″ (2.5cm) thick is acceptable and does not have to be clear.
ALGS Championship Team and Roster News
Following the post-Split 2 ALGS Rostermania and highly competitive Last Chance Qualifier, there are several changes to teams that are vital to note ahead of the Championship.
Optic Gaming sign new Apex Legends coach Loopy
After acting as the coach for UK-based team Vexed Esports through Split 1 and Split 2 of the season (including both LAN Playoffs), Loopy has been signed by Championship-qualified North American team Optic.
After two disappointing performances at the Split 1 and Split 2 Playoffs, Vexed Esports failed to qualify for the ALGS Championship through their season points, instead being forced through the brutal Last Chance Qualifiers. Here, they once again fell short of qualification. However, this was not the end of the journey for their coach, Loopy, who was rapidly snapped up by Optic Gaming.
GoNext Esports add player MYSI and analyst Nurge
After winning the EMEA region’s Last Chance Qualifier, GoNext Esports confirmed that the third player on their roster will be MYSI, who competed with them to reach the Championship. In the meantime, the team have also signed an analyst, Nurge, to assist in their ALGS Championship journey.
Prycyy resigns from Moist Esports roster, replaced by Fussy
In the immediate aftermath of the Split 2 Playoffs, Prycyy resigned from the Moist Esports Apex Legends roster, citing a need to work on themselves “physcially and mostly mentally”. He later confirmed in a follow-up tweet that he is accessing the help that he needs, and that he has been struggling with a long-term mental health battle.
On July 31st, Moist Esports confirmed that Fussy will be their third player for the ALGS Birmingham Championship.
NA Last Chance Qualifier sees DNO signed by Disguised
The Dojo and DNO’s (now Disguised) qualification for the ALGS Championship may have been the most exciting of all Last Chance Qualifier battles.
Birmingham will lie witness to the grand finale of The Dojo’s miracle run from Challenger Circuit to Championship, an incredible achievement for any team. Meanwhile, DNO have been signed by Disguised, and are noted as a team to watch by Oxygen Esports.
Aurora sign Fire Beavers roster ahead of ALGS Birmingham, but face visa issues
After failing to reach the Championship with their pre-existing team in the EMEA Last Chance Qualifiers, Aurora have released their players and instead signed one of EMEA’s best free-agent teams, Fire Beavers.
Fire Beavers have achieved several major successes throughout year three of the ALGS, including qualifying for both the Split 1 and Split 2 Playoff LANs. Despite this, the team missed the Split 1 Playoffs due to visa issues. One of their players, Ojrein, confirmed on September 4th that he had only just acquired his visa for the Championship, and will be able to play. However, the roster’s two remaining players, 9impu1se and taskmast33r, are unable to confirm their attendance. Aurora have said that Taxington and Uxako will substitute.
Buegy replaced by PlayerKay on Blvkhvnd roster
After London’s SPlit 2 Playoffs, APAC-S team Blvkhvnd released their player Buegy. In the following days, they announced PlayerKay as their replacement, reuniting him with his former teammate StrafingFlame.
Free-agent LCQ team Inside the Ring signed for the ALGS Championship
After reaching the ALGS Championship through the APAC-S Last Chance Qualifier, the previously free-agent team Inside the Ring have been signed by fellow APAC-S team Iron Blood Gaming for the competition.
After Iron Blood Gaming’s original Apex Legends team did not reach the Championship, they released PlayerKay to Blvkhvnd to become their third player.
Crazy Raccoon forced to withdraw from ALGS Championship
In a shocking turn of events, one of the best teams from the APAC-N region, Crazy Raccoon, were forced to withdraw from the ALGS Championship ahead of the competition. Despite efforts to postpone their duties, player Ras was called up for mandatory service in the Korean Military. Due to their inability to compete, their teammate Parkha also parted ways with the team.
Previously free-agent team Laugh Tale took their place to represent the APAC-N region, and have since been signed by Area310.
Alliance once again face visa battle, with Mande confirmed as sub
On September 4th, a mere two days before the Championship, Alliance’s General Manager Pontus confirmed that they were once again facing issues in organising a visa for the rising star of Apex Legends, Effect. The young player was forced to miss the Split 1 Playoffs, being replaced on the roster by TSM’s content creator and then-retired pro player Mande.
Alliance has confirmed that Mande will once again be stepping in as a substitute on the roster and will be present from day one. They have yet to confirm whether Effect will be able to attend. However, a prize money split between Effect and Mande has already been agreed.
Alongside their last-minute changes to their starting roster, Alliance have welcomed a new coach to the team, Noth.
ALGS Championship Starting Groups
The Group Stage covers September 6th and 7th 2023.
The 40 competing teams are split into the following groups A, B, C, and D:
Be sure to follow Hannah Marie throughout ALGS Birmingham for the latest updates
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for companies such as Lionscreed Esports, Esports Insider, and SideQuest Hub she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.
