Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
For transparency: Esports News UK editor Dom Sacco used to work full-time for British Esports between September 2016 and February 2021, and currently does some freelance work for them, producing their weekly email newsletter
The Rocket League RLCS Birmingham Major has been announced for 2025, which will take place at the Birmingham NEC in the spring.
It will run from Thursday March 27th to Sunday March 30th 2025 at the NEC’s BP Pulse Live Arena, with teams performing in front of a live audience on the weekend of March 29th and 30th.
General admission tickets for RLCS Major 1 Birmingham will go on sale next week (Wednesday October 30th 2024) on The Ticket Factory website, with a direct link to be shared on the Rocket League social media. Fans can buy up to eight tickets at a time.
“The 2025 RLCS Season will host its first arena event of the year in Birmingham, returning to the United Kingdom in the process. RLCS 2025 Major 1 is set to take place at the bp pulse LIVE Arena, National Exhibition Centre (NEC) from March 27-30.”
Psyonix
Pre-sale access will open on Monday October 28th from 10am GMT via this BP Pulse Live RLCS Birmingham Major web page (bear in mind the clocks go back one hour on October 27th). Tickets can be bought from Ticketmaster, Live Nation and O2 Priority.
An all-weekend access pass will cost from £55 to £120, not including booking and transactional fees.
Update: The RLCS Birmingham split broadcast schedule has been listed.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and the UK Government is supporting the organisers of the event with funding from the Commonwealth Games Legacy Fund. This is being used to boost trade and tourism sectors and bring footfall to local businesses in the region.
Solihull Council is working in partnership with Blast, the British Esports Federation, NEC Group, West Midlands Growth Company and the University of Warwick.
Two years ago, Global Esports Federation announced a 10-year agreement to boost UK esports in the West Midlands.
British Esports Cup also announced alongside RLCS Birmingham Major
A few weeks before the main event, members of the public will be invited to take part in the ‘British Esports Cup’ featuring Rocket League.
The British Cup tournament, led by the British Esports Federation, will be open to all UK residents aged 13+ and offer a prize pool of £5,000.
A business esports summit (WM Esports Unwrapped) is also planned for the event weekend, which will be a chance for key business and industry leaders to network and identify future growth opportunities.
Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council and Lead Member for Business and the Economy commented: “Esports may be a new concept for many of us, but it’s fast becoming an industry of huge economic significance. We are absolutely thrilled to welcome the RLCS Major 1 Birmingham to our borough, in partnership with the British Esports Federation and Blast.
“It is expected to attract thousands of fans from across the world to the arena, with millions more watching the global broadcast online. The economic benefit to the hospitality and visitor economy in the region is unrivalled with the majority of fans expected to attend the event from out of the area.
“The event will put our borough on the world stage and promote Solihull, the West Midlands and the NEC event campus as a national and international hub for gaming and esports championships.”
“British Esports is proud to support the UK esports scene with our own Rocket League tournament running alongside the Major, providing a platform for aspiring players across the UK to showcase their talent.”
Chester King, British Esports Federation
Chester King, President of British Esports, added: “Hosting the RLCS Major 1 in Birmingham is a landmark moment for UK esports, and we’re thrilled to see another world-class event hosted in Great Britain.
“British Esports is proud to support the UK esports scene with our own Rocket League tournament running alongside the Major, providing a platform for aspiring players across the UK to showcase their talent.”
“This collaboration underlines the strength of the UK’s esports ecosystem and British Esports’ ongoing commitment to creating opportunities for grassroots players to engage with professional esports athletes.”
People visiting the borough for the event are encouraged to check out the Visit Solihull website for information on where to eat, drink and stay in the borough.
In 2023, the UK was placed fifth in the world for esports revenue generation, according to a press release.
RLCS Birmingham Major forms part of RLCS circuit in 2025
The RLCS Birmingham event is the first Rocket League esports major of next year (RLCS 2025 Major 1).
The second major will take place from June 26th to 29th 2025, with the location to be announced at a later date.
And the World Championship will happen from September 16th to 21st 2025, with its location also to be revealed.
RL esports teams can start their journey for qualification to the Birmingham Major from Friday January 3rd 2025.
The news comes after RLCS format changes for 2025 were announced, with the RLCS 2024 prize pool rising from $4.3m this year to $5m in 2025.
“These changes are focused on increasing opportunities for fans, players and teams to be able to compete and watch more,” Psyonix said in this announcement post.
“There are four changes coming into action for the 2025 Season: adjustments to qualifications for Open Qualifiers, 1v1 events, LCQs for the Rocket League World Championship and expansion of the Rocket League World Championship to 20 teams.”
G2 Stride won the RLCS London Major 2024 back in June (pictured above).
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
