GARENA is set to bring the biggest Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) community and esports initiatives yet with the CODM Summer Festival 2026 culminating in a grand two-day offline LAN event in Manila.
Built around the theme “Connect, Compete, Celebrate,” the in-person festival will take place on May 23 to 24 at the SMX Aura Convention Center in BGC Taguig, serving as the centerpiece of Garena’s efforts to unite players, fans, creators, and top teams under one roof.
The event will feature creator showmatches, interactive carnival-style booths, on-ground activities, and exclusive merchandise, all designed to elevate the CODM community experience in the Philippines.
Leading up to the main event, Garena have also rolled out “Hotspot Attacks”, a series of nationwide activations that happened on April 25, May 2, and May 9, which gave players more opportunities to engage with the game and the community on-ground.
GEP, GSI in centerstage
At the heart of Summer Festival 2026 is competition. The event will host the Grand Finals of both Garena Elite Philippines (GEP) 2026 and the Garena Summer Invitational (GSI) 2026, with a combined prize pool of $100,000 USD (40,000 for GEP, 60,000 for GSI), highlighting the scale and importance of this year’s competitive calendar.
GEP 2026 marks a milestone for the local scene as the first Philippine LAN event to feature both Multiplayer and Battle Royale formats. The tournament began with open qualifiers from April 14 to 16, where hundreds of teams competed for a limited number of slots in the Group Stage.
From an initial 394 teams in Battle Royale, only 30 advanced to the Group Stage, while 128 Multiplayer teams were narrowed down to just the final four contenders. The Multiplayer finalists include AMG Nocturnal, Elunari X, MG Oblivion, and Skaeri, all battling for the national title.
The GEP ran from April to May, trimming down teams one by one, and the final four teams will culminate in the offline Grand Finals on May 23. The country’s best amateur teams will compete live in front of a home crowd for a chance to take the lion’s share of the prize pool.
On the regional front, the Garena Summer Invitational 2026 brings together top teams from across Southeast Asia, including representatives from the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Featuring a $60,000 USD prize pool, the tournament also offers high stakes beyond prize money, with the top two teams earning direct qualification to the 2026 Garena Qualifier for the CODM World Championship.
The Philippines will be well represented in the GSI Group Stage, with Elevate and Alula Club leading the way. Elevate are the defending GSI champions and recent Garena Masters X champions while their bitter rivals Alula Club finished as the runner-up for those two tournaments as well. Team StarMagic completes the teams from the Philippines as they will be competing against regional contenders Rejects, XenonGang, Three Evil Dragons, and EL Tantrum. Elevate enters the tournament as the defending GSI champions and one of the most decorated teams in the scene, while Team StarMagic secured their spots through the Play-In Stage.
The GSI’s top three teams will advance to the Playoffs, culminating in the Grand Finals on May 24 at SMX Aura, marking the first time a regional CODM tournament will be held offline in the Philippines.
Beyond competition, Summer Festival 2026 also places a strong emphasis on community and content creation. Garena has opened registrations for its Creator Support Programme, giving aspiring creators the chance to share the stage with established names such as HolyFather, Myrtle, and Doc Z. Participants will also gain access to the CODM Creator Launchpad, a program that has supported over 200 creators and helped develop talents within the community.
With a full schedule of tournaments, community activations, and live experiences, Summer Festival 2026 stands as one of Garena’s most ambitious efforts to date. It not only highlights the continued growth of CODM esports in the Philippines and the region but also reinforces the connection between competitive play, grassroots development, and community engagement.
As the countdown to the event begins, all eyes now turn to Manila where the best teams and brightest talents will gather to compete for the present and future of Call of Duty: Mobile.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
