CEO 2026: Community Effort Orlando Fighting Game Championships
Overview
CEO 2026 is the 16th annual edition of the premier Fighting Game Community (FGC) event series, organized by CEO Gaming and directed by Alex Jebailey.
It's returning to Orlando for its second year at the luxurious Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, promising to be the largest yet with over 200,000 sq ft of space, 30+ official tournaments, 100+ arcade cabinets, 50+ vendors, and 5,000+ expected attendees from 50+ countries.
Dates & Location
- Event Dates: Friday, August 14 – Sunday, August 16, 2026 (tournaments may start Friday noon EST). Badge pickup Thursday, August 13 (3–9 PM).
- Venue: Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, 9939 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819 (1,000+ rooms, near theme parks, pools, dining). Hotel block booking available through the official site.
Doors open Friday 10 AM–midnight, Saturday/Sunday 9 AM–10 PM (or finals end).
Registration (Critical: Early Bird Ends Soon!)
Early Bird competitor registration ($110) ends early Sunday morning, March 1 EST (specifically, when @Jebailey wakes up around 5–6 AM after Feb 28; they jokingly called it the "2/29 void").
This saves $15–$30 vs. later tiers. No on-site tournament registration—must pre-register!
- Early Bird: $110 (ends ~3/1)
- Standard: $125 (ends July 12)
- Late: $140 (ends Aug 2)
Spectator badges available on-site (while supplies last).
Tournament Lineup (Biggest Ever: 33 Official Events)
Massive variety across FGC staples, newcomers, classics, and rhythm games (via Project Storm).
Platforms: Mostly PS5/PS4 Pro/PC, some arcade cabs/Super Guns, Nintendo. Entry per tournament (venue fee included in badge).
Brackets/schedules post-June 2.
Highlights:
- Main Stage Contenders: Street Fighter 6, TEKKEN 8 (TWT 2026 Master Event), Guilty Gear -Strive-, Super Smash Bros.
Melee (Singles/Doubles), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Singles/Doubles), Mortal Kombat 1.
- New/Spotlight: 2XKO Mixed (Riot Challenger Event), MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, Invincible VS.
- Anime/Team Fighters: Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Dragon Ball FighterZ.
- Classics: Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R, Guilty Gear Xrd REV2, BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Skullgirls 2nd Encore, Capcom vs. SNK 2, King of Fighters XV, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Super Street Fighter II Turbo.
- Platform Fighters: Rivals of Aether II (Singles/Doubles).
- Rhythm/Project Storm: DDR Extreme Pro/World, Pump It Up Phoenix, ITGmania, StepManiaX.
- Community/Sides: 100+ options in Jebaileyland (Beyblade X, MvC2, Melty Blood, etc.)—host your own via start.gg.
Prizes: Cash top 3–8 per game (varies by entrant count; e.g., past events had $1K+ mains). W9/W-8BEN required for winners.
Recent News & Announcements
- Feb 24: Early Bird reminder — "biggest Tournament Lineup ever!"
- Feb 24: Cutoff confirmed as Jebailey's wake-up ~5–6 AM 3/1 EST.
- Feb 20: BlazBlue: Central Fiction returns (longest-running CEO series).
- Feb 19: Guilty Gear XX +R back.
- Feb 17: Capcom vs. SNK 2 returns (post-record bracket last year), Ryo151 Invitational live.
- Feb 16: Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes confirmed.
- Feb 15: Rivals of Aether 2 returns.
- Feb 13: Cosplay Contest signups open—new CEO Championship Belt prize!
- Feb 12: Smash Ultimate & Melee registration live.
- Feb 8: Mortal Kombat 1 returns.
- Feb 4: TEKKEN 8 is TWT 2026 Master Event.
- Feb 9: 2XKO debut as Riot Challenger Event.
- Jan 25: Full reg/hotel launch.
Follow @CEOGaming for live updates/Discord community.
Special Attractions
- Jebaileyland Arcade: 24/7 free-play (100+ cabs, bigger than ever).
- Artist Alley: 40+ creators (applications open).
- Cosplay: Contest w/ belt prize (applications open).
- More: Vendors/partners, indie showcase, karaoke, TCG/tabletop, referee/commentator apps open. All-ages friendly.
Key Links
- Main event website: https://ceogaming.org/ceo
- Registration & tournament hub: https://start.gg/ceo
- CEO 2026 registration page: https://start.gg/tournament/ceo-2026/register
- Full event & tournament details: https://start.gg/tournament/ceo-2026
- Hotel block booking: https://ceogaming.org/ceo (via Synxis link on official site)
- Cosplay contest application: https://ceogaming.org/ceo/cosplay
- Artist Alley & vendor applications: https://ceogaming.org (Google Forms linked on site)
- Official Discord: https://discord.gg/ceogaming
- CEO Gaming on X: https://x.com/CEOGaming
Plan now—early bird is your last cheap shot for this monster lineup! If you're competing, grab that $110 badge ASAP before it ends this weekend.
