Battlefield REDSEC is bringing back its competitive circuit, with EA confirming a new Elite Series season carrying a $1.338 million global prize pool. The tournament will run from December 4, 2026 through January 16, 2027 across APAC, EMEA and the Americas, following a new run of Cash Cups and an Open Series designed to feed teams into the top-level competition. The announcement marks the formal return of REDSEC esports after the original Elite Series was postponed in December 2025 because of technical issues affecting competitive integrity.
The renewed circuit begins before the Elite Series itself. Season 4 Cash Cups will run from September 19 through October 10, with four standalone open-registration tournaments in each region and $150,000 in total prize money. EA is allocating $50,000 per region across the Cash Cup schedule, with registrations opening in stages beginning September 8.
The next step is the Open Series, which runs from October 24 through November 21. Each region can support up to 384 teams per Cup, with three two-day events feeding into a 24-team Open Series Final. The top four teams from each event qualify automatically for the Final, while additional spots are filled through the season-long Open Series leaderboard.
That Final then becomes the main qualification route into the Elite Series. The Americas and EMEA will each award 15 Elite Series places through the Open Series, while APAC will award 24. EA says the system is intended to give non-invited squads a structured path from open competition into REDSEC’s highest competitive tier rather than restricting the circuit entirely to established professional teams.
The Elite Series itself will feature 48 teams per region and a revised format compared with the version originally planned last year. Competition is now focused entirely on Battle Royale rather than mixing Battle Royale with Gauntlet, with EA saying feedback and the different competitive characteristics of the two modes led to the change. Teams will be divided into four groups of 12 and compete in 24-team lobbies across six regular-season match days.
At the end of the regular season, the top 24 teams in each region advance to their respective Season Final. Those Finals will use a Match Point format, and there will be no single global champion; instead, APAC, EMEA and the Americas will each crown their own winner. The $1.338 million prize pool is split evenly between the three regions, with $446,000 available in each.
The Elite Series schedule begins with match days on December 4 and December 5, followed by another pair on December 18 and 19. Competition resumes after the holiday period on January 8 and January 9, with all three regional Finals scheduled for January 16, 2027. Players will stream their own matches during the regular season, while EA plans dedicated broadcasts for the Finals.
REDSEC’s competitive return follows a difficult start for the format. EA originally planned to launch both the Elite and Open Series in December 2025, but technical issues forced the company to postpone the competitions. The broader game has also faced criticism around matchmaking and AI opponents, with DICE previously acknowledging Battlefield 6 matchmaking concerns involving bots, making the relaunch of a large competitive structure a significant test for REDSEC’s stability.
EA is also expanding REDSEC itself alongside the esports push. Season 5 will introduce Rapid Royale, a faster Battle Royale variant with fewer players, smaller play spaces, quicker circles and shorter matches. Proximity Chat is arriving earlier on September 15 for Battle Royale, with EA planning to continue adjusting audio range, clarity and moderation based on player feedback.
For now, the competitive roadmap is considerably more concrete than it was after last year’s postponement. Cash Cups begin September 19, the Open Series follows in late October, and the Elite Series returns December 4 with 48 teams per region and more than $1.3 million in prizes. Registration for the new competitive season is already opening through EA’s official Battlefield esports portal.
