The very first week of the Esports World Cup–a weeks-long event that spans most of July and August in Paris–has just kicked off with the Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) featured as a main event. With such a huge event showcasing so many major esports, there’s always a possibility that one game gets drowned out. But Monica Dinsmore, the Head of Esports at EA, isn’t worried about that.
In an exclusive interview with Dot Esports, Dinsmore spoke about what makes the Apex Legends Global Series special–in both its championship format and the Challenger Circuit that makes Cinderella stories come true on a semi-regular basis.
How ALGS makes its mark at the 2026 Esports World Cup
ALGS has been growing quickly as an event, with bigger and better LANs in major cities across the world coming regularly year after year, and esports as a whole has been growing right alongside with it. While a rising tide lifts all boats, it can also cause some competition for fan’s attention. To Monica Dinsmore, ALGS is in a prime position to stand out from the crowd.
“I think that a differentiator with the ALGS itself is that it’s part of our circuit. So, unlike just a licensed event, this one actually has stakes that build into our championship and it’s a little bit unique in that way. The players are invested in what they do here matters in the overall competitive journey on the ALGS,” Disnmore said.
“The fact that we’ve sold out almost every single day is a great indicator of how many passionate fans that we have in Europe, and you know, just the uniqueness of the game itself and the number of competitors that are on stage in that genre is also something that stands out.”
Cinderella stories are a hallmark of ALGS
While it’s too early to fully flesh out what storylines of the 2026 Split 1 Playoffs may be, Monica Dinsmore did reflect on past events and the Cinderella stories that made them special.
“Cinderella stories are always my favorite and, you know, last year’s Champs was also a really amazing story as well. I think that’s also the great thing about the ALGS, is the fact that it’s open to everyone. It’s not a closed ecosystem, so anyone can pick it up and start playing and grind and find themselves on the main stage. So that’s a unique and special thing.”
“We call it couch champion, anyone can win, so we’re always looking for those stories.”
ALGS will go where the fans want it
So far, the Apex Legends Global Series has been very, well, global. Recent events have been hosted in Sapporo, Riyadh, Mannheim, and New Orleans–diverse cities across the world. According to Dinsmore, this trend isn’t ending anytime soon and the goal is to keep bringing Apex Legends live to where the fans want it.
“Our goal is to always bring ALGS and our competitions to as many places as possible, and we’ve been super lucky. We’ve been in North America, we’ve been in Sapporo, we’re now here in France. So we try and go where the fans are and try and diversify it enough that we can bring it to as many places as we can.”
“I’m excited to go back to Sapporo, just a really awesome partnership with that city, but it’s pretty amazing to be here in Paris as well. So I think, you know, we partner with the Apex franchise to kind of figure out where the fans are, where they want us to be, and show up there.”
For more news and updates on ALGS, check out our live coverage of every match here!
