Electronic Arts (EA) has revealed that Japanese rapper Reo ‘OZWorld‘ Okuma will headline the Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) Championship next year.
The hip-hop artist will perform at the Daiwa House Premist Dome in Sapporo, Japan, for the opening ceremony.
OZWorld, formerly known as ‘R’kuma‘, is a rapper from Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture. He is a popular musician with over 200,000 subscribers on YouTube and 160,000 followers on X.
OZWorld has performed at esports events in the past, including the 2023 Red Bull Home Ground VALORANT tournament, and has worked with organisations that field professional teams such as FENNEL.
The rapper has even participated in Apex Legends tournaments such as the 2022 Over Zenith Cup, which he co-organised with FENNEL, featuring 19 teams of trios competing in a best-of-four series.
Reports state that OZWorld will perform several songs at the ALGS crowning event, including some of his most popular tracks such as ‘NINOKUNI’, with an LED set-up and 24-person dance crew.
What is the ALGS Championship?
The ALGS Championship is the crowning event of the Apex Legends esports circuit, with the 2026 tournament marking the end of Year 5. The top Apex Legends teams gather to decide the champion of the season before kickstarting the next competitive year.
40 teams, from Alliance in EMEA to Gen.G Esports in APAC South, will compete from January 15th to 18th, 2026, for the lion’s share of its $2m (~£1.48m) prize pool.
The LAN competition features three different stages, all taking place in Sapporo, Japan. Teams will first play in the Group Stage, will be divided into four groups of ten squads, and play a single six-match series against every other group. The competition then moves to the Bracket Stage, where the final 20 teams (10 from each bracket) will move on to the Finals.
The Match Point Finals will take place on January 18th, 2026, and will adopt a single Match Point format series. To become the ALGS Year 5 Champion, a team must be the first to secure a win after reaching the 50-point threshold.
Various teams have won the ALGS Championship over the years, though no organisation has taken home the trophy twice. Fans will have to wait until 2026 to see the conclusion of Year 5 and find out which team will be crowned this season’s champion.
The post Japanese Rapper OZWorld to headline ALGS Championship appeared first on Esports Insider.
