Three teams have been removed from 2026 Honor of Kings Major League Spring as conflict continues

Some Honor of Kings teams will be unable to compete at the 2026 Major League Spring tournament due to the ongoing conflicts throughout the Middle East. 

This is the first year of the Honor of Kings Major League Spring, or KML Spring. It's a combination of the Honor of Kings Major East League, West League, and Wildcard Kings Series. 

On March 6th, the Honor of Kings Major League took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce a major update regarding the upcoming onsite tournament. To ensure player safety, Astar Esports, A7 Esports, and Leviatan won't be competing. 

Astar Esports is from Egypt, A7 Esports from Brazil, and Leviatan from Argentina. While not from the Middle East, these teams from other regions would need to take long, international flights with connections to reach the tournament. The location is still to be determined. 

"Due to disruptions affecting international travel routes, including airspace closure that has resulted in increased uncertainty around connecting flights, the transit routes of several teams have been impacted," HoK wrote. 

Despite the three teams being removed from the event, the schedule will be as planned. This means it will start on March 12th, as originally announced. 

Middle Eastern conflict impacts esports

The future of many esports tournaments and events has become a bit concerning after the United States and Israel launched a joint military operation. Competitors are worried about traveling to countries like Saudi Arabia as the tension and violence continue. 

One of the biggest events of the year, the Esports World Cup, has stated that it will continue as planned, predicting that things will cool down by the summer when it begins. The EWC has tournaments for Honor of Kings as well as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG Mobile, and other mobile esports.