Gold Coast
April 11-12, 2026
Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre
It’s easy to fall in love with Splatoon 2 on Nintendo Switch, given how bright, fast-paced and fun the third-person ink shooter is, but where the game truly shines is its online multiplayer mode, which is why the 2018 AUNZ Splatoon 2 Cup is going to be so epic!
The upcoming online qualifiers will see players partake in a series of ink-splatting 4v4 battles that will culminate in a huge live Grand Final at Supanova Melbourne that will be streamed via Twitch.
The tournament isn’t just for pros already in a team, with every Splatoon 2 player aged 17 or over invited to participate by registering here. Solo players can join the official ESL Discord and be assigned players to their team on the day.
Key Dates
- Online Qualifier #1: 31 March, 1:00pm (AEDT)
- Online Qualifier #2: 7 April, 1:00pm (AEST)
- Grand Final: Supanova Melbourne, 21 April
The Prizes
- Five lucky participating teams from the online qualifiers will win a 2018 AUNZ Splatoon 2 Cup Tournament t-shirt.
- The top two teams will be flown to Melbourne to compete in the 2018 AUNZ Splatoon 2 Cup final at Supanova Melbourne and will get t-shirts with player and team names on them.
- The winning team and runners-up will not only have bragging rights for the year, but a custom trophy to prove it.
The other competitors won’t be a pushover, though! To get started, we recommend watching how the best of the best play, starting with 2017 champion team Blue Ringed Octolings:
The members of Blue Ringed Octolings shared some words of wisdom with Nintendo after their win.
“Find some friends to play Splatoon with,” Latias told Nintendo. “It doesn’t matter what your skill level is or what weapon you use. As long as you find a few people to squad with (and that you enjoy playing with), you’ll be able to improve and you’ll also have more fun whilst playing the game.”
The members of $cartchace, the runner-up team from 2017, also shared some valuable advice.
“For any new Splatoon players, I’d just simply say give every weapon a go and spend some time with ones you feel suit your natural play style,” Jafa said.
“Oh, and don’t give up – the game is very teammate dependent so you might not get the win even if you are playing well yourself.”
Armed with pro videos and insider knowledge, you should be all set to take on the Splatoon 2 Cup – happy splatting!
Follow Nintendo and Supanova on Facebook and Twitter for updates and click here for more information and to register for the 2018 AUNZ Splatoon 2 Cup.
