SOOP, under the co-leadership of CEOs Seo Soo-gil and Choi Young-woo, has officially signed a yearly sponsorship agreement with Google Play for the 'ASL' 2026 season. With this backing, they are planning to host the grand finals for both Season 21 and Season 22 on special outdoor stages. ASL is the premier esports league featuring Blizzard Entertainment's real-time strategy title, 'StarCraft: Remastered'.

Since its debut in 2016, the ASL has reached its 11th year, standing as the only remaining StarCraft esports league in the country. It has firmly cemented itself as a flagship esports asset for SOOP, largely thanks to the return of legendary pro players and the consistently high-quality matches that keep the fanbase engaged.

This annual sponsorship means the league will feature two consecutive seasons of outdoor finals. The Season 21 finale will be held at a custom-built, 500-seat stage at the '2026 PlayX4 Gyeonggi Esports Festival'. Following that, the Season 22 final will take place at the Jamsil Lotte World Ice Rink, featuring a massive, 1,000-seat outdoor setup.

The Lotte World Ice Rink event is particularly noteworthy, as it marks the first large-scale offline final of this magnitude since ASL Season 8. Furthermore, the return of Lee Young-ho, joined by icons like Lee Jae-dong, Kim Taek-yong, and Do Jae-wook, has added significant excitement to the Season 21 main tournament.

Throughout the tournament, SOOP and Google Play will provide 'Google Play Points' to both online viewers and those attending in person. Every match of ASL Season 21 will be broadcast live via the official SOOP ASL official channel, where fans can also check the tournament schedule and event details.