Michelin becomes an official partner of the RLCS

The Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) has announced a partnership with French tyre manufacturer Michelin.

As a result of the deal, the manufacturer’s branding will appear within the car football title and across esports broadcasts taking place throughout the 2026 season.

The collaboration between the two parties was announced before the RLCS Boston Major kicked off on February 19th. The first arena event of this year’s RLCS season features 16 of the world’s best Rocket League teams competing for a $354,000 (~£263,251) prize pool and RLCS Points.

Michelin is known for manufacturing tyres across a range of industries, including automobiles, bicycles, and aircraft. The deal isn’t the first time the manufacturer has embarked on an esports initiative. In 2025, it joined forces with iRacing and the Virtual Competition Organisation (VCO) for the IMSA Esports Global Championship.

For 2026, the RLCS has retained several partners for this year’s season. In January, the championship renewed its partnership with car insurance firm Progressive Insurance. The renewal sees Progressive continue its role as the official presenting partner for Rocket League’s esports circuit.

Earlier this month, BLAST secured a partnership with Meet Boston to act as the Boston Major’s official destination partner, with its logo featuring across printed backgrounds and sponsored areas throughout the Agganis Arena.

The RLCS continues to cement itself as one of the most popular esports titles in the world, as new brands join forces with the circuit for the upcoming season. In addition to new brand partnerships, several high-profile organisations have expanded into the car football title.

Ahead of the Boston Major, TSM and Virtus.pro acquired top-performing rosters from the APAC and North America regions, respectively.

With Michelin’s affiliation with car tyres and the nature of Rocket League, the partnership is a logical step for the manufacturer to expand its presence within the esports industry.