The cryptocurrency exchange Bitget has officially opened the season of its largest annual tournament, the King's Cup Global Invitational (KCGI) 2026, announcing a starting warm-up challenge called the "Battle of Longs and Shorts." The total prize pool for this stage is a substantial $75,000, distributed in Bitcoin and USDT stablecoins. The competition will run from August 25 to September 9, 2026, giving traders a unique opportunity to prepare for the main battle with a total pool of $3 million.
Mechanics and reward structure
The competition format involves dividing participants into two teams — Long and Short. Each trader chooses a side and trades futures contracts in the corresponding direction. The key metric is the team's total trading volume. The winning side will share $20,000 in BTC, while the losing side will receive a consolation pool of $10,000 in BTC. Within the winning team, distribution depends on personal volume: first place — $1500 in BTC, second — $1200, third — $750, and from fourth to tenth place — $150 in BTC each. The remaining participants will share the remaining $15,500 in BTC proportionally to their volumes.
It is important to note that only traders with a turnover of at least 1 million USDT will be able to make it into the top 10, while for those vying for a share of the general pool, 100,000 USDT is sufficient. For the losing team, there is a restriction: the maximum payout per participant will be $100, and transactions under $10 in BTC will not be credited at all.
VIP bonuses and participation conditions
A separate pool of $45,000 is reserved for traders who raise their VIP status and maintain it for at least ten days. The reward tiers directly depend on the level: moving from a regular account to VIP 1 will bring a trading bonus of 100 USDT, while maintaining VIP 7 — $1500 in BTC. The number of spots is limited: 100 bonuses for newcomers and five rewards each at the two highest levels. The final status will be recorded on September 10 at 06:00 Kyiv/Moscow time, after which winners will be notified by email.
To participate, you must register on the competition page and complete identity verification — otherwise, trading volume will not be counted. Perpetual contracts in USDT-M, USDC-M, and Coin-M are taken into account, excluding the USDC/USDT pair and CFD instruments. The leaderboard updates every 15 minutes, showing the top 20 by turnover in real time.
As an analyst, I would note that such warm-up stages are not just a giveaway of funds, but a smart marketing move to attract liquidity and test strategies ahead of the major tournament. For traders, this is an excellent opportunity to test their algorithms on real markets with minimal risks, but it is worth remembering the high competition — the 1 million USDT threshold for the top 10 cuts off most retail participants. I recommend focusing on team interaction and optimizing trade frequency rather than chasing absolute volumes.