SOOP to Host Google Play ASL Season 21 Round of 16 Week 2

SOOP will begin the second week of the ‘Google Play ASL Season 21’ Round of 16 matches on Monday, April 20, 2026, marking a key milestone in the ongoing StarCraft: Brood War esports tournament. The matches will feature Group C, widely regarded as the ‘Group of Death’ due to the presence of three legendary players from the historic ‘Taek – Bang – Lee – Ssang’ era: Kim Taek-yong (Protoss), Lee Jae-dong (Zerg), and Lee Young-ho (Terran).

The Round of 16 stage of ASL Season 21 commenced on April 13, 2026, following the group nomination ceremony held on April 6, where the 12 players who advanced from the Round of 24 and the four seeded players selected their opponents. Group A matches opened the tournament on April 13 at 7:00 PM KST, featuring Park Sang-hyun (Zerg), Yoon Soo-chul (Protoss), Jo Ki-seok (Terran), and Choi Ho-sun (Terran). Group B followed on April 14 with Jang Yoon-chul (Protoss), Lim Jin-mook (Terran), Jo Il-jang (Zerg), and Jung Yoon-jong (Protoss).

Group C, scheduled for April 20, 2026, brings together Kim Taek-yong (Protoss), Kim Tae-young (Terran), Lee Jae-dong (Zerg), and Lee Young-ho (Terran). The inclusion of Kim Taek-yong, Lee Jae-dong, and Lee Young-ho—three members of the iconic ‘Taek – Bang – Lee – Ssang’ quartet—has drawn significant attention, particularly the anticipated matchup between Lee Jae-dong and Lee Young-ho, which represents their first encounter in the ASL in approximately eight years.

Group D will conclude the Round of 16 on April 21, 2026, consisting entirely of Terran players. The tournament, organized by SOOP and sponsored by Google Play, features a total prize pool of ₩78,000,000 KRW and includes 28 competing players. ASL Season 21 runs from March 23 to May 24, 2026, and marks the 11th anniversary of the Africa StarLeague, which continues to be one of the premier offline tournaments for StarCraft: Brood War in South Korea.

The matches are being broadcast online, with SOOP providing live coverage through its official channels. The ‘Google Play ASL Season 21’ branding reflects the ongoing partnership between SOOP and Google Play as the title sponsor for the season.