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The 2026 Esports World Cup (EWC) is shaping up to be the biggest event in competitive gaming history. Originally held in Riyadh for its first two iterations, the 2026 tournament is moving to Paris, France, taking over the city for eight weeks from July 6 to August 23, 2026.
What is the EWC Club Championship?
The EWC isn't just a collection of isolated tournaments—it is tied together by the Club Championship. This is a cross-game competition where esports organizations (Clubs) earn points based on how their individual rosters perform in each game.
To win the overall Club Championship, an organization must:
- Finish in the Top 8 in at least two different game tournaments.
- Win at least one individual game's championship.
Unprecedented Prize Pool: $75 Million
The 2026 event features a record-breaking total prize pool of $75,000,000 USD. The money is distributed across several categories:
- The Club Championship ($30 Million): Split among the top 24 cross-game organizations. The single organization that wins the Club Championship takes home a massive $7,000,000.
- Game Championships: Millions are allocated to the prize pools of the individual games (e.g., $3M for Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile, $2M for League of Legends and CS2).
- MVP Awards and Qualifiers: Rewarding individual standouts and funding the teams fighting through the grueling open qualifiers.
The Games Pool (25 Events in 24 Titles)
This year's lineup features 24 titles. Notably, Trackmania is making its EWC debut, and Fortnite is returning. Real-time strategy games like StarCraft II have been dropped from the 2026 roster.
- Tactical & Hero Shooters: Counter-Strike 2, VALORANT, Rainbow Six Siege, Overwatch 2.
- Battle Royales: Apex Legends, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Warzone, Free Fire, Fortnite (Reload Elite Series).
- MOBAs: League of Legends, Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (hosting both the Women's International and Mid Season Cup), Honor of Kings.
- Fighting Games: Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.
- Sports, Racing & Strategy: EA SPORTS FC 26, Rocket League, Trackmania, Teamfight Tactics, Chess.
- Other Shooters: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, CrossFire.
2026 Weekly Schedule Highlights
With 25 events running over nearly two months, the action is split into weekly waves:
- Jul 6 – 12 (Week 1): VALORANT, Apex Legends (ALGS Split 1 Playoffs), Dota 2 (Group stages), and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.
- Jul 13 – 19 (Week 2): League of Legends, Free Fire, Dota 2 (Playoffs), and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Women's International).
- Jul 20 – 26 (Week 3): EA SPORTS FC 26 (FC Pro World Championship), PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, and Teamfight Tactics.
- Jul 27 – Aug 2 (Week 4): Overwatch 2 (OWCS Midseason), Call of Duty: Warzone, MLBB (Mid Season Cup), and Street Fighter 6.
- Aug 4 – 9 (Week 5): Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Honor of Kings, Tekken 8, and PUBG Mobile (early stages).
- Aug 11 – 16 (Week 6): Chess, Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League, PUBG Mobile (Finals), and Counter-Strike 2 (early stages).
- Aug 17 – 23 (Week 7): Counter-Strike 2 (Playoffs), CrossFire, Trackmania, and Fortnite (Reload Elite Series).
Participating Teams and the Partner Program
The EWC operates an EF Club Partner Program that includes 40 of the biggest organizations in the world. Being a partner provides financial support and marketing resources, but it does not guarantee a spot in the tournaments—every team still has to qualify through their game's standard competitive ecosystem.
- From Europe/CIS: Team Vitality, G2 Esports, Fnatic, NAVI, Virtus.pro.
- From the Americas: Team Liquid, Cloud9, 100 Thieves, Sentinels, FURIA.
- From Asia & MENA: Team Falcons (the defending 2024 champions), Twisted Minds, Gen.G Esports, T1.
Because the 2026 Esports World Cup features 24 different games, there are literally hundreds of individual rosters participating across the summer. However, when people talk about the "participating teams" at the EWC, they are usually referring to the 40 organizations in the Club Partner Program.
The 40 EWC Partner Clubs
| 100 Thieves | G2 Esports | NIP. eStar | Team RRQ |
| 9z Globant | GAM Esports | NRG | Team Secret |
| All Gamers | Gen.G | ONIC | Team Spirit |
| Alpha7 Esports | Gentle Mates | REJECT | Team Vitality |
| Cloud9 | GodLike | S8UL | Titan Esports Club |
| Edward Gaming | HEROIC | Sentinels | Twisted Minds |
| Fluxo W7M | JD Gaming | T1 | Virtus.pro |
| Fnatic | LEVIATAN | Team Falcons | Weibo Gaming |
| FURIA | MOUZ | Team Heretics | Wolves Esports |
| FUT Esports | NAVI | Team Liquid | ZETA DIVISION |
Do these 40 clubs automatically get to play?
No. Being a partner club gives an organization financial support, but it does not buy them a spot in the tournaments. Every team—whether they are a partnered club or an independent underdog—must earn their spot by competing in regional qualifiers or through global rankings.
Here are a few notable teams that have successfully qualified for the biggest stages so far:
- VALORANT (16 Teams): Team Heretics, Team Vitality, G2 Esports, Paper Rex, EDward Gaming, Gentle Mates, Karmine Corp, BBL Esports, MIBR, 100 Thieves, NRG, and Sentinels.
- Counter-Strike 2 (32 Teams): NAVI, Team Spirit, Team Vitality, Team Falcons, FURIA, PARIVISION, BetBoom, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and M80.
- Apex Legends (40 Teams): S8UL is a notable early qualifier, locking in their spot after a dominant run in the APAC South Pro League.