3 min learnUp to date: Aug 25, 2026 03:22 PM IST
Chinese language organisation AG.AL broke Workforce Falcons’ two-year stranglehold on the Esports World Cup Membership Championship, profitable the 2026 version in Paris with 5,300 factors. Two-time defending champions Saudi Arabia’s Workforce Falcons completed second with 4,600 factors, adopted by Workforce Vitality with 3,300 factors, Natus Vincere with 2,950 factors, and Workforce Liquid with 2,700 factors.
AG.AL secured the $7 million Membership Championship title with a cross-game marketing campaign that included a first-place end in TEKKEN 8, second-place finishes in Chess, Free Hearth and the Honor of Kings World Cup, and a third-place end in Teamfight Ways. The title was selected the ultimate weekend, when AG.AL’s Gwendal “Gwen” Duparc received the EWC’s inaugural Trackmania event.
Workforce Falcons entered the Trackmania playoffs main the general standings, however Carl-Antoni “Carl Jr.” Cloutier’s quarterfinal exit opened the door for AG.AL. Needing to complete third or higher, Duparc dominated the ultimate to assert the $130,000 event prize and safe the Membership Championship for his organisation.
Indian efficiency at EWC 2026
Indian groups made their biggest-ever look at EWC 2026 in Paris, however the marketing campaign delivered blended outcomes. In Free Hearth, three Indian groups, Workforce Apex Gaming, S8UL Esports, and Whole Gaming Esports, certified for the primary time in India’s historical past. Workforce Apex reached the Grand Finals however completed twelfth, whereas S8UL ended eleventh.
PUBG Cell noticed India make historical past with GodLike Esports and Orangutan changing into the primary Indian groups to qualify for the Grand Finals. Nevertheless, each groups did not impress within the finals, as GodLike completed thirteenth and Orangutan ended up on fifteenth place.
In Riyadh final yr, Arjun Erigaisi had reached the semifinals earlier than falling to Alireza Firouzja after which dropping to Hikaru Nakamura within the third-place playoff. (Photograph Credit score: EWC)
In chess, Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin reached the quarterfinals. Arjun misplaced to Hikaru Nakamura in Armageddon, whereas Nihal fell to Magnus Carlsen. Each earned $75,000 for his or her top-eight finishes.
New data
The $75 million prize pool occasion featured greater than 2,000 gamers representing 200 Golf equipment and over 100 international locations throughout 25 tournaments in 24 video games.
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The Paris version set new data throughout the board, reaching 850 million viewers and producing 440 million hours watched, with peak viewership of 4.3 million through the League of Legends event. The occasion offered 175,000 tickets, up 94% in comparison with 2025.
Different highlights included 15-year-old Chilean Jaime “Craime” Bustos changing into the youngest EWC champion in historical past together with his Road Fighter 6 victory, and grandmaster Magnus Carlsen repeating as Chess champion with out dropping a single sport. The Esports World Cup will return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2027.