The Esports World Cup 2026 will kick off another of its major competitions this Wednesday, the 12th. This edition will focus on Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), which will bring together 32 teams in Paris, France, in a battle for a total prize pool of $2 million.
Brazil will be represented by four organizations: FURIA, paiN Gaming, MIBR, and Legacy. The tournament will run until August 23rd, when the grand final will take place at the Accor Arena. In addition to the individual prize money, the performance of these organizations will influence the overall ranking of the EWC Club Championship.
Competition Structure and Phases
The competition will be structured into two distinct phases. The group stage will take place from August 12th to 16th, followed by the playoffs, scheduled from August 19th to 23rd. The 32 teams were distributed into four groups, each containing eight participants. The first stage will use the GSL double elimination format, meaning that one loss does not result in immediate elimination.
The top four teams from each group will advance to the playoffs, forming a total of 16 participants. All matches in the group stage will be played in best-of-three (BO3) series. However, the format changes in the playoffs to single elimination, keeping the series at BO3, except for the grand final, which will be contested in best-of-five maps (BO5). There will also be a match dedicated to third place.
Distribution of Brazilian Teams
The Brazilian teams are spread across three of the four groups. MIBR and Legacy will compete together in Group B, which also includes Falcons, K27, Astralis, BetBoom, FaZe, and NIP. paiN Gaming is allocated to Group D, alongside FURIA, along with NAVI, 3DMAX, magic, The MongolZ, 9z, and Wildcard.
Detailed Groups
Group A features Spirit, JiJieHao, Luminosity, GamerLegion, G2, M80, BIG, and Aurora. Group B brings together Falcons, K27, MIBR, Astralis, BetBoom, FaZe, NIP, and Legacy. Group C has Vitality, 100 Thieves, Parivision, B8, FUT, TYLOO, Lynn Vision, and MOUZ. Finally, Group D presents NAVI, 3DMAX, magic, The MongolZ, 9z, paiN, Wildcard, and FURIA.
Of the 32 registered teams, 27 obtained their invitation through the Valve Regional Standings (VRS). Lynn Vision secured its spot via the Asian Champions League, while BIG, 100 Thieves, JiJieHao, and K27 earned the last spots through the Last Chance Qualifier.
Tournament Expectations and Importance
Among the national representatives, FURIA is seen as a team with great potential to achieve prominent positions. However, the favoritism is shared with other major international organizations, such as Falcons, Vitality, and Spirit. MOUZ also arrives in good form after winning the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 2 and may fight for the title.
The tournament holds additional relevance for teams looking to improve their standing in the VRS. Positive performances in Paris can help the organizations in the race for spots in future international events, such as the PGL Singapore Major. The Esports World Cup will distribute $2 million among CS2 participants, with the champion taking home $600,000, in addition to benefits linked to the Club Championship score, which evaluates the overall performance of the organizations across all event modes.
Although much of the event takes place at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the final decision will be made at the Accor Arena, a traditional venue for esports competitions in Paris. Broadcasts will be available on the official Esports World Cup channels on YouTube and Twitch, as well as DAZN. The schedule is: group stage from August 12th to 16th, followed by playoffs from August 19th to 23rd, culminating in the grand final on August 23rd.