EWC 2026 Club Championship participants, favorites and format explained

With an opening ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, July 8, the 2026 Esports World Cup is about to officially get underway, even though several competitions, most notably VALORANT, have already begun. Running from July 2 to August 23 in Paris, this year's edition marks the first time the event is being held outside Saudi Arabia, bringing the competition to the French capital.

For the 2026 edition, the world's best esports organizations will compete across nearly 25 different titles over seven weeks. Beyond the individual championships in each game, another trophy will be up for grabs: the Club Championship, awarded to the organization that accumulates the most points throughout the event. The Club Championship uses a cumulative points system, with organizations earning points only through top-eight finishes in each tournament. If a club fields multiple rosters in the same title, only its highest-placing team contributes to the overall standings.

The Club Championship features a total prize pool of $27 million, distributed among the top 24 organizations, including $7 million for the overall champion, and Team Falcons once again enters as the overwhelming favorite. Winner of the previous two editions, the Saudi organization is also the most represented club this year, having qualified for 20 of the 25 titles. Its most notable absences come in League of Legends and VALORANT, as the organization does not compete in the LEC or VCT EMEA, making qualification impossible.

Fresh off its victory at the Counter-Strike 2 Major in Cologne, Team Falcons could already be in a strong position to collect valuable points. The Saudi club will also be one to watch in Trackmania, one of the new additions to the 2026 edition, thanks to Carl-Antoni "Carl Jr." Cloutier, the game's most decorated player and the reigning Player of the Year in both 2024 and 2025. With some of the world's best players in Fortnite and Rocket League as well, Falcons could rely on Epic Games' two titles to secure crucial points throughout the competition.

Last year's runner-up, Team Liquid is unlikely to hold the same status in 2026, with lineups qualified for only seven titles, placing the organization outside the top 10 in terms of participation. Despite that, after winning three tournaments in 2025, Liquid could once again challenge for multiple titles, led by chess superstar Magnus Carlsen and its Philippine Mobile Legends: Bang Bang roster, which recently won its domestic league ahead of Team Falcons and finished in the top four at the World Championship earlier this year.

After finishing third in 2025 with 11 participating rosters, Team Vitality appears to be one of the few genuine challengers to the Saudi organization, especially with this year's event taking place in Paris. The French club has expanded its presence from 11 to 17 titles, making it the second-largest delegation at the event. Although Vitality's only title last year came in the women's Mobile Legends tournament, the organization returns as one of the favorites, particularly following its players' recent victory over Team Falcons at the Battle of Gamehers. Despite falling short at the latest CS2 Major, the French club remains one of the strongest teams in the game, and Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut will undoubtedly be one of the tournament's biggest attractions, especially with the Counter-Strike 2 event closing out EWC 2026.

Behind Team Vitality, Chinese organization AG.AL International, which notably operates in League of Legends, completes the top three largest delegations with teams competing in 15 titles. Virtus.pro and Aurora Gaming share fourth place with 11 entries each, while ranks sixth with nine qualified lineups.

To qualify for the Club Championship rankings and prize pool, organizations must secure at least two top-eight finishes across different game titles. However, lifting the trophy also requires winning at least one tournament. In the event of a tie for first place, rankings are decided by the number of tournament victories, followed by second-place finishes, third-place finishes, and so on, before head-to-head results are considered if needed.

The number of points awarded depends on the title. Most tournaments grant 1,000 points to the winner, followed by 750, 500, 300, and 200 points for second through eighth place. Battle royale competitions instead reward every top-eight finish on a descending scale of 1,000, 750, 500, 300, 200, 150, 100, and 50 points. Teamfight Tactics follows a unique structure, with fifth and sixth place both receiving 200 points, while seventh and eighth each earn 100.