Teams and format
The Open Qualifier will kick off the event with a LAN competition, featuring 64 teams split into 16 GSL groups. An all-best-of-three format will see the top two teams from each group advance to a 32-team single-elimination bracket, from which the top four will advance to the main event.
The main event will feature 32 teams, with 27 invites through the VRS plus Lynn Vision (who earned their spot through winning ACL), and four earning their spots through the Open Qualifier. The teams will compete in a double-elimination group stage, which begins with a best-of-one match before best-of-threes take over for the remainder of the event until the best-of-five grand final.
Ahead of the grand final, there will be a third-place decider with additional prize money and VRS points on the line.
The 28 teams are:
Schedule and venue
The EWC 2026 group stage will start on August 12.
Whilst the full schedule has not been revealed, the schedule for day 1 of Open Qualifier can be found below:
Group 1-8
Group 9-16
The full tournament schedule of the Open Qualifier can be found here.
Prizes
The Esports World Cup’s Counter-Strike tournament will have $2 million on the line, up from last year’s $1.25 million prize pool. Additionally, there will be Club Championship (CC) points up for grabs, which will reward partner clubs for their success across EWC tournaments.
1. $600,000 + 1000 CC points
2. $340,000 + 750 CC points
3. $190,000 + 500 CC points
4. $110,000 + 300 CC points
5-8. $60,000 + 200 CC points
9-16. $35,000
17-24. $20,000
25-32. $10,000
MVP: $25,000
The MongolZ won last year’s EWC tournament over Aurora
Talent
The talent lineup for the main event has not been announced yet. The following commentary team will cover the Open Qualifier:
Neo “Ne0kai” Caine Michael “YouM3” Cassidy Travis “Trav” Landaw Mott Henry “HenryG” Greer
Fantasy
For the EWC Open Qualifier, a partner HLTV Fantasy game run in conjunction with Hellcase is available with the following skin prizes on offer:
1. Paracord Knife | Damascus Steel (Minimal Wear)
2. AK-47 | Phantom Disruptor (Factory New)
3. M4A1-S | Party Animal (Minimal Wear)
4-5. P250 | Epicenter (Minimal Wear)
