Table of Contents
The Esports World Cup 2026 Counter-Strike tournament commences on August 12. Serving as the ultimate event in the series, it is highly anticipated by esports fans worldwide. Top teams from around the globe will converge in Paris to vie for a generous $2 million prize pool.
EWC 2026 x Counter-Strike: List of Participants
The Esports World Cup 2026 Counter-Strike event will showcase 32 teams, doubling the number from the previous year’s competition in Riyadh. Most participants received direct invitations based on the June VRS Global Ranking.
An intriguing aspect of Esports World Cup 2026 was the inclusion of an open Last Chance Qualifier, a rarity in recent major Counter-Strike tournaments. This allowed any team to compete for four spots in the main event, which were ultimately secured by K27, BIG, JiJieHao, and 100 Thieves.
EWC 2026 x Counter-Strike: Oldest and Youngest Players
The average age of all players in the Counter-Strike tournament is slightly above 24. FUT Esports boasts the youngest roster at an average age of 19.4, while FURIA fields the oldest lineup with an average age of 26.8.
alt=”EWC 2026 x Counter-Strike: Oldest and youngest players”>
At EWC 2026, 36-year-old Danish veteran Finn “karrigan” Andersen will be the oldest player competing. Other notable contenders among the tournament’s eldest include Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer, Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, and Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski.
On the other end of the spectrum, B8 Esports’ Ukrainian player Danylo “s1zzi” Vinnyk will be the youngest participant, just 16 years old at the start of the tournament.
EWC 2026 x Counter-Strike: Live Broadcasts
The Counter-Strike tournament will receive extensive coverage across the official EWC broadcast channels.
English broadcasts:
Esports World Cup 2025 saw coverage from over 170 unique channels, including streams from prominent community casters like Alexandre “Gaules” Chiqueta, Mark “ohnePixel” Zimmermann, and Max “shadowkek” Pavlov. These casters are expected to cover EWC 2026, so stay tuned for their streams on major livestreaming platforms.
EWC 2026 x Counter-Strike: Round 1 Matches
The 32 teams will be divided into four groups of eight, each competing in a double-elimination bracket. Initial matches will follow a best-of-one format, with subsequent series played as best-of-three. The top four teams from each group will progress to the single-elimination playoffs.
Group A:
UB Quarterfinals, 12 Aug:
-
Luminosity Gaming vs GamerLegion @ 12:00 CET
-
BIG vs Aurora Gaming @ 12:00 CET
-
Team Spirit vs JiJieHao @ 13:10 CET
-
G2 Esports vs M80 @ 14:20 CET
Group B:
UB Quarterfinals, 12 Aug:
-
Team Falcons vs K27 @ 15:30 CET
-
NiP vs Legacy @ 15:30 CET
-
BB Team vs FaZE Clan @ 16:40 CET
-
MIBR vs Astralis @ 17:50 CET
Group C:
UB Quarterfinals, 12 Aug:
-
Team Vitality vs 100 Thieves @ 19:00 CET
-
PARIVISION vs B8 Esports @ 16:40 CET
-
FUT Esports vs TYLOO @ 13:10 CET
-
LVG vs MOUZ @ 20:10 CET
Group D:
UB Quarterfinals, 12 Aug:
-
NAVI vs 3DMAX @ 17:50 CET
-
magic vs The MongolZ @ 14:20 CET
-
9z vs paiN Gaming @ 20:10 CET
-
Wildcard Gaming vs FURIA @ 19:00 CET
The playoffs are scheduled from August 19 to 23, culminating in the grand final at Accor Arena. Alongside the championship match, organizers will also host a third-place showdown, maintaining the tradition of the Esports World Cup. The tournament boasts a substantial prize pool of $2 million.
Esports Charts has introduced a dedicated EWC Hub for tracking the results and viewership data of all Esports World Cup 2026 events. From new viewership records and popular teams to leading community casters and the EWC Club Championship standings, all essential information is now consolidated in one place and routinely updated.