Seven weeks, 25 individual tournaments, over $75 million in prize money. The Esports World Cup 2026 is currently in full swing in Paris, specifically at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. And the first major titles are already deep into the action.
The Dota 2 group stage kicked off on July 7th. 24 teams are battling for a hefty $2 million in prize money, featuring none other than defending champions Team Falcons. After their TI triumph, the Team Falcons squad aims to follow up in Paris and claim the EWC title as well. That would be a double achievement no Dota 2 team has managed before. No pressure then.
Running concurrently is the Valorant group stage, which transitions into the playoffs starting July 9th. Two major scenes, one location, and plenty of simultaneous excitement across multiple stages.
The entire event officially opened on July 8th with a grand ceremony at La Seine Musicale. A fireworks display of stars, the biggest prize pool of all time, and fans both on-site and watching the stream will likely find it hard to tear themselves away from their screens for the next few weeks.
For us, that means: keep an eye on the group tables, because whoever prevails here has a good chance at the big coup in Paris. We'll stay on top of it and keep you updated.
Source: Liquipedia, Crypto Briefing
