The world's largest esports tournament, the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC2026), kicks off in Paris, France, on Tuesday, July 6, 2026 (local time).
The tournament runs over seven weeks, concluding on Sunday, August 23, 2026, with 25 tournaments scheduled across 24 titles.
This article summarizes the Week 1 schedule.
Please note that all times listed below are in Paris local time (Japan is +7 hours).
EWC2026 Week 1 / July 6 (Mon) – July 12 (Sun), 2026
- VALORANT
- Apex Legends
- Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
- Dota 2
- EA SPORTS FC 26
EWC2026 Week 1 runs from Monday, July 6, to Sunday, July 12, 2026.
The five titles above will commence, with champions crowned in three of them early on.
The opening ceremony features performances by DJ Snake, Aya Nakamura, Théodara, and others on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
VALORANT Overview and Week 1 Schedule
The Los Niños return to defend their throne.
Who will stand in their way? 💪 pic.twitter.com/BmgFqWSQco
— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 2, 2026
- Team Heretics
- Edward Gaming
- Team Vitality
- Paper Rex
- Xi Lai Gaming
- AG.AL
- G2 Esports
- Gentle Mates
- Team RRQ
- Global Esports
- Karmine Corp
- BBL Esports
- NRG
- 100 Thieves
- NongShim RedForce
- MIBR.LOS
The tactical shooter, VALORANT, developed and operated by Riot Games, has a total prize pool of $2 million.
The group stage, underway since Thursday, July 2, 2026, features the 16 teams listed above.
July 6 (Mon)
- 1:00 PM –: TBD vs TBD
- 3:45 PM –: TBD vs TBD
July 7 (Tue)
- 1:00 PM –: TBD vs TBD
- 3:45 PM –: TBD vs TBD
July 9 (Thu)
- 1:00 PM –: TBD vs TBD
- 3:45 PM –: TBD vs TBD
July 10 (Fri)
- 1:00 PM –: TBD vs TBD
- 3:45 PM –: TBD vs TBD
July 11 (Sat)
- 1:00 PM –: TBD vs TBD
- 3:45 PM –: TBD vs TBD
July 12 (Sun)
- 1:00 PM –: TBD vs TBD (Third Place Match)
- 3:45 PM –: TBD vs TBD (Grand Final)
Apex Legends Week 1 Overview & Schedule
NEXT STOP, PARIS 🇫🇷✈️
With the conclusion of Regional Finals, we've got all 40 teams that will be competing at the Split 1 Playoffs! pic.twitter.com/ZbU2XLyFjV
— Apex Legends Esports | ALGS (@PlayApexEsports) June 8, 2026
- ZETA DIVISION (Group A)
- JD Gaming (Group A)
- ForFun Esports (Group A)
- PXX (Group A)
- Relove Deep Cross Gaming (Group A)
- Gaimin Gladiators (Group A)
- TriniTY (Group A)
- AG.AL (Group A)
- TIE (Group A)
- ZEDI ESPORTS (Group A)
- Wolves Esports (Group B)
- Virtus.Pro (Group B)
- UNLIMIT (Group B)
- Team Falcons (Group B)
- Shopify Rebellion (Group B)
- Dory (Group B)
- Kirisame Havoc (Group B)
- Team Heretics (Group B)
- Gen.G Esports (Group B)
- Flat (Group B)
- Ninjas in Pyjamas eStar (Group C)
- REJECT (Group C)
- VK Gaming (Group C)
- Alliance (Group C)
- Elite Esports (Group C)
- Team RRQ (Group C)
- Sentinels (Group C)
- KINOTROPE Club (Group C)
- Geekay Esports (Group C)
- Team Nemesis (Group C)
- Aurora Gaming (Group D)
- S8UL Esports (Group D)
- Team Vision (Group D)
- ENTER FORCE.36 (Group D)
- WGR NEO (Group D)
- Team Liquid (Group D)
- BOBERS (Group D)
- Dogred (Group D)
- ZiPLine Mafia (Group D)
- DINOS (Group D)
The battle royale shooter, Apex Legends, by Electronic Arts has a total prize pool of $2 million.
Electronic Arts holds the event as the official tournament, the Apex Legends Global Series: 2026 Split 1 Playoffs (ALGS: 2026 Split 1 Playoffs), with 40 teams participating.
July 7 (Tue)
- 1:00 PM –: Group A + Group B
- 5:35 PM –: Group C + Group D
July 8 (Wed)
- 1:00 PM –: Group A + Group C
- 5:35 PM –: Group B + Group D
July 9 (Thu)
- 1:00 PM –: Group A + Group D
- 5:35 PM –: Group B + Group C
July 10 (Fri)
- 4:00 PM –: Survival
July 11 (Sat)
- 4:00 PM –: Match Point Finals
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Overview and Week 1 Schedule
The Road to #EWC26 comes down to this.
The Last Chance Qualifier action for FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves kicks off live from Paris this Sunday! Top contenders battle it out for the 4 final spots.
📺 Jul 5 | 10:40 AM CEST | 4:40 AM EDT | 5:40 PM JST#FatalFury #CotW pic.twitter.com/MhOtPRA3W7— SNK Esports Hub (@snk_esports_hub) July 3, 2026
- GO1
- Laggia
- DarkAngel
- mi2ha4
- ZJZ
- Dany El Maza
- Basher
- NaiWang
- SHADOW X
- Nemo
- Xiaohai
- POONGKO
- NYChrisG
- TheGio
- KojiKOG
- Fenritti
- H-DOPE
- RB
- Vxbao
- Lancer
- mok
- Reynald
- Kindevu
- Neku
- K-TOP
- SCORE
- Senaru
- AbuOmar
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
The fighting game, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, developed by SNK, has a total prize pool of $1 million.
Thirty-two players will compete, including the EWC 2025 champion, GO1.
The EWC Last Chance Qualifier will determine the remaining four spots on Sunday, July 5, 2026.
July 8 (Wed)
- 1:00 PM –: Group AA
- 3:50 PM –: Group BB
July 9 (Thu)
- 1:00 PM –: Group CC
- 3:50 PM –: Group DD
July 10 (Fri)
- 1:00 PM –: Group A
- 3:50 PM –: Group B
July 11 (Sat)
- 3:00 PM –: Quarterfinals
- 5:55 PM –: Third Place Match
- 6:30 PM –: Grand Final
Dota 2 Overview and Week 1 Schedule
Uniting the world of esports, anime and manga. All in one place.
Together with @Sony as an EWC26 partner. pic.twitter.com/hnMsQkuSFj
— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 2, 2026
- Team Spirit
- Vici Gaming
- 1W
- Aurora Gaming
- Xtreme Gaming
- Team Yandex
- Team Falcons
- Team Liquid
- MOUZ
- PTime
- OG Esports
- Virtus.Pro
- BB Team
- PVISION
- L1 TEAM
- LGD Gaming
- Rune Eaters
- Nigma Galaxy
- Inner Circle x Insanity
- Team Nemesis
- GamerLegion
- Level Up
- REKONIX
- Poor Rangers
The MOBA, Dota 2, developed and operated by Valve Corporation, has a total prize pool of $2 million.
Twenty-four teams will compete over two weeks.
July 7 (Tue)
- 11:00 AM –: Team Falcons vs BB Team, Poor Rangers vs GamerLegion, Rune Eaters vs Xtreme Gaming
- 1:30 PM –: Team Liquid vs PTime, L1 TEAM vs Nigma Galaxy, Level Up vs Aurora Gaming
- 4:00 PM –: Team Spirit vs MOUZ, REKONIX vs Vici Gaming, Team Nemesis vs PVISION
- 6:30 PM –: Team Yandex vs OG Esports, LGD Gaming vs Virtus.Pro, Inner Circle x Insanity vs 1W
July 8 (Wed)
- 11:00 AM –: GamerLegion vs Xtreme Gaming, Poor Rangers vs BB Team, Team Falcons vs Rune Eaters
- 1:30 PM –: Nigma Galaxy vs Aurora Gaming, L1 TEAM vs PTime, Team Liquid vs Level Up
- 4:00 PM –: Vici Gaming vs PVISION, REKONIX vs MOUZ, Team Spirit vs Team Nemesis
- 6:30 PM –: Virtus.Pro vs 1W, LGD Gaming vs OG Esports, Team Yandex vs Inner Circle x Insanity
July 9 (Thu)
- 11:00 AM –: GamerLegion vs Team Falcons, Poor Rangers vs Xtreme Gaming, BB Team vs Rune Eaters
- 1:30 PM –: Nigma Galaxy vs Team Liquid, L1 TEAM vs Aurora Gaming, PTime vs Level Up
- 4:00 PM –: Vici Gaming vs Team Spirit, MOUZ vs Team Nemesis, REKONIX vs PVISION
- 6:30 PM –: LGD Gaming vs 1W, Virtus.Pro vs Team Yandex, OG Esports vs Inner Circle x Insanity
July 10 (Fri)
- 11:00 AM –: Xtreme Gaming vs BB Team, Poor Rangers vs Team Falcons, Rune Eaters vs GamerLegion
- 1:30 PM –: Aurora Gaming vs PTime, L1 TEAM vs Team Liquid, Level Up vs Nigma Galaxy
- 4:00 PM –: PVISION vs MOUZ, Team Nemesis vs Vici Gaming, REKONIX vs Team Spirit
- 6:30 PM –: LGD Gaming vs Team Yandex, 1W vs OG Esports, Inner Circle x Insanity vs Virtus.Pro
July 11 (Sat)
- 11:00 AM –: Xtreme Gaming vs Team Falcons, BB Team vs GamerLegion, Poor Rangers vs Rune Eaters
- 1:30 PM –: Aurora Gaming vs Team Liquid, PTime vs Nigma Galaxy, L1 TEAM vs Level Up
July 12 (Sun)
- 11:00 AM –: PVISION vs Team Spirit, MOUZ vs Vici Gaming, REKONIX vs Team Nemesis
- 1:30 PM –: 1W vs Team Yandex, OG Esports vs Virtus.Pro, LGD Gaming vs Inner Circle x Insanity
EA SPORTS FC 26 Overview and Week 1 Schedule
Different strengths. Different games. Same pursuit of greatness. pic.twitter.com/1ezow7TH6n
— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 1, 2026
The soccer game, EA SPORTS FC 26, has a total prize pool of $1.5 million.
Organizers have already decided 26 of 36 spots, and the Last Chance Qualifier EA SPORTS FC 26 will determine the remaining 10 spots beginning Thursday, July 9, 2026.
July 9 (Thu) – July 11 (Sat)
- Last Chance Qualifier
July 12 (Sun)
- Play-ins