Esports Foundation

🏆Week 5 is in the books, and more twists and turns took place on-stage and in the arenas. 🎉Three trophies were lifted up by three worthy winners, with Kuaishou Gaming rising up against All Gamers (AG Global) to claim the title in Honor of Kings, while TEKKEN 8 saw an unexpected champion in Khawaja "M. Zubair" Muhammad Zubair who emerged from the LCQ to take home the trophy and the Jafonso Award, plus OpTic Gaming were able to retain their Call of Duty title after raising it high in Riyadh last year. 🎯This week, more action is on the way, as PUBG Mobile shifts into high gear with the Survival Stage and Grand Final, while Rainbow Six Siege enters the playoffs. Rocket League will deliver high-octane acrobatics and incredible goals, while Chess will give us a tactical masterclass from the world's best players. Here's what you may have missed: 🧙Honor of Kings - AG.AL looked set to retain their trophy, but it was their local rivals in Kuaishou Gaming who were able to topple the reigning champions and emerge as a winner in Honor of Kings World Cup at EWC. Kuaishou Gaming defeated their rivals 4-3 in a thrilling grand final series, after a flawless run throughout the tournament. 🥊TEKKEN 8 - One of the most incredible journeys throughout this year's EWC took place in TEKKEN 8. Khawaja "M. Zubair" Muhammad Zubair battled his way through the LCQs to book one of four seats in the final 32, and then took down heavy hitters like Arslan "Arslan Ash" Siddique on the way to the grand final. He came up against last year's runner up in Yoon "LowHigh" Sun-woong, the reigning Tekken World Tour winner, and crushed him 5-0. 🔫Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - OpTic Gaming had the full force of the Green Wall behind them as they battled Team Heretics in an 8-game thriller, but it was OpTic Gaming who had the edge, and lifted the trophy again, following their win in Riyadh last year. This will surely be a boon for the team who lost out in the grand final at the Call of Duty League Championship just weeks ago. 6️⃣Both PUBG Mobile and Rainbow Six Siege conclude in Week 6, but the first week of action for both games was intense. In PUBG Mobile the defending champions Yangon Galacticos missed out on a grand final spot and now have to fight through the Survival stage. While in Rainbow Six Siege the title defenders Team Secret were counted out by many after major roster changes, but they upset Team Falcons 2-0 to claim a playoff spot and keep their back to back dream alive. 🏅Club Championship standings - With a win in TEKKEN 8 and a second place finish in Honor of Kings, AG.AL have now rocketed up to the top of the table with 3,350 points, overtaking Team Falcons who sit with just 2,900. Natus Vincere remain in the top three with 2,250 points, while Team Vitality and Virtus.pro sit joint-fourth with 2,200 points each. 📺 Watch live on the EWC website, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. #EsportsWorldCup2026 #ewc2026 #Paris #France #esports #gaming

💫 Esports World Cup 2026 Reveals Paris Apparel Collection and Player Jacket as New Symbols of Esports Culture. 🇫🇷 Today, we introduce EWC 2026’ Paris-inspired apparel collection and exclusive Player Jacket, creating a visual tradition for the world’s largest esports and gaming event. The collection reflects the growing role of esports in contemporary culture. It gives players and fans apparel pieces that represent the stories that define each edition of the competition. 🗼 The EWC26 Paris Collection draws from one of France’s most recognizable decorative traditions, Toile de Jouy, reinterpreting the historic textile to tell the story of the EWC. The designs incorporate the EWC Trophy and the Eiffel Tower as commemorative elements within the pattern. Central to the collection is the latest edition of the EWC Player’s Jacket, created in partnership with AKOG Hotel (A KIND OF GUISE). Awarded exclusively to players who qualify for EWC, the jacket has become a symbol of excellence among pro players. 🏆 Originally created as a player-exclusive item, the Players’ Jacket was released to the public for the first time in 2025 in response to fan demand, which intensified after sporting icon Cristiano Ronaldo was seen wearing it. For 2026, the Esports Foundation will release its second-ever EWC Players’ Jacket Public Edition for fans in a limited-edition colorway. "The world's biggest sporting events are remembered through the moments they create and the symbols they leave behind,” said Mohammad Al Nimer, Chief Commercial Officer, the Esports Foundation. “As the Esports World Cup grows, we're beginning to build those traditions for esports. This collection is inspired by Paris, but it's ultimately about the people who make the Esports World Cup what it is: the players, Clubs and communities who come together here every summer." 🔗 The EWC26 Paris Collection is live at the EWC online shop and at the Fan Fest with a series of exclusive drops continuing throughout the Esports World Cup's seven-week run in Paris. #EsportsWorldCup2026 #ewc2026 #apparel #Ronaldo #CR7 #Paris #France #esports #gaming

🏆OpTic Gaming once again triumphed in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 at Esports World Cup, taking the Call of Duty crown for a second year following a frenetic battle against Team Heretics in the grand final. 🔫The back-to-back champions had reached their ninth grand final in a row, and capped this one off by taking the win after a hard fought run through the tournament where they were sent to the lower bracket by 100 Thieves. 🔼OpTic Gaming bounced back, however, and swept FaZe Clan 4-0 in the quarterfinals, taking revenge for their Call of Duty League 2026 Championship loss just weeks ago. They then took down 100 Thieves in their semifinal rematch in a close 4-3 battle to lock in their grand final placement. 👏The grand final was an incredible match where both Team Heretics and OpTic Gaming gave their all, with both teams equal after four games. OpTic were able to gain the lead, and while Team Heretics showed moments of a comeback, they were soon crushed by the eventual champions. 🏅 The SONY MVP award went to Anthony "Shotzzy" Cuevas-Castro for the second time in a row, earning an extra $25,000 for his performance throughout the tournament. Asked on who he thanks for his MVP award, he said, “Definitely my teammates. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here. Shoutout to the fans that showed up, we appreciate you guys. Shoutout Green Wall.” 📢Speaking on the team’s win at the Esports World Cup, Cuyler "Huke" Garland said, “There’s a lot of history here in Paris for OpTic, but it feels really good to end the season on this note. I’m just happy that we pulled through the whole way.” 🥉The third place on the podium went down to a match between Team Falcons and 100 Thieves, with plenty of Club Championship points on the line. Team Falcons took the first three games, but were unable to hold on as 100 Thieves wrapped up four games in a row to take home the $210,000 in prize money and 500 Club Championship points. Activision #EsportsWorldCup2026 #ewc2026 #CallofDuty #Paris #France #esports #gaming

🏆Khawaja "M. Zubair" Muhammad Zubair is an Esports World Cup Champion after one of the most incredible Last Chance Qualifier runs we have ever seen. After beating out 443 other players in the LCQ he took down all of the biggest names in TEKKEN to lift the EWC trophy. 🥊The relative unknown M. Zubair took down EVO legends and Tekken World Tour winners along the way to take home the first place prize. He beat out Yoon "LowHigh" Sun-woong in the grand finals in a 5-0 sweep, and earned the Jafonso award in the process for making the incredible journey through the LCQ. 👏The Jafonso Award, an accolade named after João “Jafonso” Vasconcelos who won the EA SPORTS FC 24 at EWC 2024 title after advancing through the Last Chance Qualifier, comes with an extra $50,000, along with a name in the history books. 📢“I worked really hard, and I had full faith that I can win this. And with my dedication, and my practice, I think I was able to achieve this. I have been practising a lot in Pakistan. There’s a specific friend of mine who actually played with me, and he also prepared me,” said M. Zubair. “I’m really grateful to him. When he finds out that I have won the Esports World Cup, he’s going to be very happy. He plays a very pivotal role in my success today.” 🥋This win comes with 1,000 Club Championship points, and takes his club, All Gamers (AG Global), to the top of the Club Championship table with 3,350 points. This win, along with the Club's podium finishes in FreeFire, Honor of Kings, and TeamFight Tactics, puts them ahead of Team Falcons, who are behind with 2,800 points. 🥉The third place match saw Arslan "Arslan Ash" Siddique go up against Benjamin "Yagami" Torngdee. Both sides gave their all, but it was Yagami who emerged victorious over the eight-time EVO winner, as he claimed the series 5-2, along with the $70,000 share of the prize pool. Bandai Namco #EsportsWorldCup2026 #ewc2026 #Tekken8 #Paris #France #esports #gaming

🏆Kuaishou Gaming have taken the Honor of Kings World Cup at Esports World Cup 2026 crown, becoming first-time EWC champions following an incredible 4-3 grand final finish against reigning champs All Gamers (AG Global). 🌀The newly crowned champions earned their title after a flawless performance throughout the tournament, where they didn't drop a single game until the grand final, where they were tested by last year's winner, AG.AL. Both teams traded games back and forth, before the entire series went to a thrilling final game seven to determine the ultimate winner. 🧙Kuaishou Gaming got ahead of AG.AL by taking the first win, but both teams traded games back and forth until AG.AL won two games and sat on match point. KSG fought back, and tied up the series to force a final game, in which they dominated their opponents to take the title and become the newest Honor of Kings World Cup at Esports World Cup winner. ⚔️ He “JuHao” Weijia was named as the SONY MVP for his performance with Kuaishou Gaming throughout the tournament, earning an extra $25,000. "All I could think during my game was how I could win, that was all I could care about," he said, after receiving the award. 📢When asked about the match, Zhao “silence” Haoyu responded with confidence, saying, “There’s nothing much to say. How about you just look at who’s standing here.” 🙅Kuaishou Gaming's win also denies Xu "YiNuo" Bicheng from becoming a three-time EWC champion, following his win with AG.AL last year, and with the KPL Dream Team the year before. Instead, KSG has shown there's a new opportunity for the top place in competitive Honor of Kings. 🥉Over in the third place match, Geekay Esports took on ROC Esports to determine the best of the rest. The two Malaysian teams had impressive runs throughout the tournament, falling only to the two finalists. Geekay Esports, however, swept their opponents 3-0. They take home $280,000 for their third place finish, and 500 Club Championship Points. Tencent #EsportsWorldCup2026 #ewc2026 #HonorofKings #Paris #France #esports #gaming

Five weeks in, and the 2026 Esports World Cup is reaching its peak. This weekend, three more championships will be decided, trophies lifted, keys crushed, and dreams realised. As each champion is crowned, the Club Championship race comes into sharper focus. Right now, just 600 points separate the top five teams, so one strong showing could send any of them to the summit. Here's what's on the line: 👑 Honor of Kings World Cup 2026 - Reigning champions All Gamers (AG Global) are chasing back-to-back crowns, but there are a handful of other teams looking to scoop up the $600,000 grand prize and trophy. ROC Esports and Geekay Esports are both already locked into the semifinals, but who will they each face; and just who will emerge into this weekend's grand final? 🥊 Tekken 8 - Lim "ULSAN" Soo-hoon is aiming for three Tekken EWC titles in a row at this year's tournament, and while he had to battle through the Lower Bracket after a defeat to M. Zubair, he's one of the fighters to beat. Arslan Ash is here too, still chasing the one trophy missing from his cabinet after his heroics at EVO Las Vegas earlier this year. 🤙 Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 - Reigning champions OpTic Gaming want redemption after FaZe Clan denied them the third straight title at the CDL Championship. Both sides are pushing for a title at EWC 2026, but they are joined by some strong competition. 📈 It's tight at the top of the Club Championship. Team Falcons lead on 2,400, with Natus Vincere (2,250) and Virtus.pro (2,200) right behind. Local side Team Vitality (2,000) and AG.AL (1,800) will also be looking to make big gains this weekend, with AG.AL featuring in all three of the Club Championship titles. 📺 Catch it all live across the Esports World Cup YouTube and Twitch channels. #EsportsWorldCup2026 #ewc2026 #Paris #France #esports #gaming

Halfway through, and still everything is on the line. The EWC 2026 journey continues. 🔥 #EsportsWorldCup2026 #ewc2026 #Paris #France #esports #gaming

🏆Week 4 of the 2026 EWC is in the history books, and four more champions have been crowned across an epic weekend of grand final action. We saw records smashed, young stars rise up, and incredible journeys to grand finals. 🎉Four winners were set in stone this weekend: Overwatch, Call of Duty: Warzone, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Street Fighter 6 hosted the world's best players in two jam-packed days of competition. 🔮Coming up though, even more action is on the cards: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 kicks off, PUBG Mobile gets underway, Honor of Kings reaches its apex, and TEKKEN 8's conclusion is nigh. Here's what you may have missed: 🛡️Overwatch - The OWCS Midseason Championship came to a close, and ZETA DIVISION took the title after a thrilling back and forth game against Twisted Minds. For many in the team, it was their first international title in the squad, but for Kim "Proper" Dong-hyun, it was his second EWC Overwatch title in a row, after lifting last year's with Team Falcons. For ZETA DIVISION, however, it was the first international title for the Club, and what a spectacular run for it. 🔫Call of Duty: Warzone - The Call of Duty: Warzone Resurgence Series 2026 Championship drew to a close, and out of leftfield, G2 Esports took the title. Multiple teams were in contention to take the final victory, but it was G2 who were able to keep calm and claim the win, with both themselves and T1 Entertainment & Sports in with a shot of lifting the trophy as the final circles formed. The trio of Anthony "Anziety" Moran, Ashton "Bigman" Ezard, and Aarondeep "Cythe" Dhami competed at last year's EWC, but missed out on the grand finals. This year, however, they were able to pull out all of the stops, and claim the trophy they coveted. 🧙Mobile Legends: Bang Bang - Despite a tough route to the Grand Final, Team Spirit of the EECA region claimed the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup. Team Spirit took down Yangon Galacticos to make history for the region, in a game that is normally dominated by sides from Southeast Asia. With a closely contested 4-3 finish, Team Spirit were able to rally together to claim the trophy. 🥊Street Fighter 6 - What a competition we witnessed in Street Fighter 6, as Team Falcons' Jaime "Craime" Bustos claimed the victory to become the youngest-ever EWC title winner, and a real surprise of the tournament. He took the lead early on, and never let go, claiming a 5-2 win against Japanese player Hibiki to make history, and claim 1,000 points for Team Falcons. 🏅Club Championship standings - With the Street Fighter 6 win, Team Falcons head on up to the top of the Club Championship, with 2,400 points and once they go top, it tends to be hard to move them. Natus Vincere follow them with 2,250 points, and in third it's Virtus.pro with 2,000. There are still plenty of points up for grabs, but will Team Falcons hold on to their lead? #EsportsWorldCup2026 #ewc2026 #Paris #France #esports #gaming

🏆G2 Esports pulled out all of the stops to take the Call of Duty: Warzone Resurgence Series Championship at Esports World Cup 2026 title after a lacklustre 2025 from the roster in a nailbiting grand final. 🪂The G2 Esports roster of Anthony "Anziety" Moran, Ashton "Bigman" Ezard, and Aarondeep "Cythe" Dhami has played as a core trio for years and entered last year's EWC Call of Duty: Warzone event together too. However, they fell short in 17th place, and didn't even make the grand final. 🌟But this year was different. After being signed by G2 Esports earlier in the season, through determination, consistency, and an incredible final match, the trio were able to strike through the pack to emerge victorious, all while four other teams were also on match point. In fact, they only placed outside of the top five twice out of all 11 games, and started the event with a punch, placing in the top three in the first four games. 📢“It feels good, especially from last year. I was on rock bottom and now we won, so it's just the storyline that was meant to be,” said Ashton "Bigman" Ezard. “It hasn’t hit me yet, it doesn't feel real, but it will hit me later. It just felt like a scrim to me.” 🗣️Anthony "Anziety" Moran was crowned the SONY MVP for the tournament, scooping an extra $25,000 for his performance. “I've got no words right now, none,” he said after winning. “I’m just shocked that we won that game. There are just no words. It feels amazing. I lost my voice screaming. This is amazing.” ☝️The team take home the top prize of $250,000 and 1,000 Club Championship points, but G2 Esports need to do more to make a dent on the Club Championship table. After failing to place in the top eight in both VALORANT and League of Legends, the Club needs another top eight finish in either Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 or Counter-Strike 2 to be eligible for the Club Championship. #EsportsWorldCup2026 #ewc2026 #G2 #CallofDuty #Paris #France #esports #gaming

🏆The OWCS Midseason Championship at Esports World Cup 2026 winner has been crowned, as ZETA DIVISION scoop up their first international trophy! 🏆🏆 And with that result, Kim “Proper” Dong-hyun becomes a two-time Esports World Cup champion, following his win with Team Falcons just last year, adding another incredible EWC win to his list of accolades. 🎯Japanese Club ZETA DIVISION dominated the Overwatch Champions Series 2026 Midseason Championship with their South Korean roster, losing just one map on their way to the grand final. The team showed no signs of slowing down until they hit the final battle, but were able to fight their way through the back-and-forth game to triumph over Twisted Minds. 🥷Former Overwatch League winner Park "Viol2t" Min-ki has now added another trophy to his cabinet, with the veteran pro saying: "Honestly, seeing this roster coming together this year, I felt that this is strong. This is what I experienced in 2019, or even stronger than that. If I get to do my part, then we'll definitely get to lift the trophy." 🔥The team's Kim "shu" Jin-seo was named as the Sony MVP for his incredible performance throughout the tournament, and he walks away with an extra $25,000 for his accolade. After receiving his MVP award, shu said, "Honestly, I just want to thank our CEO, our manager PangTong for believing in me, and [coach] Crusty for supporting our team. It's thanks to all of them that I could stand here now." 🥉In the third place game, South Korea’s T1 Entertainment & Sports took on China’s Weibo Gaming, where a dominating performance from T1 saw a 3-0 sweep earn them the $100,000 share of the prize pool and 500 Club Points. #EsportsWorldCup2026 #ewc2026 #OWCS #Paris #France #esports #gaming