Esports World Cup 2026: First champions crowned as 100 Thieves, UNLIMIT and DarkAngel strike gold in Paris

The Esports World Cup 2026 got off to a spectacular start in Paris with three champions crowned during the opening week, as 100 Thieves, Japan's UNLIMIT and NAVI star Luis Guadalupe "DarkAngel" Castillo Gomez claimed titles across VALORANT, Apex Legends and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves respectively.The week began with the inaugural Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves championship before an unforgettable Apex Legends finale and concluded with an all-American VALORANT showdown, setting the tone for what promises to be a thrilling multi-title tournament.DarkAngel became the first player to etch his name onto the Esports World Cup Totem after finally winning his maiden major title in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. The NAVI player defeated Virtus.pro's Kenta "mi2ha4" Ichihara 4-1 in the grand final, capping a breakthrough run after finishing third at last year's Esports World Cup.The emotional victory was made even sweeter after two of the game's biggest names — defending champion Goichi "GO1" Kishida and former winner Zeng "Xiao Hai" Zhuojun — failed to challenge for the title."I'm extremely happy and extremely grateful," DarkAngel said after lifting the trophy. "Thank you to my team NAVI, and everyone in Latin America that follows me and supports me. I've learned from every win and every loss, and I'm extremely grateful."If DarkAngel's triumph was emotional, UNLIMIT's Apex Legends title was nothing short of extraordinary.The Japanese trio of Yulariman, Xtsuvi and Peace looked out of contention after failing to finish higher than ninth in any of the first six matches of the ALGS Year 6 Split 1 Playoffs final.However, they produced one of the greatest comebacks in Esports World Cup history, winning three of the final four games to force the championship into a decisive 10th match.In the winner-takes-all finale, Peace eliminated the final members of ZETA DIVISION to secure the title and spark jubilant celebrations. He finished the tournament with 39 eliminations, 35 assists and 50 knockouts to earn the Sony MVP award."I thought this was a dream at first, but the dream came true," Peace said. "I appreciate everyone that supported me — my family, my friends and the UNLIMIT staff."The opening week concluded with 100 Thieves claiming their first international VALORANT title after defeating reigning world champions NRG 3-1 in an all-American final.The victory marked a landmark moment for veteran Peter "Asuna" Mazuryk, who has spent more than five years with the organisation, while Matthew "Cryocells" Panganiban was named Sony MVP after a dominant display that included 65 kills and 25 assists in the final."It feels really good," Cryocells said. "It's been so long that I haven't won a trophy yet. I had many doubts throughout my career, but at the end of the day, never stop believing in yourself and the people around you."While the first three champions have now been crowned, the Esports World Cup continues with Dota 2 entering its knockout stages. Meanwhile, hometown favourites Team Vitality lead the Club Championship standings after collecting points in both VALORANT and Fatal Fury.