The full team list for the Esports World Cup 2026 is now confirmed after the three-day Open Qualifier in Paris came to an end. 100 Thieves, BIG, K27 and JiJieHao claimed the final four spots at the $2 million tournament, completing the 32-team field for one of the biggest Counter-Strike 2 events of the season. The qualifier featured 64 teams competing from August 7-9, with only four surviving the group stage and single-elimination playoffs. Several recognizable names, including Liquid, BC.Game, HEROIC, fnatic and Virtus.pro, failed to make it through.
100 Thieves survive the bracket of death
100 Thieves became the first team to secure qualification after defeating 1win 2-0 in their decisive series. They needed overtime to take Ancient 16-14 before comfortably closing Anubis 13-6. Their route was particularly difficult. The playoff section included BC.Game and Liquid, but 100 Thieves eliminated Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and company 2-1 before beating 1win, who had previously knocked Liquid out of the qualifier.
Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen was the standout player for 100 Thieves throughout the event, finishing the qualifier with a 1.44 rating. The result also marks an important milestone for the organization. EWC will be 100 Thieves’ first tier-one LAN appearance since returning to Counter-Strike at the beginning of 2026. Their Paris run also lifted them to No. 33 in the Valve Regional Standings.
BIG justify their status as one of the favorites
BIG secured the second available ticket after defeating Sashi 2-1. The German organization dropped only one map during the entire qualifier, with Sashi taking Inferno 13-9 between BIG’s victories on Cache and Ancient.
Gleb “gr1ks” Gazin was the driving force behind their run. The young AWPer finished the tournament with an impressive 1.58 rating and was the highest-rated player on the server in six of BIG’s eleven maps. Sashi still leave Paris with several valuable victories, including an elimination win over Virtus.pro, but BIG ultimately proved too strong in the decisive series.
K27 edge fnatic to book another Big Event appearance
K27 took the third qualification spot after overcoming fnatic 2-1 in one of the closest deciding matches of the tournament. fnatic had opportunities to turn the series around, but K27 survived overtime on the second map and then took control of the decider. Aleksey “xeedo” Mikulich and Daniil “qw1nk1” Kabilov played key roles in closing the series.
The qualification sends K27 to only the second Big Event in the organization’s history. Their previous appearance came at PGL Astana, where the young roster finished in last place.
JiJieHao complete the biggest surprise of the qualifier
JiJieHao claimed the fourth and final EWC ticket by beating HOTU 2-1. After losing Mirage 7-13, the international roster responded with a 13-9 victory on Cache and edged Dust2 13-11.
Their qualification was arguably the biggest surprise of the event. JiJieHao had already eliminated DENDELE and Phantom in the playoffs before facing a HOTU side ranked 28 positions above them in the VRS. Bebu “Bibu” Aadil delivered when it mattered most, posting a 1.41 rating on the deciding Dust2 to help JiJieHao complete their unexpected run to the main event.
Liquid, BC.Game and HEROIC among the teams eliminated
The Paris qualifier also produced several notable failures. Liquid’s run ended against 1win in the Round of 16, while BC.Game were stopped by 100 Thieves at the same stage despite arriving at the match on a strong winning streak. HEROIC were eliminated by fnatic, while Virtus.pro fell to Sashi. fnatic themselves came within one series of qualification before losing to K27.
Only four of the original 64 teams therefore leave Paris with places at the main event: 100 Thieves, BIG, K27 and JiJieHao.
Full team list for Esports World Cup 2026
With the Open Qualifier completed, all 32 participants are now known:
- Falcons
- Spirit
- FURIA
- Vitality
- MOUZ
- Natus Vincere
- 9z
- Aurora
- G2
- BetBoom
- FaZe
- Legacy
- Astralis
- The MongolZ
- FUT
- PARIVISION
- B8
- paiN
- 3DMAX
- GamerLegion
- magic
- Luminosity
- MIBR
- TYLOO
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- M80
- Lynn Vision
- Wildcard
- BIG
- 100 Thieves
- K27
- JiJieHao
The Esports World Cup 2026 main event will begin on August 12, with the 32 teams entering the double-elimination group stage. The tournament features a $2 million prize pool, while the eventual champion will be crowned later this month in Paris.
