MORE than 2,000 players from 200 clubs competed across 24 games for a record $75-million prize pool, while organizers said the event drew 850 million viewers and more than 2 million visits.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF EWC
AG.AL emerged as the Esports World Cup 2026 Club Champion after a dramatic finish to the seven-week competition in Paris, taking home the $7-million top prize.
The esports club finished with 5,300 points, ahead of Team Falcons with 4,600 and Team Vitality with 3,300. Natus Vincere placed fourth with 2,950, followed by Team Liquid with 2,700.
The championship came down to the final weekend, when AG.AL’s Gwendal “Gwen” Duparc won the inaugural Trackmania tournament.
Two-time defending champion Team Falcons entered the playoffs leading the standings, but Carl-Antoni “Carl Jr.” Cloutier’s quarterfinal exit gave AG.AL an opening.
Needing at least a third-place finish to clinch the overall title, Gwen instead won the tournament and its $130,000 prize, sealing the Club Championship for AG.AL.
The victory capped a strong campaign that included AG.AL winning TEKKEN 8, finishing second in Chess, Free Fire and the Honor of Kings World Cup, and placing third in Teamfight Tactics.
“This title shows how far that vision has come,” AG.AL COO Eddy Chen said, crediting the club’s players, coaches and staff.
More than 2,000 players representing 200 clubs and over 100 countries competed across 25 tournaments in 24 games for a record $75 million prize pool.
Organizers said the Paris event reached 850 million viewers and generated 440 million hours watched, increases of 13 percent and 26 percent, respectively, from 2025. Peak viewership hit 4.3 million during the League of Legends tournament.
Competition ticket sales reached 175,000, up 94 percent year on year, while venues, Fan Fest and city activations drew more than 2 million visits over seven weeks.
Paris became the first city outside Riyadh to host the Esports World Cup. The tournament will return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2027.
