This Year’s Esports World Cup Sees Increased $75m Prize Pool
Organisers of the Esports World Cup Foundation have confirmed an increased prize pool of $75m for this year’s competition. Billed as the world’s largest esports event, the Esports World Cup 2026 will run from 6 July to 23 August.
More than 2,000 players and 200 clubs will play 24 games in 25 tournaments across seven weeks.
This year’s games are:
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Chess
- Counter-Strike 2
- Crossfire
- Dota 2
- EA Sports FC 26
- FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves
- Fortnite
- Free Fire
- Honor of Kings
- League of Legends
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Overwatch 2
- PUBG: Battlegrounds
- PUBG Mobile
- Rocket League
- Street Fighter 6
- Teamfight Tactics
- TEKKEN 8
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege X
- Trackmania
- VALORANT
EWC 2026 Prizes
The ultimate prize, the Esports World Cup Club Champion, carries the biggest prize – $7m for the winner and $23m for the competition’s next 23 best clubs. Last year, seven teams were left battling it out for the main prize heading into the final two weeks. With a week left, five teams were still in with a chance.
Team Falcons eventually took the prize after Team Liquid’s Alan “Nephew” Sun lost out in the Street Fighter competition, ending their hopes of a comeback.
Individual game competitions, including new additions Fortnite and recently announced Trackmania, will share a total prize pool of $39m. The remaining $6m will be distributed as MVP prizes and the Jafonso Award.
The Jafonso Award is given to competitors who advance to the main tournament via Last Chance Qualifiers and go on to win. The award was handed out for the first time at last year’s EWC and was named after Jaoa “jafonso” Vasconcelos, who became the only player to achieve the feat when doing so in 2024.
Team Falcons became the first recipients of the newly minted award last year, when they won the main event.
Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be bought directly from the EWC website.
