Jul 13, 2026.
Week 1 of EWC 26 delivered no shortage of memorable moments. Here are some of the biggest storylines from FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, Apex Legends, VALORANT, Dota 2, and the EA SPORTS FC 26 Play-Ins.
Finals Bracket
Kenta "mi2ha4" Ichihara has had a thorn in his side for the entirety of his FATAL FURY career named Laggia. Laggia, who mi2ha4 credits as the reason he competes in FATAL FURY, had defeated mi2ha4 on the big stage on multiple occasions, including EVO Japan for example. In the FATAL FURY:CotW at EWC 26 Semi Finals mi2ha4 finally managed to overcome his catalyst in Paris. The impact of the victory on mi2ha4 became clear quickly as his tears couldn't have flown faster following the match.
Group Stage
Elite Esports EU delivered one of the most dominant ALGS group stage performances in recent years. The mixed European roster finished atop the standings with 199 points, won four of its 18 games, and finished 17 points ahead of Team Liquid, the largest gap between first and second in an ALGS group stage since the 2024 Split Playoffs in Mannheim. That made Elite Esports EU the team to beat heading into Sunday's Grand Final, but the early momentum didn't carry over. The squad finished a disappointing 13th, falling short of the 50-point Match Point threshold with 43 points.
Group Stage
The home crowd had plenty to cheer for early in VALORANT at EWC 26. Two of the three French organizations in attendance advanced through the group stage undefeated, with Gentle Mates even upsetting tournament favorites Nongshim RedForce. French fans packed the arena for the quarterfinals, creating one of the loudest atmospheres of the tournament. But despite their support, both hometown teams were eliminated, as Gentle Mates fell to BBL Esports and Team Vitality lost its rematch against Nongshim RedForce. Even in defeat, the Paris crowd made its presence felt, and it likely won't be the last time this tournament.
Group Stage
After five days of action in the Dota 2 at EWC 26 group stage, Group D required a tiebreaker to determine third and fourth place. Rather than a traditional best-of-three series, the Esports World Cup's unique tiebreaker rules called for a 1v1 showdown. Virtus.pro's Abed "Abed" Yusop faced LGD's Santiago "TaiLung" Agüero Gustavo in a Shadow Fiend mirror match, with TaiLung emerging victorious to secure the higher seed.
Play-ins
Although the main tournament doesn't begin until July 22, EA SPORTS FC 26 has already delivered plenty of drama. The 512-player Last Chance Qualifier and subsequent Play-Ins whittled the field down, with two familiar names emerging: Guilherme "GuiBarros" Barros and Francesco "Obrun2002" Tagliafierro. Both were top performers at EWC 25, yet neither qualified directly for this year's event or earned an automatic Play-In berth, forcing them to start from the opening stage of the Last Chance Qualifier.
After surviving all three LCQ stages, both advanced to the Play-Ins, where GuiBarros finished second in Group J and Obrun2002 topped Group E. Their paths eventually collided in the deciding third-round playoff, guaranteeing that one of last year's standout players would fall just short of the main event. Obrun2002 dominated the matchup with a 5-1 victory, securing his place in the main event while keeping both his FC Pro 26 World Championship hopes and his pursuit of the prestigious Jafonso Award alive.
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