Road to EWC: April 2026

April centered on league play and qualification cycles across multiple titles, with results beginning to solidify the competitive hierarchy heading into the summer.

The Call of Duty League is in the middle of Stage 3 qualifiers, with teams pushing through a packed stretch of competition. Atlanta FaZe, Movistar KOI, Vancouver Surge, and Gentle Mates have all delivered strong performances so far.

The BLAST R6 Major season has officially kicked off with regional events around the world. Five Fears took first place in the North America kickoff, All Gamers topped the China region, Weibo Gaming secured the Asia Pacific victory, and FURIA claimed the South America title. These teams, along with others finishing high in their respective brackets, have qualified for the next Major in Salt Lake City.

BLAST Rivals Spring is also underway in Counter-Strike 2, where clubs such as G2 Esports and Team Vitality continue to maintain strong form. The event runs into May and serves as a key preview of what to expect ahead of Riyadh later this summer.

In the League of Legends ecosystem, major clubs including Cloud9, Team Liquid, Karmine Corp, Team Vitality, Bilibili Gaming, JD Gaming, Hanwha Life Esports, and KT Rolster have all opened Spring with strong performances. Each regional league will continue its Spring split through May.

Finally, Stage 1 of the Overwatch Champions Series 2026 saw Dallas Fuel come out on top in North America, with Spacestation Gaming and Team Liquid coming in second and third. Twisted Minds claimed the EMEA title, while Weibo Gaming secured the win in China.

Road to EWC: Qualifiers

Qualifiers for the Esports World Cup will take center stage at DreamHack Atlanta in May, where competitors will battle for direct pathways to Riyadh across multiple titles. The event continues DreamHack’s role as a key stop on the Road to EWC, bringing together emerging talent and established contenders in high-stakes matches that will help define the next wave of qualified players and Clubs.

Notable Roster Changes

April brought a small wave of roster adjustments as Clubs reacted to early-season results and prepared for the next phase of competition.

Twisted Minds saw changes to its Rainbow Six Siege roster in April, with two players departing the lineup as the team continues to refine its competitive structure. Abdellah “X.Ke” Wahabi and Abdulrahman “Guardz” Alsaeedi both left the roster as Twisted Minds evaluates its options.

GodLike Esports signed players across Trackmania, Chess, Fortnite, and Street Fighter 6. L1ngo and Mees “Stufts” Jenema will compete in Trackmania, Hans Niemann in Chess, Nicolas “Chap” H. and Felix “Flickzy” G. in Fortnite, and Cristopher “Caba” Rodriguez in Street Fighter 6.

FUT Esports added Brazilian Fortnite players Fernando “Edson” Sobral and Pedro “Phzin” Henrique.

Team RRQ signed a roster for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Women's International at 2026 Esports World Cup under the name RRQ Shira, featuring Erica, Jollybee, Nicholette, Rylaii, Ying, and YQ. RRQ also added Cem “Cemko” Akyürek and Hüseyin “Huso” Gülhan in Trackmania.

Team Vitality signed fighting game star Shoji “Fenritti” Sho to compete in FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves. The French club is also bringing back its MLBB women’s roster, featuring Vivi “Vivian” Indrawaty, Viorelle “Vival” Chen, Venny “Fumi” Lim, Cindy “Cinny” Siswanto, and Michelle “Chell” Siswanto.

ONIC added players across three titles: Jojotaro and Booce Lee in Street Fighter 6, Book in Tekken 8, and Retro and Phoenix in Fortnite.

In Rocket League, Team Secret’s roster disbanded in April following its quarterfinal finish at the 2025 Esports World Cup.

The Esports World Cup launched Rostermania in late April, a new show exploring the decisions shaping the competitive landscape. The broadcast highlighted a majority of the moves listed above, breaking the news on several of the roster announcements.