ROAD to EWC: DreamHack Atlanta Recap

DreamHack Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center ran from May 15 to 17, delivering one of the final major stops on the Road to EWC. Across three days of competition, champions were crowned across multiple titles as teams and players battled to shape their standings heading into the final stretch of qualification for EWC 26 this summer.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Thomas “Scrap” Ernst led 100 Thieves, competing as the LA Thieves in the Call of Duty League, to victory at Call of Duty League Major III. After qualifying for playoffs, the Thieves dropped into the lower bracket following a loss to FaZe Clan, but responded with a dominant run through elimination matches. The squad won four straight series, including a revenge victory over FaZe, before defeating OpTic Gaming 4-3 in a tightly contested grand final.

Call of Duty: Warzone

Team Falcons took home the Call of Duty: Warzone crown in Atlanta as Edy "Newbz" Juan and his trip landed 104 kills and three first-places finishes. The Falcons had already qualified for EWC 26, meaning several runners-up including Team Orchid, G2 Esports, NOVO Esports, and others secured their ticket to EWC 26.

TEKKEN 8

DreamHack Atlanta’s TEKKEN 8 competition saw Gen.G’s Han “Mulgold” Jae-gyun claim the title. The South Korean standout defeated compatriot Jeong “Rangchu” Hyeon-ho and legendary champion Arslan Ash en route to the grand final, where he overcame Takaba Keisuke 3-1 to secure the crown.

Street Fighter 6

Saishunkan Sol Kumamoto’s Kobayan captured the Street Fighter 6 title after an impressive lower bracket run that saw the rising Japanese player go undefeated across three straight elimination matches to reach the grand final. There, he faced Alan “Nephew” Sun in a lengthy championship set that ultimately required a bracket reset before Kobayan secured the trophy.

FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves

Team Vitality’s Shoji “Fenritti” Sho delivered a standout performance in Atlanta, capturing the FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves title after defeating Gioseppe “TheGio” Paredes before overcoming Daniel “Dany” Fuentes Garcia twice to secure the championship.

Counter-Strike 2

Natus Vincere claimed $125,000 after a strong run at IEM Atlanta 2026. The European squad impressed in group play before suffering a setback against Legion, but bounced back in the playoffs with three straight wins, including a victory over GamerLegion in the grand final to secure the title.

Chess

Chess at DreamHack Atlanta featured a 36-player bracket with 17 titled competitors, including 14 Grandmasters. The field included names like Andrey Esipenko, Aleksej Sarana, Aravindh Chithambaram, and Liem Le, with the tournament culminating in a dramatic rematch between Sarana and Chithambaram. After fighting back through the lower bracket and making the Grand Finals with a 2-0 win, Sarana ultimately fell in the deciding Armageddon tiebreaker.