Esports
Esports World Cup 2026: Top stories from week one
Watch the Esports World Cup for free on DAZN
The Esports World Cup is only days into its seven-week schedule, but the world's biggest gaming festival has already delivered plenty of drama across multiple titles.
While the first champions are yet to be crowned, VALORANT has reached its knockout stages, Dota 2 has produced several early surprises, and the race for glory is beginning to take shape across Paris.
Here's a look at the biggest stories from the Esports World Cup so far.
VALORANT reaches the knockout stages
The race to become the first major Esports World Cup champion of 2026 is gathering pace after an action-packed group stage.
Sixteen of the world's best teams arrived in Paris chasing a share of the tournament's $2 million prize pool, with the field now narrowed to the final eight ahead of the playoffs. Quarter-final ties include 100 Thieves against MIBR, while Team Vitality, Team Heretics, Nongshim RedForce, BBL Esports, Gentle Mates and NRG have also booked their places in the last eight.
The tournament concludes on July 12, when the first major Esports World Cup title of the summer will be decided.
Dota 2 has already produced early surprises
Dota 2 may only be in its opening stages, but the tournament has wasted little time delivering unexpected results.
Several favourites were held to draws on the opening day, with Team Falcons unable to move past BB Team, while Team Liquid were also frustrated after being held by PlayTime. Elsewhere, underdogs Rune Eaters earned a surprise draw against Xtreme Gaming, one of the standout performances of the opening round.
Meanwhile, Nigma Galaxy, Aurora Gaming, PVISION, 1W and GamerLegion all made strong starts with convincing victories as they look to build momentum heading into the elimination rounds.
Unlike several of this week's competitions, Dota 2 will continue into Week Two before a champion is crowned.
The road to EA SPORTS FC glory begins
While the EA SPORTS FC 26 main event is still to come, the competition officially begins with the Last Chance Qualifier.
Starting on July 9, competitors have one final opportunity to earn their place at the Esports World Cup, with every match carrying huge significance as players fight to keep their hopes of competing for the world title alive.
How to watch the Esports World Cup
Fans can watch the Esports World Cup 2026 live and for free on DAZN throughout the seven-week competition.
This is available on the DAZN app across a wide range of devices, including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles, or watch through any web browser at DAZN.com.
Coverage is available globally, excluding China, South Korea, the CIS region, Ukraine, Malaysia, Hungary and Finland. Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 are also unavailable in Peru.
To watch live follow these steps:
- Download the DAZN app on your preferred device or visit DAZN.com.
- Sign up for a free DAZN account, or log in if you already have one.
- Search for Esports World Cup or browse the esports section.
- Select the tournament you want to watch and start streaming live.
