The Esports World Cup 2026 is almost underway as the third iteration of the multi-million dollar event begins July 6.
This year, the event will feature 25 tournaments across 24 different titles, including League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, and Call of Duty: Warzone.
And this year’s iteration will feature a record-breaking $75m prize pool with $30m of that going to the Club Championship.
Here is a week-by-week breakdown of the Esports World Cup 2026 and all of the EWC dates.
EWC Week 1 Schedule
- Valorant (Jul 9 – 12)
- Apex Legends – Global Series (ALGS) Split 1 Playoffs (Jul 7 – 11)
- Dota 2 (Jul 6 – 18)
- Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (Jul 7 – 10)
Starting the lucrative event are two major esports in Valorant and Dota 2 with the early stages of the latter’s two-week event.
The event will be a quick turnaround following Valorant Masters London which finishes June 21.
It will also host the first 2026 playoffs for Apex Legends’ main event, the ALGS.
And finally, Fatal Fury will be the first fighting game tournament of EWC 2026,
EWC Week 2 Schedule
- League of Legends (Jul 15 – 19)
- Free Fire (Jul 15 – 18)
- Dota 2 (Jul 6 – 18)
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – MLBB Women’s International (Jul 13 – 17)
Week 2 is all about MOBAs, with mobile battle royale Free Fire the only outlier.
The Dota 2 event wil conclude this week and the only EWC women’s tournament in MLBB will also take place.
But most eyes will be on the League of Legends tournament as defending champions Gen.G try to make up for their failure to qualify for MSI.
EWC Week 3 Schedule
- EA Sports FC 2026 – FC Pro World Championship 2026 (Jul 22 – 26)
- PUBG (Jul 21 – 26)
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – MLBB Mid Season Cup (Jul 22 – Aug 1)
- TeamFight Tactics (Jul 21 – 25)
Week 3 features quite an eclectic mix.
MLBB has regularly been the most-watched event at past Esports World Cups and will likely take the lead again this year.
Meanwhile, the FC Pro World Championship will crown the ultimate EA FC 26 player in the biggest EA FC esports event of the year.
EWC Week 4 Schedule
- Overwatch – OWCS Midseason Championship (Jul 29 – Aug 1)
- Call of Duty: Warzone – Resurgence Series Champions (Jul 29 – Aug 1)
- MLBB Mid Season Cup (Jul 22 – Aug 1)
- Street Fighter 6 (Jul 28 – 31)
Reaching the halfway point of the event, there are quite a few interesting tournaments in Week 4.
Overwatch esports are experiencing a resurgence as the game has grown in popularity since Blizzard returned to Overwatch “1”.
Meanwhile, Street Fighter 6 has seen incredible popularity in Japan in particular and will likely be the biggest fighting-game event at EWC.
But again, the finals of the MLBB MSC will probably record the highest viewership of the event.
EWC Week 5 Schedule
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (Aug 5 – 9)
- PUBG Mobile World Cup (Aug 3 – 16)
- Honor of Kings World Cup (Jul 30 – Aug 8)
Week 5 has the smallest selection of tournaments with just the three events to kick off August.
It will be a week of shooters with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 the main attraction as OpTic Gaming defend their title.
Then there will also be World Cups for two mobile shooters in PUBGM and HoK.
EWC Week 6 Schedule
- Rocket League (Aug 12 – 16)
- PUBG Mobile World Cup (Aug 3 – 16)
- Chess (Aug 11 – 15)
- Rainbow Six Siege (Aug 4 – 14)
The penultimate week of EWC 2026 is stacked with four major tournaments.
The Esports World Cup has some of the biggest names in Chess skipping other events in favor of its lucrative $1.5m prize pool.
Additionally, finals of the PUBGM World Cup and the Rainbow Six Siege event will also likely draw a lot of interest.
And finally, there is currently a lot of interest in Rocket League following the announcement that the game will move to Unreal Engine 6.
EWC Week 7 Schedule
- Counter-Strike 2 (Aug 12 – 23)
- Fortnite – Reload Elite Series Championship (Aug 19 – 22)
- Trackmania (Aug 17 – 21)
- CrossFire (Aug 18 – 22)
The final week will end EWC with one of the most highly anticipated events, the Counter-Strike 2 tournament.
Last year, The MongolZ came out as the surprise winners and this year’s iteration should be just as dramatic.
Week 7 will also see the EWC debut of the creative racing game Trackmania.
Which tournament at the Esports World Cup 2026 are you most excited for? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord.
Additionally, find out how the Esports World Cup Last Chance Qualifiers will work to decide the final competitors.
MOBILE APP
Level Up Your Gaming News
Real-time news, exclusive podcasts, push alerts, and a better reading experience.
Available on iOS & Android
Comments
[gs-fb-comments]