Today, August 12, the main stage of the prestigious Esports World Cup 2026 Counter-Strike 2 tournament begins in Paris. This year's event has grown even larger: 32 teams will compete for a total prize pool of 2 million US dollars. The winner will receive 600 thousand dollars. The group stage will last until August 16, after which the best teams will continue in the playoffs.
For Ukrainian fans, the first match day will be packed. Four teams have Ukrainian representation: NAVI and B8 appear as domestic organizations, while Ukrainian esports players compete in the rosters of FUT Esports and G2.
The Turkish organization FUT Esports, featuring Ukrainians dem0n and cmtry, will kick off the day at 13:30 with a match against TYLOO. Both players already have experience competing in large international tournaments.
At 15:00 G2 begins its campaign. EWC will be another test for the Ukrainian sniper r1nkle, who joined the team this summer. G2's first opponent will be M80. The match will be in a BO1 format, leaving room for surprises.
The Ukrainian team B8 makes its debut on the big stage of the Esports World Cup 2026 at 18:00 Kyiv time. In their starting match, the team will play against PARIVISION.
Special attention will be focused on 16-year-old Ukrainian sniper Danylo "s1zzi" Vynnyk, the youngest player in the EWC 2026 group stage in Counter-Strike 2.
To conclude the match day for Ukrainian fans, NAVI will play. "Born to Win" will face 3DMAX at 19:30 Kyiv time. Ukrainians b1t and w0nderful feature in the NAVI roster, and the team is coached by B1ad3. The organization aims to repeat its 2024 success, when it became the first EWC champion in Counter-Strike. NAVI are drawn into Group D, where they will also play The MongolZ, FURIA, and Wildcard.
A total of 16 matches will take place on the first day. Other intriguing matchups include FaZe vs BetBoom, Vitality vs 100 Thieves, and Ninjas in Pyjamas vs Legacy.
Reigning EWC 2025 champions The MongolZ, who secured a historic victory over Aurora in last year's final, return to defend their title. They will start their journey in the tournament with a match against magic.
Fans can look forward to nearly two weeks of Counter-Strike in Paris, a battle for the prestigious trophy, and a significant prize pool.
As a reminder, Record Scale and Football-Style Rules: How CS2 EWC 2026 Will Take Place in Paris.