The Players editorial team has prepared a digest of the main news for January 29, 2026.
B8 and Passion UA Eliminated from IEM Kraków 2026, NiP and FUT Advance
- B8 and Passion UA have been eliminated from IEM Kraków 2026, while NiP and FUT move on. PV, 3DMAX, and G2 have advanced to the group stage.
CS2 Overtakes LoL to Become the Most Popular Esports Game on Twitch in 2025
- In 2025, Counter-Strike 2 became the most popular esports game on Twitch, surpassing League of Legends. This is according to data from the analytics company Esports Charts. CS2 generated 372.65 million hours watched, while LoL recorded 307.17 million hours. Esports Charts notes that Valve’s shooter took the top spot thanks to a dense tournament schedule.
Dota 2 to Be Featured at Esports Nations Cup 2026
- The Esports World Cup Foundation announced that Dota 2 has become the third confirmed discipline for the debut Esports Nations Cup 2026. The information was published on the company’s social media channels.
Boars Gaming Finish Second at PMGLL S3
- The women’s roster of Boars Gaming finished PMGLL S3 in PUBG Mobile in second place. Over the three final days, the team scored 136 points, secured 111 frags, and earned 25 placement points.
Dispatch Faces Censorship on Switch
- The superhero adventure game Dispatch by AdHoc Studio has been released on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 consoles. However, players noticed that these versions feature significant restrictions related to adult content.
Total Prize Pool of Esports Nations Cup 2026 to Reach $45 Million
- The Esports World Cup Foundation announced the dates and prize pool distribution model for Esports Nations Cup 2026. The tournament will take place from November 2 to November 29, 2026. EWCF has allocated $45 million, which will be distributed across three main categories.