First Eight Teams Secure EWC 2026 Qualifier Playoff Spots
Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev’s BC.Game, BIG, and HEROIC were among the first eight teams to advance to the 32-team playoff stage at the EWC 2026 open qualifier in Paris, taking a step closer toward securing one of four spots at the $2 million main event for the Esports World Cup 2026.
The 64-team offline qualifier divides teams into 16 groups of four, with the top two rosters from each group progressing into the knockout bracket. Aside from four qualification tickets to the main tournament, teams finishing between 5th and 16th place will earn a share of an additional $100,000 prize pool.
Dominant Starts Across Opening Groups
BC.Game secured top spot in Group 6 after rebounding from a map loss against BASEMENT BOYS to win 2-1 before delivering a clean 2-0 sweep over 1win. BIG and fnatic produced immaculate opening runs in Groups 2 and 8, sweeping their respective opponents without dropping a map, while HEROIC survived a tight three-map contest against 9INE to lock in their playoff position.
First Playoff Qualifiers (Groups 1–8):
- Inner Circle – Group 1 Winners
- BIG – Group 2 Winners
- DENDELE – Group 3 Winners
- HOTU – Group 4 Winners
- Betclic – Group 5 Winners
- BC.Game – Group 6 Winners
- HEROIC – Group 7 Winners
- fnatic – Group 8 Winners
Second Half of Group Stage Ahead
The bottom half of the draw features several heavyweight contenders looking to finalize their playoff berths on the second day of competition. Team Liquid, 100 Thieves, NRG, and Virtus.pro all opened their opening group series with 2-0 victories, according to reporting by HLTV.
With the upcoming Esports World Cup 2026 schedule fast approaching, surviving rosters will enter a high-stakes knockout bracket where only four squads will claim tickets to the main tournament stage.
