The Esports World Cup 2026 has reached its midpoint, and what an incredible week it's been! From July 22 to 27, the competition heated up with thrilling matches, historic milestones, and crucial qualifications for the final stages. Let's dive into the action-packed highlights from this week's events.
Black Ops 6: OpTic Gaming Makes History
The Call of Duty franchise made its Esports World Cup debut with Black Ops 6, and what a statement it was! OpTic Gaming dominated the competition, showcasing near-flawless synergy and tactical execution throughout the week. The team swept Vancouver Surge 4-0 in the Grand Final to lift the championship trophy, earning $600,000 out of the $1.8 million total prize pool and securing their spot at the 2026 EWC.
OpTic Gaming's cohesion, particularly in Search & Destroy rounds, left little room for opponents to breathe. Shotzzy stood out with a series of MVP-level performances, cementing OpTic's status as favorites. According to Esports Charts, the event reached a peak viewership of 269,000, reflecting growing global interest in the competitive COD scene.
Honor of Kings: AG.AL Completes a Wild Reverse Sweep
The Honor of Kings World Cup 2026 brought an epic 7-game series between AG.AL International and TT Global. The match swung back and forth before ending in an incredible 4-3 comeback by AG.AL. With $3 million on the line, AG.AL walked away with $750,000 for first place, while TT Global earned $460,000 for their impressive run. Nova Esports and Twisted Minds rounded out the top four.
The viewership numbers were equally impressive—Esports Charts reported over 653,000 peak viewers and 3.6 million hours watched.
StarCraft II: Serral Secures Third World Title
StarCraft II fans witnessed history as Joona "Serral" Sotala added yet another world title to his collection by taking the crown at this year's Esports World Cup. The Finnish superstar went completely undefeated throughout the event, capped off his run with a 5-2 win over South Korea's Classic in the Grand Final.
The tournament featured 18 of the world's best players, competing in Legacy of the Void, and the format gave fans plenty of high-level gameplay across both group and knockout stages. Serral's win earned him $200,000 and 1,000 Club Championship points for Team BASILISK. Classic took home $100,000 for second place, with Cure and Solar grabbing third and fourth.
Interestingly, viewership for SC2 is on the rise. Compared to last year, numbers were up 31%, peaking around 80,000 viewers—especially during the Serral vs. Classic showdown.
PUBG Mobile: Group Stage Ends, Survival Awaits
In the PUBG Mobile World Cup, the group stage wrapped up with intense matches and crucial qualifications for the Grand Finals. The top 8 teams secured their spot in the finals, while the rest head to the brutal Survival Stage next week.
The top 8 teams are:
- Alter Ego (ID) | 121
- 4Thrives Esports | 111
- DRX | 89
- Weibo Gaming | 89
- Alpha Gaming | 86
- Team Secret | 86
- ThunderTalk Gaming | 83
- IDA Esports | 83
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – Knockouts Are Set
MLBB's Mid-Season Cup concluded its group stage this week, featuring 16 top teams divided into two groups. The format used a double-elimination Bo3 setup, which meant every match counted—and mistakes were costly.
The eight teams advancing to the Knockout Stage are:
From Group A:
Team Liquid PH
Mythic SEAL
SRG.OG
ONIC
From Group B:
Team Spirit
RRQ Hoshi
Aurora Türkiye
ONIC Philippines
The Knockouts kick off on July 30, with all matches being Bo5 and the Grand Final set as a Bo7 showdown. Seeding was based on win-loss time ratios, so fans can expect some strong matchups right from the start.
Chess – Four More Join the Main Event
While not always the flashiest esport, chess made its presence felt this week with the conclusion of the Last Chance Qualifiers. The $1.5 million tournament is being held in collaboration with Chess.com and shaping up to be a highlight of the Esports World Cup.
Four players made it through the qualifiers:
Anish Giri
Levon Aronian
Nihal Sarin
Javokhir Sindarov
They join 12 others from the 2026 Champions Chess Tour, including: Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Arjun Erigaisi, Fabiano Caruana, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Wei Yi.
The format looks like this:
Group Stage (July 29–30): Four groups of
Now that you've caught up on the thrilling Week 3 highlights from the Esports World Cup, get ready for an even more electrifying ride as the competition heats up in the coming weeks!