AG.AL has been crowned Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 Club Champion, securing the $7 million Club Championship title with 5,300 points after a win in Trackmania, adding to a campaign that included a first-place finish in Tekken 8, second-place finishes in Chess, Free Fire and the Honor of Kings World Cup, and a third-place finish in Teamfight Tactics.
Defending champion Team Falcons finished second with 4,600 points, followed by Team Vitality (3,300 points), Natus Vincere (2,950 points) and Team Liquid (2,700 points).
Trackmania Win Secures AG.AL The Club Championship Title
The title was decided on the final weekend, when AG.AL’s Gwendal “Gwen” Duparc won the EWC’s inaugural Trackmania tournament – two-time defending champions Team Falcons entered the Trackmania playoffs leading the standings, but Carl-Antoni “Carl Jr.” Cloutier’s quarterfinal exit opened the path for AG.AL. Needing a top-three finish, Gwen won the final to claim the $130,000 tournament prize and the overall Club Championship for AG.AL.
The competition produced several individual milestones. France’s Caliste “Caliste” Henry-Hennebert led Karmine Corp to the League of Legends’ Grand Final – a feat rarely seen in a scene heavily dominated by South Korea and China – in front of a home crowd, while 15-year-old Chilean Jaime “Craime” Bustos became the youngest EWC champion in history after defeating two EVO champions.
AG.AL’s Khawaja “M. Zubair” won the Tekken 8 title and the Jafonso Award after emerging from the last-chance qualifier, while Samy “dralii” Hajji became the first three-time EWC champion following his third Rocket League victory, and Magnus Carlsen repeated as Chess champion without a single loss.
The organizer says EWC26 was distributed by more than 100 broadcast and OTT partners in 47 languages, supported by 5,000 creators and co-streamers, reaching 850 million viewers and 440 million hours watched (up 13% and 26% year-on-year, respectively). Peak viewership reached 4.3 million during the League of Legends tournament.
Ticket sales to esports competitions totaled 175,000, up 94% compared to 2025; including venues, Fan Fest and city activations, total visits across the seven-week event reached 2 million. The 2026 edition followed a year-round journey in which more than 1.5 million players competed through 330 Road to EWC qualifying events. The Esports World Cup will return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2027.
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