AG.AL crowned Esports World Cup 2026 club champions as Paris event sets multiple records

On August 24, 2026, AG.AL was crowned Esports World Cup 2026 Club Champion in Paris, concluding seven weeks of competition. The Club finished the season on 5,300 points and secured the $7 million Club Championship prize after a decisive victory in Trackmania.

The Paris edition of the Esports World Cup featured more than 2,000 players representing 200 Clubs from over 100 countries, competing across 25 tournaments in 24 games for a record $75 million prize pool. AG.AL’s overall campaign 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.

The title was decided on the final weekend when Gwendal “Gwen” Duparc won the EWC’s inaugural Trackmania tournament to clinch the Club Championship for AG.AL. Two-time defending Club Champions T Team Falcons led the standings entering the Trackmania playoffs, but Carl-Antoni “Carl Jr.” Cloutier’s quarterfinal exit opened the door; needing a third-place finish or better, Gwen won the final and the $130,000 tournament prize.

Final Club standings placed T Team Falcons second with 4,600 points, followed by Team Vitality on 3,300 points, Natus Vincere on 2,950 points and Team Liquid on 2,700 points. AG.AL’s 5,300-point total secured the top position in the overall leaderboard and the $7 million Club Championship payout.

“We are proud of what the Esports World Cup has achieved in Paris and of its continued international growth,” said His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan al Saud, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Esports Foundation. “Bringing the EWC to a global audience beyond Saudi Arabia marks an important milestone in its journey and reflects the growing recognition of esports as a global industry, connecting communities, cultures and audiences around the world. The attendance of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, alongside President Emmanuel Macron, is a testament to the growing importance and global interest in esports, and to how far the industry has come. I extend my congratulations to all the players, Clubs, publishers, partners and organisers who contributed to this edition. Paris has been an important chapter in the EWC journey, and we look forward to building on this progress in the years ahead.”

“When we began expanding AG.AL globally in 2024, the same year the Esports World Cup launched, we set out to build a Club capable of succeeding across games, regions and cultures. This title shows how far that vision has come” said Eddy Chen, COO at AG.AL. “Our journey in Paris reflected the strength of the entire organization, from M. Zubair’s breakthrough in TEKKEN 8 and our deep runs across multiple titles to Gwen delivering the decisive Trackmania victory under extraordinary pressure. But this trophy belongs equally to every player, coach and staff member whose dedication brought us here. I want to thank our Chairman, Mr. Layne Le, whose belief and leadership made this journey possible, and the Esports Foundation for creating a global stage that rewards the depth and ambition of an entire Club. Winning the Club Championship is a historic milestone for AG.AL and a proud moment for everyone who believed in what we are building.”

EWC Paris produced multiple standout individual results: France’s Caliste “Caliste” Henry-Hennebert led Karmine Corp to the League of Legends Grand Final in front of a home crowd, 15-year-old Jaime “Craime” Bustos defeated two EVO champions to become the youngest EWC champion in history, Khawaja “M. Zubair” secured the TEKKEN 8 EWC championship and claimed the Jafonso Award after emerging from the LCQ, Samy “dralii” Hajji won a third Rocket League title to become the first-ever three-time EWC champion, and grandmaster Magnus Carlsen repeated as Chess champion without losing a single game.

The event established new audience and participation records: distributed by more than 100 broadcast and OTT partners in 47 languages and supported by 5,000 participating creators and co-streamers, the EWC reached 850 million viewers and generated 440 million hours watched, up 13% and 26% respectively, with a peak of 4.3 million viewers during the League of Legends tournament. The event sold 175,000 competition tickets, a 94% increase on 2025, recorded 2 million total visits across venues, Fan Fest and city activations, and was the culmination of a year-long competitive season in which more than 1.5 million players competed through 330 Road to EWC events. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang led peak viewership with 2.89 million, followed by League of Legends at 1.48 million, PUBG MOBILE at 1.79 million and Counter-Strike at 1.04 million.

As the first Esports World Cup hosted outside Riyadh, Paris staged extensive city activations, with more than 22,600 campaign placements reaching 94% of Parisians and tournament symbols displayed on the Champs-Élysées and beside the Eiffel Tower. The final weekend’s Counter-Strike tournament moved to the 20,000-seat Accor Arena, and a Memorandum of Understanding between the Esports Foundation and the French Ministry of Sports, Youth and Community Life was signed to establish long-term cooperation on youth development, digital skills, esports participation and French talent. Paris will hold a permanent place in EWC history, and the Esports World Cup will return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2027.