The Esports World Cup brings its League of Legends tournament to Paris this July. Sixteen teams, four groups, a $2,000,000 prize pool and a spot at EWC 2027 for the winner — here is everything you need to know before the first Bo1 of the group stage.
When and where is EWC 2026 LoL?
The Esports World Cup 2026 takes place in Paris after organisers relocated the event from Riyadh, a decision announced less than 50 days before the opening match. The festival as a whole runs from 6 July to 23 August at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, spanning 25 tournaments across 24 games with a total prize pool exceeding $75 million.
The League of Legends tournament occupies Week 2 of the festival. It runs from 15 to 19 July — five days from the first group stage Bo1 to the grand final. The tournament is not part of Riot Games' official competitive circuit, despite the partnership between the developer and the Esports World Cup.
Prize pool
The 16 teams compete for a total prize pool of $2 million. The champions take home $600,000 and 1,000 Club Championship points, with $340,000 for the runners-up and $220,000 for third place. Fourth place earns $140,000, and teams eliminated in the quarterfinals leave with $90,000 each. Every placement also feeds points into the EWC Club Championship.
The groups
The draw took place on 1 July, following a four-pool seeding system with regional league champions in Pool 1 and no two teams from the same region in one group.
How did the teams qualify?
Six league champions secured direct berths: Hanwha Life Esports (LCK Road to MSI), (LPL Split 2), (LEC Spring), (LCP Split 2), (LCS Spring) and (CBLOL Split 1). The remaining ten spots were filled as follows:
