100 Thieves made it through the hard side of the bracket and now runs into Vitality.
In a thriller series, 100 Thieves managed to defeat BC.Game. After being demolished in the first map and against a match point in the second, captain Jack ‘Gizmy’ von Spreckelsen carried them through.
100 Thieves also took care of business by winning their other two best-of-three series in the same day, making it through the gauntlet. Their reward is to play against Team Vitality, the best team of 2026, in their Esports World Cup (EWC) opener in a best-of-one match.
64 teams reduced to just four
The EWC qualifier was a grueling affair that led to the elimination of 60 teams in just three days of play. The four to make it out were K27, BIG, JieJieHao and finally 100 Thieves.
Out of the 32 teams now at EWC, four eight-team groups have been revealed:
Group A:
- Spirit
- JieJieHao
- Luminosity
- GamerLegion
- G2
- M80
- BIG
- Aurora
Group B:
- Falcons
- K27
- MIBR
- Astralis
- BetBoom
- FaZe
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- Legacy
Group C:
- Vitality
- 100 Thieves
- PARIVISION
- B8
- FUT
- TyLoo
- Lynn Vision
- MOUZ
Group D:
- Natus Vincere
- 3DMAX
- magic
- The MongolZ
- 9z
- paiN
- Wildcard
- FURIA
Each group is headed by one top four team that qualified for EWC directly. Four teams will make it out of each group, and will be drawn into a single-elimination bracket starting with the Round of 16.
The format for the groups is a double-elimination bracket, giving every team two lives before being eliminated from the group and the tournament.
The tournament in Paris will kick off on Wednesday starting with all opening matches simultaneously.
