Friday, July 24, 2026

PARIVISION rolled into Paris as a wagon and left as kings. The team crushed BetBoom Team 3-1 in the Dota 2 Esports World Cup grand final on July 20, dropping only three maps across the entire event after a 9-1 group stage. The run was worth $750,000 out of the $2 million pool and, more importantly, stamps PARIVISION as the team to beat at The International 2026 in Shanghai next month. (via GosuGamers)

Dplus KIA walked into a wall of French fans and tore it down. The Korean side swept Karmine Corp 3-0 on July 19 to win the League of Legends Esports World Cup, their first major international trophy since 2020 and a third straight EWC LoL title for Korea. They knocked out Gen.G in the semifinals while Karmine, the local favorites, had upset T1 to reach the final. The win paid $600,000, with mid laner Sin "Smash" Guem-jae taking MVP and an extra $25,000. (via GosuGamers)

Six years of near-misses ended in one undefeated week. 100 Thieves ran the table at the Valorant Esports World Cup and beat NRG 3-1 in the July 13 final to claim the org's first S-tier international title, and the first international Valorant trophy for a North American team. Matthew "Cryocells" Panganiban was named tournament MVP as the roster split $600,000 of the $2 million prize pool. (via GosuGamers)

Apex Legends closed its own EWC chapter earlier in the month, and it went to an underdog. Unlimit won ALGS Year 6 Split 1 at the Esports World Cup on July 11, clinching the Match Point final in a last circle just outside Monument over Wolves and Zeta Division. (via Dot Esports)

League of Legends is about to reset the board. Patch 26.15 goes live July 29 and launches Season 3, headlined by a big Bel'Veth rework and a round of tuning: Alistar gets a durability buff, Locke and Riven eat nerfs, and Riot walks back the Mordekaiser it admits it overbuffed in 26.14. The same day brings League Classic, a nostalgia mode built on an early Summoner's Rift with old runes, masteries, pre-rework kits, and a 60-champion starting roster. (via Dot Esports)

Valorant handed Yoru his mojo back. Patch 13.01, out July 14, stretched Gatecrash from 15 to 20 seconds and made Fakeout clones carry his last-held weapon instead of always brandishing his strongest gun, while the Outlaw sniper took a real hit with worse recovery, spread, and recoil after the first shot. Riot also rolled out new rank-manipulation detection, warning that offenders now face suspensions plus rank and reward reversions. (via Dexerto)

Counter-Strike's summer rostermania is in full swing, and G2 blinked first. The org dropped Spanish AWPer Alvaro "SunPayus" Garcia and slotted in Ukrainian Artem "r1nkle" Moroz, who made his debut when BLAST Bounty Season 2 kicked off on July 21. (via HLTV)

The reshuffles ran deeper across the top tier. FaZe benched Helvijs "broky" Saukants and brought in BIG Academy's Jason "JBOEN" Boe Nielsen on loan through the end of 2026, while MOUZ capped its rebuild by signing former academy player Oldrich "PR" Novy back from GamerLegion. (via HLTV)

Mobile Legends' biggest mid-year event moved to Paris and cranked up the stakes. The MLBB Mid Season Cup 2026 runs July 22 to August 1 as part of the Esports World Cup, with 16 teams fighting over a $3,025,000 prize pool and a $1 million winner's share. Defending champions Team Liquid PH headline a field stacked with MPL powers like ONIC, Team Vitality, and Team Falcons PH, with the double-elimination group stage feeding into the bracket as the week closes out. (via esports.gg)

The Esports World Cup's move from Riyadh to Paris came with a record checkbook and a bragging-rights claim that not everyone is buying. Organizers put this year's prize pool at $75 million across 25 tournaments, up from $70 million in 2025, and say they have sold more than 100,000 tickets at a "record pace" for the Paris debut. (via Dot Esports) Coverage of the ticket claim has been more skeptical than the press release, with reporters noting the number is hard to verify and worth a raised eyebrow. (via Esports Insider)