EWC 2026 Group A: The Battleground of hopes

Four groups, twenty-four teams, one dream. The Esports World Cup 2026 kicks off on July 7, and Group A is the most star-studded of the bunch. Falcons, Xtreme Gaming, and BB Team are locked in a three-way battle for the top spot, and the direct playoff seed that comes with it.

The question is not who will be eliminated in Group A, because you don’t have to be a genius to spot the experience gap between the teams seeded here. The question is who will win the group and thus secure a playoff spot without going through the Survival stage.

Three teams are in contention for first place in Group A: Xtreme Gaming, BB Team and Falcons.

Neither of them has ever won EWC before, and the stakes couldn't be higher for the likes of Falcons.

Team Falcons: Redemption or relapse?

Falcons are, in the end, a Saudi Arabia-based organisation with a TI Aegis of Champions in their showcase. They would love to add the EWC Dota 2 trophy to it as well. They came extremely close to winning it all last year in Riyadh, where they reached the grand finals. However, a 0-3 loss to Team Spirit was tough to swallow and could still be a painful memory for the players.

Falcons are, in fact, the only team to have made no roster change since last year’s Esports World Cup. Earlier in the season, they broke a decade-long record held by Alliance by becoming the roster with the most games played together. At the end of March, 2026, during ESL Birmingham, Skiter, Malr1ne, ATF, Cr1t- and Sneyking played their 689th official game together.

“We work through problems instead of replacing people,” Oliver " skiter " Lepko told us in Birmingham when we talked to him about what makes this roster special and how they managed to keep it together through difficult times.

Xtreme Gaming: CN Dota's last hope

Redemption and hope for Chinese Dota are what Xtreme Gaming are most likely also looking for. Much like Falcons, they have no trophy to show for this season, and besides a top-3 finish in Birmingham, there is nothing else to brag about for them either.

This year’s TI is held in Shanghai, China, and with a lackluster season behind them, now is the time for XG to wake up the Chinese dragon within them. Topping Group A should be more than doable considering the calibre of players XG have. The uncrowned prince, Wang "Ame" Chunyu, who's been in three TI grand finals before, has all the community behind him. It’s hard not to cheer for Ame when EWC or TI are happening. However, it’s also impossible to ignore the kind of pressure it is put on XG when the season reaches its culmination point. If they can deal with that, we might be witnessing a full comeback of CN Dota in Paris this year.

BB Team: Can they handle the heat?

Dealing with pressure and staying composed when it matters most is what BB Team has struggled with the most for the longest time. Luckily, they showed signs of improvement on that side this season by lifting the PGL Wallachia Season 8 trophy above their heads. That was, however, in April. It’s also the only trophy claimed this season by them. It’s a better overall performance than any of the teams they will be pitted against in Group A at Esports World Cup, but Dota is not only a stats game, and it won’t be surprising to see them fumbling that one game that would put them at the top of the group.

Either way, one thing is certain: Group A will bring a fierce battle for the one spot straight to the playoffs.

Esports World Cup 2026 is set to kick off next week, on the 7th of July, with the round-robin group stage. Four groups, 24 teams chasing the same goal. Make it to the playoffs. Only the top team of each group will secure that precious playoff spot. Second to fourth-placed teams in each group will go to Survival rounds, while the bottom two teams from each group will be eliminated.

The spectacle is just about to start. So, get rdy with us and enjoy the show!