EWC 2026 Group D: Welcome to the jungle

If there's one group at the Esports World Cup 2026 that defies easy predictions, it's Group D. While Groups A, B, and C had clear frontrunners and obvious underdogs, Group D is a mix of talent, skill, legacy, and uncertainty.

The apex predators

For those who tune in only when the season reaches its culmination, 1w are the former Tundra, the team with the most championship titles since last TI. They now head into the two biggest events of the year with four trophies under their belt. 1w are followed closely by Yandex, who sit on three tournament championship titles and two runner-up finishes this season. It is worth mentioning that both grand finals that they lost this season, at BLAST Slam V and ESL One Birmingham, were lost to 1w (formerly Tundra).

Both teams come to Esports World Cup 2026 with sky-high expectations, but dare we say that their most dangerous opponent and the one who has a huge chance at messing with 1w and Yandex’s goal of topping the group is LGD Gaming.

The team that has become the darlings of the South American scene through the past two seasons under the HEROIC banner are now also representing China. LGD Gaming, who left the Dota 2 scene nearly two years ago, saw the opportunity and jumped right back in by signing the SA roster when HEROIC dropped them, just before EWC and TI qualifiers.

It was a shock for everyone to see HEROIC exit the Dota 2 space before the two biggest tournaments of the year, and while that has been extremely disruptive for everyone involved, the team somehow managed to keep their focus and power through all the chaos.

If anything, the former HEROIC line-up got out of the woods stronger than before. They already made it to a grand final under the LGD banner at BLAST SLAM VII exactly one month ago. They lost that to Yandex, but there are lessons in every defeat, and those should come in handy exactly when it matters the most. Hence, nobody should count LGD Gaming out of the race for the top spot in Group D.

The prey

Perhaps the only outsiders in this group are Inner Circle x Insanity, a mix of Mongols, Ukrainians, and a Macedonian who have nothing to show for outside tier 3 tournaments. In all honesty, IC x Insanity should just be happy to be here, though this is going to be a tough lesson for them.

Esports World Cup 2026 is set to kick off next week, on the 7th of July. 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!