Favorites stumble but hold their ground on Day 1 of Esports World Cup 2026

Day 1 of the Esports World Cup 2026 group stage is in the books, and while most of the tournament favorites avoided full defeat, few escaped entirely unscathed. Several contenders dropped games to underdogs, proving that even in the opening round, nothing will come easily in Paris.

EWC 2026 opened with all 24 teams taking to the stage across the tournament's four groups, beginning to paint the first picture of what could become a fiercely contested group stage.

With only the winner of each six-team group advancing directly to the playoffs, every game matters. While several favorites began with convincing victories, others received an early reminder that there are no easy matches at this stage of the competition.

Group A: GamerLegion set the pace

Group A ended with GamerLegion alone atop the standings after a dominant 2-0 sweep over Poor Rangers. Fayde's flawless 11-0-17 Lycan performance spearheaded a convincing opening victory before Ghost's Nature's Prophet proved too much to handle in Game 2.

Elsewhere, the heavyweight clash between Team Falcons and BB Team ended exactly as many expected, with both teams taking a game apiece. BB controlled the opener through superior teamfighting before Falcons responded with a much cleaner draft and execution in Game 2.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the group came from Xtreme Gaming. Although they salvaged a 1-1 draw against Rune Eaters, few expected the Chinese side to drop a game against one of the tournament's least experienced teams.

Group B: Aurora impress, Playtime turns heads

Aurora Gaming wasted little time reminding everyone why they entered as one of the Group B favorites, dispatching Level UP with a comfortable 2-0 sweep.

Nigma Galaxy looked equally convincing. Their revamped lineup continued its encouraging form as SumaiL starred throughout the series against Huligani (formerly L1GA Team), including a dominant Windranger performance in Game 2 after a flawless Huskar game helped secure the opener.

Team Liquid, however, were forced to settle for a split against Playtime. After overcoming a difficult early game to claim the opener, Liquid found themselves on the receiving end of an inspired Shadow Fiend performance from Wits, whose flawless 17-kill display earned Playtime a valuable draw against one of the tournament favorites.

Group C: Favorites deliver, but MOUZ push Spirit

PVISION handled business against Team Nemesis with a straightforward 2-0 victory, while Vici Gaming also collected a full series win over REKONIX despite facing more resistance than many expected in Game 2.

The headline matchup belonged to Team Spirit and MOUZ.

Their opening game evolved into a chaotic 70-minute marathon featuring mega creeps on both sides before Spirit finally prevailed. MOUZ refused to disappear, however, striking back in another lengthy contest to earn a deserved split and deny the defending EWC champions a perfect start.

Group D: Heavyweights exchange blows

Group D delivered arguably the most competitive series of the day.

Former HEROIC roster, now competing as LGD Gaming, and Virtus.pro traded victories in two thrilling matches. After Virtus.pro survived a gruelling 76-minute opener through disciplined late-game execution, LGD mounted an impressive comeback from a sizeable deficit in Game 2 to level the series.

Meanwhile, 1w comfortably dispatched Inner Circle x Insanity 2-0, although the underdogs showed flashes of promise during the second map despite ultimately falling short.

Yandex appeared destined for a perfect opening after dismantling OG in Game 1 and building a commanding advantage for much of Game 2. But one disastrous Roshan attempt around the 52-minute mark completely shifted the momentum, allowing OG to claim an unlikely comeback and earn an important split.

With five days of group play still left, the standings remain tightly packed. Today's results established the early frontrunners, but the number of split series also showed just how little separates many of the teams competing for the coveted direct playoff berths.

Tomorrow's matches should provide a much clearer picture of who is emerging as genuine group favorites and who may already be fighting to keep their tournament hopes alive.