PVISION and 1w remain undefeated as EWC 2026 group stage begins to take shape

The Esports World Cup group stage has reached its halfway point, and after three days of round-robin action, the standings are beginning to resemble what many expected before the tournament began.

There were no earth-shattering upsets today, but several teams continued to strengthen their cases as genuine title contenders, while others find themselves rapidly running out of opportunities to climb the table.

Group A: Falcons reclaim first place

Group A remains one of the more competitive groups in Paris, but Team Falcons have moved into sole possession of first after sweeping GamerLegion 2-0.

The opener turned into a marathon lasting 76 minutes before Falcons finally broke through, while Game 2 proved considerably cleaner as they secured the full series.

Elsewhere, both BetBoom Team and Xtreme Gaming dropped another game to lower-seeded opposition. Rune Eaters stunned BetBoom with a dominant opening game featuring a flawless Spectre performance before BB answered convincingly behind a strong Drow Ranger draft. Poor Rangers also pushed Xtreme Gaming to another split, with Terrorblade causing significant problems for the Chinese squad in Game 2.

The standings now closely mirror preseason expectations, with Falcons leading the way while Poor Rangers remain rooted to the bottom.

Group B: Nigma continues to impress

If one team continues to exceed expectations, it is Nigma Galaxy.

After their strong opening day, Nigma followed it up with an impressive 2-0 victory over Team Liquid. SumaiL once again led the charge, dictating both games through superior farm and timing windows as Liquid struggled to contain the revitalized roster.

Aurora Gaming continued their own dominant run by comfortably dispatching L1GA Team, while Ptime secured its first series victory of the tournament with a 2-0 sweep over Level UP, who remain winless.

Aurora and Nigma now sit atop Group B with identical 5-1 records, while Team Liquid occupy the middle of the standings, reflecting the inconsistency that has followed them throughout much of the season.

Group C: PVISION stand alone

PVISION remain one of the tournament's most convincing teams.

The DreamLeague Season 29 champions swept REKONIX 2-0 without dropping a single game all tournament, continuing to strengthen the argument many fans made following their omission from the direct TI invite list.

Behind them, Team Spirit produced another convincing performance with a 2-0 victory over Vici Gaming. The defending EWC champions continue to look increasingly comfortable, with Miposhka's return to the coaching staff seemingly helping the roster rediscover the cohesion that made them one of Dota's dominant forces.

MOUZ also continued their encouraging tournament, sweeping Team Nemesis 2-0 behind another composed performance after opening the day with a 63-minute victory highlighted by Analog's enormous 83,000 damage output.

As expected, PVISION and Team Spirit now lead the group, while Team Nemesis and REKONIX remain anchored to the bottom.

Group D: 1w proving why they're favorites

Group D's hierarchy also continued to take shape.

1w remained flawless with a convincing 2-0 victory over LGD Gaming. Game 1 belonged to 33, whose dominant performance allowed the defending champions to snowball from the opening minutes, while Game 2 saw bzm's signature Invoker dictate the pace throughout another comfortable win.

Yandex also collected a clean 2-0 over Virtus.pro, further reinforcing why many view them as one of the strongest teams at the event after another disciplined display.

OG, meanwhile, secured a 2-0 sweep over Inner Circle x Insanity. Although the newcomers continued showing flashes of promise, they remain without a single victory and sit at the bottom of the standings.

With 1w still unbeaten and Yandex close behind, Group D is developing almost exactly as predicted, although OG's position just ahead of Virtus.pro remains one of the few surprises.

With only three days remaining before the group stage concludes, the margin for error is rapidly disappearing. Only the winner of each group will advance directly to the playoffs, while every dropped game could prove decisive in the increasingly crowded race for Survival stage positions.