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Esports World Cup 2026: LYON, Team Vitality, Dplus KIA and PVISION crowned champions in Week 2

In Free Fire, LYON put up one of the most remarkable performances in the game’s history, blowing away a field stacked with competitive pedigree.

Updated on: Jul 21, 2026, 17:02:46 IST
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The Esports World Cup 2026 Week 2 is done, and Paris has seen four more trophies lifted in an action-packed Championship Weekend. Free Fire and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang brought mobile esports to the global stage on Saturday, before Dota 2 and League of Legends crowned new winners to round off a rollercoaster of a week in the French capital.

LYON broke the EWC elimination record with 33 kills and a Booyah in game five, before sealing the title two games later in game seven.
LYON broke the EWC elimination record with 33 kills and a Booyah in game five, before sealing the title two games later in game seven.

In Free Fire, LYON put up one of the most remarkable performances in the game’s history at the EWC 2026 finals, blowing away a field stacked with competitive pedigree. The South American squad broke the EWC elimination record with 33 kills and a Booyah in game five, before sealing the title two games later in game seven. The organization’s 33-frag game breaks the previous record held by Team Falcons, who won Free Fire at EWC 2024.

LYON had a disappointing group stage, failing to secure automatic qualification to the finals. Instead, they were sent to the Survival Stage where they picked up the unstoppable momentum that would propel them to the $300,000 (~INR 2.8 crore) prize and direct qualification for the Free Fire Global Finals 2026. The team’s Benjamín “Gamezking” Pérez was named the Sony MVP after recording 60 eliminations and 71 knockdowns across the tournament.

Meanwhile, Team Vitality was crowned the inaugural Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Women’s International (MWI) Champions, following the tournament’s official global championship recognition. This is the roster’s second EWC win, and fourth MWI title, as they become back-to-back champions of the MLBB female tournament, defeating Natus Vincere PH, whose roster beat them at the Esports World Cup in 2024.

The Indonesian team, competing under the Team Vitality banner, started slowly and dropped the first map before storming back to win the series 4-2. The first place victory saw them take home $150,000 (~INR 1.4 crore), and rack up an invaluable 1,000 points in the Club Championship. Viorelle “Vival” Chen claimed her second EWC MVP award.

On being named MVP, Vival said, “I’m really, really happy with this award, and the result of this year’s MWI together with my team. This year’s MWI is held in Paris, which is the home ground of Team Vitality, and we dedicate this win to everyone, to our fans. It was a blast.”

The centerpiece of the weekend was the League of Legends EWC 2026 finals. The atmosphere was buzzing as Parisian fan favourites Karmine Corp faced Korean side Dplus Kia. The hostile atmosphere created by the “Blue Wall” of KC fans did not deter Dplus KIA, as the Korean roster secured their first LAN win of the season and first major title in the best part of six years.

Dplus had to do it the hard way, coming through the lower bracket and knocking out FURIA, G2 Esports and EWC 2025 winners Gen.G to set up a match with Karmine Corp. KC had a memorable weekend, knocking out Faker’s T1 to reach the grand final but ultimately came up short when it mattered the most. Sin “Smash” Guem-jae was named MVP with a mind-boggling 8.1 KDA, while World Champions T1 fell to Gen.G 2-1 in the third place match.

"In the early phase of the bot lane, I initially realized that our first kills came out there in Game 3, we’re on 2-0, it’s a great start and I’m on a champion that I’m confident on. That’s the moment I felt I won," said Dplus KIA’s Oh "Career" Hyung-suk after being asked when he realised this dream was a reality.

PVISION were the final of the four champions to be crowned on the second EWC 2026 Championship Weekend, beating out Team BB in the Grand Final 3-1. The experienced Dota 2 squad surpassed last year's semi-final exit with a near-flawless run through the tournament. In the grand final, a shaky first game put Team BB in the driving seat, but PVISION responded admirably, taking the next three and, in doing so, the title.

Evgeniy “Noticed” Ignatenko was named the MVP, having been instrumental in a tournament run where PVISION dropped just three games. In the third-place match, Team Yandex edged out Vici Gaming 2-0 to secure their top three finish.

“Thank you for everyone watching, cheering for us. It's very important for us, and we are trying our best only because of you,” said PVISION’s Andrey "Dukalis" Kuropatkin, following the conclusion of the Dota 2 tournament.

After the second week of competition, NAVI sit atop the Club Championship table with Team Vitality hot on their tail. NAVI has added an MLBB second-place finish (750 points) to DarkAngel’s Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves victory in the first week to lead the table with 1,750 points heading into week three.

Team Vitality is talked about as the team best placed to prevent a Team Falcons three-peat, and they added an MLBB title to first-week fifth places in both VALORANT and Fatal Fury to sit at 1,400 points.

All Gamers Global sits third with 900 points, with two top-six finishes in Apex and Free Fire, and Team Falcons round off the top ten, having picked up minor placement points across four titles so far. There are still five weeks of pulsating top-tier competition to go, but the race for the Club Championship is really starting to take shape.

All eyes remain on Team Falcons, who haven’t quite hit the ground running, but with so much competition left to be played, there are plenty of twists to come.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aratrick Mondal

Aratrick Mondal is a senior sports journalist based in New Delhi. In his eight years as a sports writer, Aratrick has worked at leading media organisations, including The Times of India, Times Now, Zee, India TV and currently works at a senior position at Hindustan Times Digital. He writes on cricket, football, pickleball and tennis, among other sports. He has extensively covered India's evolving cricket landscape, the country's new-found love for private leagues such as Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), Ultimate Kho Kho League (UKK), Rugby Premier League (RPL) and several tennis leagues. He has closely covered emerging sports such as pickleball. His coverage of major franchise events lends an atmospheric flavor to his ground reports. His recent story on how SA20 (the domestic cricket league of South Africa) had opened up its grounds to create a carnival-like fan experience garnered major international attention, including appreciation from major cricketers. Tennis holds a special place in his heart. Aratrick has built a strong niche in analytical tennis stories—ranging from Grand Slam narratives and player profiles to tactical breakdowns and ranking trends. His long-form features often decode grand slams, career highs and lows of tennis greats and the upward trajectory of emerging stars. He also closely follows India's tennis landscape, having covered the Davis Cup, Bengaluru Open and Tata Open, among others. His reporting is backed by strong data capabilities, with hands-on experience using tools like Python, Tableau, and Excel to produce visually rich, insight-led stories. This data-first approach enhances accuracy, transparency, and trust. In leadership roles, he has managed editorial shifts, overseen homepage strategy, optimised SEO workflows, and mentored peers to deliver consistent, high-traffic journalism. He recently won the HT DigiStar award for the third quarter of financial year 2025-26. Aratrick is trusted for his balanced reportage, sound sourcing, and ability to translate complex sporting events into engaging narratives that speak to a wide audience. He believes sports is for everyone, not just for the enthusiasts and has a unique ability to bring people together - just like the sumptuous meals you'll often find him cooking on a weekend evening.

Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.
Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.
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