Call of Duty reveals format for $1.8M Esports World Cup 2026 event

Call of Duty will return to the Esports World Cup 2026 with a new competitive format for the $1.8 million tournament that will take place from Aug. 4-8.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will begin with a group stage featuring two groups of eight teams competing. Best-of-seven matches will take place throughout the playoffs, with the Grand Final being a best-of-nine.

FaZe (2024) and OpTic Gaming (2025) have won the first two Call of Duty events at the Esports World Cup. They will be joined by 10 additional teams from the 2026 Call of Duty season:

--Atlanta FaZe (FaZe Clan)

--Miami Heretics (Team Heretics)

--LA Thieves (100 Thieves)

--G2 Minnesota (G2 Esports)

--Cloud9 New York (Cloud9)

--Paris Gentle Mates (Gentle Mates)

--Riyadh Falcons (Team Falcons)

--Toronto KOI (Movistar KOI)

--Boston Breach

--Carolina Royal Ravens

--Vancouver Surge

The remaining four teams will include the top three finishers from the 2026 CDL Challengers Finals from July 17-19 and the winner of the EWC Last Chance Qualifier from July 31-Aug. 1.

The Paris Gentle Mates current lead the standings after winning both the Stage 1 Major qualifier and the Stage 1 Major. They lost in the Major upper bracket final against OpTic Texas but rebounded to beat FaZe in the lower final before beating OpTic 4-3 in a rematch in the Grand Final.

Atlanta FaZe claimed their first trophy for the FaZe brand with a victory at the Stage 2 Major at DreamHack Birmingham.

--Field Level Media