The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 is expanding its physical footprint across Paris for its conclusion. The Esports Foundation officially announced that the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Championship Final and the culmination of the overall Club Championship will be staged live at the 20,000-capacity Accor Arena on 23 August, bringing the seven-week international festival to a close on its largest stage yet.

The venue allocation marks a major physical expansion beyond the primary event hub at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, which has housed the broadcast operations, fan zones, and initial stages of the tournament’s 25 competitions. The EWC 2026 CS2 event itself features a scaled-up, two-week 32-team format backed by a $2 million prize pool, tying the the record established by PGL Major Stockholm 2021 for the largest prize pool in Counter-Strike history.

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The tournament field will comprise 28 top-tier organizations invited directly via the Valve Regional Standings, accompanied by four rosters advancing through a 128-team open qualifier taking place in Paris from August 7–9.

Esports Leaders, the executive gathering at the 5-star Hôtel du Collectionneur will bring together senior decision-makers in and around esports and gaming during the closing days of the Esports World Cup. Find more details at this link.

Hosting the final rounds at the Accor Arena carries deep nostalgic resonance for the local tactical shooter ecosystem. The venue hosted the BLAST.tv Paris Major in 2023, the final Major of the CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) era, where French powerhouse Team Vitality claimed its first Major title in front of its home crowd. Vitality is set to participate at this edition of EWC, following a dominant competitive period within CS2 in the last two years.

Besides Counter-Strike, in esports the venue also hosted the 2019 League of Legends World Championship Finals and the Red Bull League of Its Own in 2024. Beyond esports, the venue routinely hosts the ATP Masters 1000 Rolex Paris (tennis), NBA games in Paris, UFC Fight Nights, and major concert tours.

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