Esports World Cup 2026: all stand-ins and new rosters in the closed qualifiers

The closed qualifiers for Esports World Cup 2026 begin tomorrow, featuring both newly formed teams and rosters that have undergone changes ahead of the event.

Eastern Europe

Zero Tenacity signed a new offlaner, Mihajlo MikSa Jovanović, ahead of the qualifiers. He previously played for OG before the organization disbanded its European roster.

Also invited to the closed qualifiers were the players of Pipsqueak+4. The team previously competed under the Ex-Pipsqueak+4 tag, but has now returned to its original name. 

Western Europe

In this region, Akbar SoNNeikO Butaev assembled his own stack alongside Vladislav Antares Kertman and will compete under the Team G tag.

Southeast Asia

Through the open qualifiers, the Grind Back stack led by Nuengnara 23savage Teeramahanon also secured a place in the next stage. The roster was first spotted in early May and has so far competed only in EPL WS: Southeast Asia Season 15, where it reached the grand final and finished in second place.

Carstensz signed Malaysian player Ahmad Ahyad Husam, while Batbayasgalan Ace12 Narankhand was moved to the position five support role.

The open qualifiers for Esports World Cup 2026 will take place from 29.05.2026 to 31.05.2026 across six regions: Eastern Europe, Western Europe, North America, South America, Southeast Asia, and MESWA (Middle East and Southwest Asia).

From 31.05.2026 to 01.06.2026, an additional qualifying stage will be held for North America and MESWA, where teams will compete for one more slot in the closed qualifiers.

The main tournament will run from 06.07.2026 to 23.08.2026. More than 2,000 players from around the world will participate, while the total prize pool will reach $75,000,000.

Earlier, Cyberscore shared comments from the CEO of the Esports Foundation regarding the reasons for hosting the tournament in France.