From 12 to 23 August 2026, we couldn't keep our eyes off the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) tournament, which served as the finale of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 mega-event.

With 32 of the best teams duking it out, the Group Stage was a brutal affair void of any huge upsets on who went home and who managed to make it through to the Playoffs Stage.

In front of a huge crowd, the Playoffs Stage saw the best remaining 16 teams fight for a bigger share of the $2 million prize pool. That's roughly R32 million at the current exchange rate!

Team Spirit, who made it to 2nd place at BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 2, went on a rampage, first smashing B8 with a clean 2-0, then sending Team Vitality packing in a 2-1 slugfest, and taking down Legacy 2-0 to earn a spot in the Grand Final.

In the CS2 event's Grand Final at EWC 2026 in Paris, France, Team Spirit faced an unlikely opponent in FUT Esports. While FUT Esports won the first map, Cache, with a 13-10 score, Team Spirit bounced back with vigor to win the next three (Anubis 16-13, Ancient 16-14, and Nuke 13-5) to claim the coveted trophy with a 3-1 win.

For his mammoth performance, with an overall rating of 1.50, Danil "donk" Kryshkovets was named the MVP and earned an additional $25,000. Congratulations!

Final EWC 2026 CS2 standings and winnings

Check out the neat table below showcasing the final standings and how much each team won.

PlacementTeam(s)Prize Money1stTeam Spirit$600,0002ndFUT Esports$340,0003rdLegacy$190,0004thFURIA$110,0005th–8thG2 Esports, MOUZ, Team Falcons, Team Vitality$60,000 each9th–16thAstralis, Aurora Gaming, GamerLegion, magic, B8, Natus Vincere, FaZe Clan, The MongolZ$35,000 each17th–24thBIG, JiJieHao, MIBR, Ninjas in Pyjamas, PARIVISION, Lynn Vision Gaming, 9z Team, paiN Gaming$20,000 each25th–32ndLuminosity Gaming, M80, K27, BetBoom Team, 100 Thieves, TYLOO, 3DMAX, Wildcard$10,000 each

Stay tuned as the next big CS2 event, BLAST Open Porto 2026, is getting underway already!

Header image via Esports Foundation.