Esports World Cup CS2 history: Every champion, biggest upset and viewership record

Bruno Sobieraj Published October 14, 2026

Over the past couple of years, the Esports World Cup has become a marquee event in all of esports, including Counter-Strike. With all the best CS2 teams in attendance and an enormous prize pool, it’s difficult to ignore the impact it already has on the professional scene.

But how did the Esports World Cup come about, and how have the previous Counter-Strike iterations transpired? You’ll find all the necessary answers in our complete Esports World Cup CS2 guide.

What is the Esports World Cup?

The Esports World Cup (EWC) is an annual multi-game esports event usually held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that brings together major organizations competing across numerous titles. Counter-Strike 2 is one of its featured games, with top teams competing in a dedicated CS2 tournament while also earning points for their organizations in the wider Club Championship.

Three Counter-Strike editions have transpired thus far, with three different winners claiming the trophy. Each tournament had its own flavor, with interesting storylines, close games, and unforeseen upsets keeping the fans entertained each summer.

EWC 2024: NAVI win inaugural edition

Credit: © Esports World Cup

NAVI was the team to beat in the second half of 2024. They partly established that reputation with their EWC victory, which closely followed their infamous PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 underdog run.

The international squad’s EWC playoff run was extremely impressive, having bested FaZe Clan, who they just beat in the Major Grand Final, MOUZ, and an on-fire G2 team with Nikola “NiKo” Kovac and Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov in their ranks.

Despite being the first and perhaps least prestigious iteration of the event, EWC 2024 sported impressive peak viewership numbers, higher than those of 2025. NAVI and G2 heavily contributed to that fact, with the two esports juggernauts facing each other in the Grand Final.

EWC 2024 Key Stats

• Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Teams: 15
• Prize Pool: $1,000,000
• Champions: NAVI
• Peak Viewership: 756 563

EWC 2025: The MongolZ shock the world’s best

Credit: © Esports World Cup

Esports World Cup 2025 marks the biggest CS2 event win for an Asian team in history, with The MongolZ rising above the competition and claiming the trophy in Riyadh. What’s most impressive is the teams they beat on their way to victory.

Upsets like The MongolZ’s victory also highlight why CS2 betting odds can shift significantly as a tournament progresses.

In the semi-finals, The MongolZ bested Vitality, who were the reigning Major Champions at the time and just came off the back of a near-flawless season. Another surprising aspect of The MongolZ’s run was the performance of some of the players on the team.

While Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold was undoubtedly the best individual performer on The MongolZ’s roster, during EWC 2025, something took hold of Sodbayar “Techno” Munkhbold, who delivered incredible performances throughout the event, earning himself the MVP medal.

EWC 2025 Key Stats

• Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Teams: 16
• Prize Pool: $1,250,000
• Champions: The MongolZ
• Peak Viewership: 739 029

EWC 2026:  Spirit lift the trophy in Paris

Credit: © Esports World Cup

The most recent edition of the Esports World Cup differed significantly from previous iterations. Firstly, the pool of teams in the main tournament doubled from the previous year, with 32 teams participating in the 2026 group stage. Additionally, the qualifier that took place on LAN just before the event was gigantic – 64 squads competed in a massive bracket to determine four teams that made it to the main draw.

As a result of the tournament’s expansion, the prize pool had to be substantially increased as well, from $1,250,000 the previous year to a whopping $2,000,000.

Another key element unique to the 2026 edition was the location. Due to geopolitical reasons, EWC 2026 was moved from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to Paris. That includes the whole gaming festival, not just the CS2 tournament.

Competition-wise, Spirit came out on top, beating B8, Vitality, Legacy, and FUT on their way to the title. Unsurprisingly, Danil “donk” Kryshkovets took home the MVP medal, having top-fragged in all of Spirit’s playoff matches.

Funnily enough, despite the three EWC editions thus far taking place amidst Vitality’s defining CS2 era, the international powerhouse hasn’t been able to secure a single Grand Final appearance, let alone win the whole tournament. Maybe that changes in future EWC editions.

EWC 2026 Key Stats

• Location: Paris, France
• Teams: 32
• Prize Pool: $2,000,000
• Champions: Spirit
• Peak Viewership: 1 038 760

Increasing Viewership vs. Community Reaction

EWC 2026 viewership numbers. Credit: © Esports Charts

Over the past three years, EWC’s viewership has been steadily increasing, with the 2026 edition seeing the biggest growth margins relative to the previous iteration of the event. Those results are in line with the Counter-Strike portion of EWC widening in scope and grandeur.

Contrary to what the increasing viewership numbers are saying, the community sentiment towards the Esports World Cup remains mixed. Despite the enormous prize pool and scale of the event, fans are hesitant to treat it with the same respect as some of the classic CS2 tournaments like IEM Cologne, IEM Kraków, and of course, the Majors.

Only time will tell if that attitude ever changes and Esports World Cup becomes the “it” event on the Counter-Strike calendar.

Featured image credit: © Esports World Cup