Team Falcons target 2 million dollars at the EWC
After a LAN qualifier with 64 teams, the Counter-Strike 2 tournament of the Esports World Cup in Paris moves onto the radar as one of the season’s big tests. There are 32 teams in the group stage, 16 playoff spots and a total prize pool of 2 million dollars that should redraw the hierarchy of the scene.
Paris hosts a tournament with no clear owner
The event starts at a rare moment for elite CS2: there are strong favourites, but no truly untouchable roster. The main stage brings together some of the heaviest line-ups in the world, and the format raises the pressure from the very first day. Those who make few mistakes advance. Those who slip early can be gone before the knockout rounds.
That balance helps explain the anticipation around the EWC. It is not only about the big prize. In practice, Paris becomes a showcase for measuring who arrives most ready for the decisive stretch of the international calendar.
Falcons peak at the right time, Vitality try to respond
Team Falcons land with the morale of IEM Cologne Major champions, a result that changed the team’s standing. The arrival of Finn “Karrigan” Andersen as in-game leader fixed a long-standing problem on the T side and brought more stability to a team that used to fold under pressure. At the centre of it is Nikola “NiKo” Kovac, who finally converted talent into a big title and shone in the Cologne final with a 1.43 rating.
Even though they appear only as the third force in the odds, the Saudi roster arrive with a real technical case. The ceiling is extremely high. And the recent title suggests the team has finally found a consistent competitive identity.
On the other side is Team Vitality, still treated as the main candidate for the trophy. The team dominated much of the first half of the year in CS2, with five straight titles between February and May, but lost steam at the latest stops. An early exit at BLAST Bounty Season 2 and more modest runs in Cologne and Atlanta set off a warning light, although playing at home keeps the team in the spotlight.
FaZe run on the outside and could scramble the bracket
If there is one name to watch outside the main block of favourites, it is FaZe Clan. Failing to qualify for Cologne hurt, all the more after finishing runners-up at the Budapest Major, but the team has shown signs of life at recent LANs. Since the end of May they have not finished below fourth place and also reached the BLAST Bounty semi-final.
With Jason “JBOEN” Boe Nielsen kept in the line-up, FaZe arrive as a dangerous underdog. They beat The MongolZ 2-1 on the way to a top-four finish and have the repertoire to complicate long series. In a tournament with no absolute dominator in the second half of 2026, that matters. Today the strongest reading is simple: Vitality remain the market favourite, but Falcons look like the team most ready to leave Paris with the biggest cheque.
