RIYADH: The Esports Foundation has announced the official lineup and details for the Last Chance Qualifier tournaments that will award the final spots in eight different competitions at this year’s Esports World Cup, set for Paris from July 6 through Aug. 23.
The LCQ program forms the final stage of qualification for EWC 2026, concluding a global Road to EWC that spans more than 230 tournaments and qualification events worldwide. And is expected to engage over 350,000 competitors across publisher ecosystems, regional leagues, and official circuits.
The LCQ series consists of eight open tournaments across Counter-Strike 2, EA FC, Rocket League, TEKKEN 8, Chess, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, and Street Fighter 6.
To be held in Paris between July 5 and Aug. 10, the events will award the final qualification spots for 37 solo competitors and six Clubs at EWC 2026.
It will include four Clubs in Counter-Strike 2 and one Club each in Rocket League and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. EA FC qualifiers will advance to the Play-Ins stage, while all other LCQ winners will qualify directly for the main event.
Some of the most memorable moments in EWC’s history have come as a result of the LCQ. In 2024, EA FC professional Joao “JafonsogV” Vasconcellos battled through the LCQ before going on to claim the championship.
His performance inspired the creation of the Jafonso Award, which is awarded to teams or players that win an EWC championship after qualifying through the LCQ.
In 2025, Team Falcons’ Overwatch roster pulled off that feat to not only claim the first Jafonso Award and the OWCS Midseason Championship, but record a win that cemented Falcons’ second straight Club Championship.
In the same year, chess grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Levon Aronian both reached the playoffs after qualifying for the first EWC Chess main event through the LCQ.
The world cup will be hosted at Paris Expo Port de Versailles, with more than 2,000 players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries across 25 tournaments and 24 games for a record-breaking prize pool of over $75 million.
LCQ schedule and qualification slots:
FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves (July 5): 4 players qualify.
EA FC (July 9-11): 14 players qualify for Play-Ins.
Street Fighter 6 (July 24-26): 6 players qualify.
TEKKEN 8 (July 31-Aug. 2): 4 players qualify.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (July 31-Aug. 2): 1 Club qualifies.
Chess (Aug. 4-6): 4 players qualify.
Counter-Strike 2 (Aug. 7-9): 4 Clubs qualify.
Rocket League (Aug. 8-10): 1 Club qualifies.
