AG.AL wins the club championship
The Esports World Cup club championship, worth 7 m$ (6 m€), was crowned in Paris on Sunday. The Chinese team AG.AL defeated the Saudi Arabia Team Falcons, who were seeking a third straight title. The trophy was presented by French President Emmanuel Macron, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in attendance.
Gwendal “Gwen” Duparc, the final’s hero
French player Gwendal “Gwen” Duparc won the Trackmania final, finishing first, which secured the club championship for AG.AL. Duparc earned 130 000 € (111 500 €) in individual prize money. His victory was decisive for the team, which thus secured the 7 m$ jackpot.
Relocation from Riyadh to Paris
The tournament, originally scheduled for Riyadh, was moved to Paris because of the conflict in Saudi Arabia and travel disruptions. Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, chairman of the Esports Foundation’s executive committee, said cancellation was never considered. He stressed that logistics - visas, flights - made holding the event in Riyadh irresponsible.
Record participation and key figures
More than 2 000 players from 200 clubs across over 100 countries competed in 25 tournaments and 24 games. 175 000 tickets were sold, a 94 % increase from 2025. Mike McCabe, CEO of the Esports Foundation, emphasized close cooperation with clubs, game publishers and French authorities to make the relocation a success.
Other notable victories
The duo vic0 (Taylor-Petrik “vic0” Gatschelhofer) and Malibuca (Danila “Malibuca” Iakovenko) won the Fortnite Reload Championship, becoming the first pair to win two in-person majors. BaiSha Gaming captured the CrossFire title, defeating Team Liquid 3-0.
Outlook for the future
The World Cup will return to Riyadh in 2027, while the Nations Cup, originally planned for Riyadh in November, has been postponed to next year. Organisers plan to apply lessons from Paris to future global events.
