The first day of the Esports World Cup 2026 Last Chance Qualifier in Paris has concluded. Wei Yi and Daniil Dubov won the first group Swiss parts with scores of 6 and 6.5 respectively. 8 players advanced to the Knockout from Groups A and B.

From Group A:

  • 🇨🇳 Wei Yi
  • 🇺🇦 Oleksandr Bortnyk
  • 🇳🇴 Aryan Tari
  • 🇪🇸 Alan Pichot

From Group B:

  • 🇷🇺 Daniil Dubov
  • 🇮🇷 Parham Maghsoodloo
  • 🇫🇷 Maxime Lagarde
  • 🇨🇦 Eric Hansen

The EWC 2026 Last Chance Qualifier takes place from August 4 to 8, in Paris, France. The event features four group 7-round Swiss parts and a 16-player Knockout. All games at the tournament feature Rapid 10+0 time control. The top 5 players qualify for the Esports World Cup 2026.

The Esports World Cup is an annual international gaming tournament and festival. The chess tournament at the 2026 edition of the event will take place in Paris and will feature a $1,500,000 prize fund.

Credit: Eteri Kublashvili / FIDE