The third day of the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris has concluded. Nihal Sarin, Arjun Erigaisi, Denis Lazavik, and Hans Moke Niemann defeated all opponents in the Lower Bracket. They secured the remaining 4 of the 8 slots in the Playoffs. Playoff matches will begin on August 14 at 11:00 UTC.

Players who qualified for the Playoffs on the first day of the Group Stage selected their opponents:

🇳🇴 Magnus Carlsen - 🇮🇳 Nihal Sarin

🇫🇷 Alireza Firouzja - 🇺🇸 Hans Moke Niemann

🇺🇿 Nodirbek Abdusattorov - 🇧🇾 Denis Lazavik

🇺🇸 Hikaru Nakamura - 🇮🇳 Arjun Erigaisi

The event features 3 stages. In the Play-In stage, 8 players competed in a Double Elimination Bracket. In the Group stage, two 8-player groups competed in a Double Elimination Bracket. In the Playoffs, 8 players will compete in a Single Elimination Bracket. All games feature a 10+0 time control.

The Esports World Cup is an annual international gaming tournament and festival. The chess tournament at the 2026 edition of the EWC features a $1,500,000 prize fund. The Grand Final playoffs will take place on August 15.

Credit: Esports World Cup YouTube