The 2026 Esports World Cup for Dota 2 will kick off next week.

The 2026 Esports World Cup (EWC) Dota 2 tournament will kick off next week in France. As the second biggest tournament of the year, this Esports World Cup is not only a stage for teams to compete for the grand prize, but also the most important prelude to The International (TI) next month.

In the latest power rankings, PARIVISION tops the list. After acquiring Noticed, a former Team Yandex player, the team has demonstrated overwhelming dominance. They not only won the DreamLeague Season 29 championship but are also considered a strong favorite to win the current Esports World Cup.

However, the competition in the top tier remains fierce. Teams such as Team Yandex, Team Falcons, 1win Team, Aurora, BetBoom, and Team Liquid are also very strong and the gap between them is not significant. Any team has a chance to compete for the final championship.

It is worth noting that, since some participating teams failed to qualify for this year's International (TI) Invitational, this eSports World Cup has become their most important competition of the season.

Compared to teams that have already qualified for TI and might hold back their tactics and hidden lineups during the competition, these teams that missed TI have no burdens and will fight with all their might.

This difference in mentality could very well allow underrated dark horse teams like PlayTime and L1GA TEAM to pull off upsets in the competition, becoming a major highlight of this event.

Image source: Internet