Esports World Cup Fantasy resumes with $10,000 pool

The Esports World Cup 2026 Fantasy season has resumed with a 32-team group stage. The Fantasy competition runs as part of the Fall Season 2026 and will conclude after the Singapore Major in December, when cash prizes are distributed. Users can assemble lineups on the event’s Fantasy page.

The group stage features 160 eligible players split across four eight-team double-elimination groups. Four teams from each group advance to the playoffs. Opening matches are best-of-one; all remaining group matches are best-of-three. Playoffs will be offered as a separate Fantasy game once the group stage finishes.

Four teams were added to the official tournament roster after the open qualifier: 100 Thieves, BIG, JiJieHao and K27. Their inclusion increased the Fantasy pool to 32 teams and altered group rosters.

The cash prize pool for the Fantasy season totals $10,000 and will be awarded to the top 10 participants. The headline distribution lists $5,000 for first place, $2,000 for second, $1,000 for third, and $300 each for fourth through tenth. Hellcase is supplying in-game skin rewards and season points for top finishers. The skins for positions one through ten are: Shadow Daggers | Tiger Tooth (Factory New), AK-47 | Asiimov (Minimal Wear), AWP | Redline (Field-Tested), M4A4 | The Battlestar (Minimal Wear) and Desert Eagle | Mecha Industries (Factory New) for places five through ten.

Player prices and pick rates are available in the Fantasy game. Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen is the fourth most-picked player in the group-stage game and is priced at $170,000; he was the highest-rated player on his team during the open qualifier and averaged a 1.23 rating in its playoffs. Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, Danil “donk” Kryshkovets and Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov are each priced at $245,000. Danil “donk” Kryshkovets is the most-picked player at the event, appearing on roughly 27% of Fantasy rosters.

Fantasy managers can still join for the remainder of the season and change rosters while the group stage progresses. The format’s BO1 openings, BO3 later rounds and double-elimination brackets mean single matches can alter early standings and longer series decide which teams advance.