The Esports World Cup 2026 Rocket League main event is officially underway, with 16 clubs split into two groups fighting through opening matches on the very first day of competition. Team Vitality, Twisted Minds, TSM and Spacestation Gaming all picked up wins in the early rounds, while Shopify Rebellion and Ninjas in Pyjamas eStar were still locked in a live series as the group stage got going.
Rocket League’s return to the EWC stage sees the reigning title defenders Karmine Corp back in the mix, having qualified as the previous EWC champions. They kicked things off with a statement 3-0 win over Wildcard, one of several results already logged on the tournament’s opening day. For a wider look at how the Rocket League event slots into the rest of the summer’s action, check out our breakdown of the Esports World Cup 2026 schedule and featured games.
Groups, Brackets and Who’s In
The 16 participating clubs are split across Group A and Group B, each running an upper and lower bracket format before the top performers advance to the playoffs. Confirmed clubs include:
- Karmine Corp, Team Vitality, Gentle Mates and NIP.eStar (RLCS EU)
- NRG, Shopify Rebellion and Spacestation Gaming (RLCS NA)
- FURIA and MIBR.LOS (RLCS SA)
- Twisted Minds, Team Falcons and R8 Esports (RLCS MENA)
- Five Fears (RLCS SSA), TSM (RLCS APAC), Wildcard (RLCS OCE) and FUT Esports (EWC Last Chance Qualifier)
What’s Next
Group stage action continues through August 14 with upper bracket, lower bracket and decider matches still to play before the field narrows. Quarterfinals are locked in for August 15, followed by Semifinals, the Third Place match and the Grand Final all landing on August 16. Fans following the wider tournament can also catch our coverage of the EWC 2026 Valorant groups draw and the EWC 2026 CS2 playoffs as the Paris event rolls on across multiple titles.