Honor of Kings World Cup 2026 Kicks Off in Paris

The Honor of Kings World Cup 2026 opened at the Esports World Cup stage in Paris on July 30. Twenty teams are competing for a $3 million prize pool and the world championship. The event runs July 30-August 8.

The tournament comprises three stages: Play-Ins, Group Stage and Playoffs. Play-Ins took place July 30-31 with eight teams split into two groups of four using a GSL best-of-three format; the top two in each group advanced to the Group Stage. The Group Stage runs August 1-4 with 16 teams divided into four groups of four, using GSL best-of-three to determine the eight teams that move on. Playoffs begin August 5 with single-elimination best-of-seven matches and include a best-of-five third-place match. All matches use Global Ban/Pick rules and feature the Ultimate Battle mode for Game 7.

AG Super Play enters as the defending champion. Participating teams include AG.AL International, Kuaishou Gaming, Buriram United Esports, Team Flash Vietnam, Deep Cross Gaming, Team Vitality, Team Nemesis, OG Esports, Aurora Gaming, Geekay Esports, ROC Esports, BOOM Esports, Titan Esports Club, Blacklist International, MIBR.LOS, Influence Rage, Virtus.pro, Nongshim RedForce, Revenant XSpark and S8UL Esports.

Organizers allocated the $3 million prize pool across finishing positions. The champion will receive $600,000 and the runner-up $360,000. Third place is set to receive $280,000 and fourth place $200,000. Teams finishing fifth through eighth will each receive $150,000; ninth and tenth $110,000 each; eleventh through fourteenth $80,000 each; fifteenth through eighteenth $60,000 each; and nineteenth and twentieth $40,000 each. A Finals MVP award of $25,000 will be presented at the Grand Finals.

The Group Stage draw was held on July 31. Quarterfinals are scheduled for August 5-6, semifinals on August 7 and the Grand Finals on August 8. Matches are livestreamed on Honor of Kings Esports’ official channels. The tournament is part of the Esports World Cup program in Paris.