Esports World Cup: Level Upreturns for its second season on June 26, with all five episodes dropping that day exclusively on Prime Video. Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (Martha (Netflix), Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry (Apple TV)), the five-part docuseries goes inside the human stories behind the world’s largest esports competition, following players, Clubs and families through the pressure and ambition of the 2025 Esports World Cup.

Set in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the seven-week event, the new season follows the chase for the $70 million prize pool and the EWC Club Championship, while showing the personal journeys at the heart of the competition. The series captures what it takes to compete on a global stage where one match can change a career, a season can define a Club, and a single moment can turn a player into a star.

Produced by This Machine (a part of Sony Pictures Television), with director R.J. Cutler,  showrunner John Dorsey and executive producers Jane Cha Cutler, Trevor Smith, Elise Pearlstein and Mark Blatty all returning for the second season, Esports World Cup: Level Up takes a vérité-style approach to esports, capturing the sacrifice, stakes, and rising fame of the world’s top competitive gamers.

Featured players include Jake “Boaster” Howlett (Fnatic; VALORANT), Vivi “Vivian” Indrawaty (Team Vitality; MLBB),  Kasimili “Soka” Tongamoa (Team Falcons; Call of Duty: Warzone), Xiao Hai (KuaiShou Gaming; Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves) and Garidmagnai “bLitz” Byambasuren (Mongolz; Counter-Strike). To bring the players’ personal stories to the forefront, the film’s crew was on set in Riyadh for seven weeks and also traveled to locations across the U.K., U.S. and Indonesia for rare at-home visits.

Standout storylines woven throughout the series include:

• Magnus Carlsen (Team Liquid, Chess) – Widely considered the greatest chess player ever, Carlsen faces the isolation of dominance, with no traditional peaks left to conquer. His story follows his shift into esports, where a new generation of challengers awaits.

• Boaster (Fnatic, Valorant) – As Valorant debuts at the event, the British competitor’s journey from aspiring actor to title contender shows there’s no single path to success, shaped by resilience through personal and professional setbacks.

• Xiao Hai (KSG, Street Fighter) – A reigning champion shaped by strict discipline, Xiao Hai was competing against adults by age six. Now a father, he balances global competition with family life.

• Vivian (Team Vitality, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang) – Competing for a life-changing prize, Vivian’s story centers on overcoming recent setbacks and confronting childhood trauma.

• The Mongolz & bLitz (Counter-Strike 2) – Led by their star player bLitz, this grassroots Mongolian team has risen from obscurity to national prominence, becoming symbols of pride and perseverance.

• Soka (Team Falcons, Call of Duty: Warzone) – The reigning champion faces pressure on multiple fronts, dealing with rivalries from former teammates while navigating a turbulent home life.

• Coach ArSy (Team Liquid, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang) – Offering a rare coaching perspective, ArSy draws on a difficult upbringing to lead and inspire his team’s pursuit of redemption.

  “Level Up captures the human side of what we are building with the Esports World Cup,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports Foundation. “EWC creates the stage: the best games, the best Clubs, the best players, life-changing stakes and moments that bring together a global gaming community of billions. The documentary takes you closer to the people inside those moments: their pressure, their ambition, their families and the stories that make esports meaningful to a new generation.”

  “This next chapter deepens our exploration of a global phenomenon that is as much about human ambition and identity as it is about competition,” said Cutler. “Esports is one of the most dynamic cultural movements of our time. In season two, we continue to chronicle not just the competition, but the lives, dreams, and sacrifices of the players at the center of it, revealing a world that is both intensely personal and globally resonant.”

  Around those player journeys, the series also captures the wider cultural energy of the Esports World Cup, where sport, music, entertainment and gaming meet. In addition to elite competition, Level Up showcases moments from a star-studded lineup of musical artists and athletes, including opening headliner Post Malone, who shows off his gaming skills backstage; grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, who triumphs in his first chess esports event; and football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, who ushers the Club Championship trophy to the stage in a dramatic closing ceremony.

  The magnitude of the Esports World Cup is also seen through the reactions of some of the world’s biggest sports and entertainment figures, including reigning F1 champion Lando Norris; Brazilian football legends Ronaldo Nazario and Kaká, who go one-on-one in an EA FC showmatch; professional footballer Alisha Lehmann; skateboarder Tony Hawk; and tennis star Nick Kyrgios, who stated: “The crowd, the atmosphere, is literally better than Wimbledon or any Grand Slam.”

  The Esports World Cup 2025 marked a defining moment in competitive gaming. In its second year, EWC reached 750 million viewers worldwide and generated 350 million hours watched, with peak concurrent viewership of nearly 8 million during the League of Legends at EWC ’25 tournament. Coverage was delivered across 28 platforms through 97 broadcast partners and more than 800 channels in 35 languages. Twenty-five tournaments spanning 24 games featured more than 2,000 players representing approximately 200 Clubs from over 100 countries.

  The 2026 edition of the Esports World Cup will be held in Paris, France from July 6 through August 23, as the top Clubs in the world compete for $75 million and the 2026 EWC Club Championship trophy.

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Week 1 of The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 is in the books and the first three trophies have been claimed. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves kicked off the championship proceedings on Saturday, followed by an epic Apex Legends final before VALORANT closed out the week with an incredible all-American clash.

The first trophy of EWC 2026 went to Luis Guadalupe “DarkAngel” Castillo Gomez who claimed a memorable victory in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, finally lifting his first major trophy in the game after multiple close calls. DarkAngel placed third at EWC last year, sitting behind two EWC champions, Goichi “GO1” Kishida and Zeng “Xiao Hai” Zhuojun. However, this year the former withdrew from the competition due to health issues, while the latter was knocked out before the top 16, opening the door for DarkAngel to seize his opportunity.

He took down Virtus.Pro’s Kenta “mi2ha4” Ichihara 4-1 in the grand final, and was immediately overcome with emotion having achieved his dream of lifting a trophy. He then became the first player to have his name engraved on the EWC Totem, officially kicking off the 2026 championship race.

“I’m extremely happy and extremely grateful, thank you for my team NAVI, and everyone in Latin America that follows me and supports me,” Luis Guadalupe “DarkAngel” Castillo Gomez said following his triumph. “I’ve learned a lot through every single person who has played with me, from the wins, from the losses. Thank you to everyone who has ever helped me, even though you are not in my team specifically, I have always learned from them, and I’m extremely grateful.”

In Apex Legends, Japanese squad UNLIMIT consisting of Yulariman, Xtsuvi, and Peace, pulled off an incredible heist in the match point finals at the ALGS Year 6 Split 1 Playoffs at 2026 EWC. In the first six games of the final they failed to place above 9th in any match, and were essentially seen as out of contention once other teams started to hit match point.

However, across the final four games, UNLIMIT won three of them, extending the tournament and denying others a shot at the championship. In the dying moments of game 10, they faced off against ZETA DIVISION, another team on match point, with the winner guaranteed to lift the trophy. In the end it was Peace who took down the final ZETA DIVISION players to claim the victory, kicking off emotional celebrations from the team.

Peace was awarded the Sony MVP award for his performance across the tournament. He racked up 39 finishes, 35 assists, and 50 knockouts throughout his journey.

“I thought this was a dream at first, after winning the last game, but the dream came true,” said Peace of UNLIMIT. “I appreciate everyone that supported me, my family, my friends, UNLIMIT staff. I appreciate everyone, thank you very much.”

Closing out the opening week, 100 Thieves took the win in VALORANT at EWC 2026, marking the first time the Club has lifted an international trophy in the game. For veteran Peter “Asuna” Mazuryk, who has been with the Club since he was 17, this moment was a payoff for over five years of grinding as part of the 100 Thieves team. Through good times and bad, multiple rosters and a few close calls, Asuna has stuck with 100 Thieves and after building a hot new roster featuring some exciting rookies for 2026, he has finally lifted his first major trophy.

100 Thieves were undefeated in the competition, taking down the likes of Rex Regum Queon, BBL Esports, MIBR.LOS and Nongshim RedForce. In the final, they defeated local rivals and reigning world champions NRG 3-1, securing the decisive round in overtime.

Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban was awarded the Sony MVP award for his performance throughout the tournament, capped off by a huge 65 kill/25 assists performance in the finals versus NRG.

“It feels really good, I still feel like I didn’t perform to my own expectations, but it’s been so long that I haven’t won a trophy yet, and I had many doubts throughout my career, but at the end of the day, never stop believing in yourself and the people around you,” said Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban after receiving his MVP award.

While three champions have already been crowned, the action continues in Dota 2. With the group stage now wrapped up, some teams are preparing to battle for their tournament lives in the survival stage, while others have a few days off to prepare for the playoffs after topping their groups. Team Falcons, PVISION, and Team Yandex have all been top contenders this season, so taking the lead in their groups comes as no surprise. But in Group B, Nigma Galaxy managed to take down some big names to secure a playoff place, despite having a difficult 25/26 season so far.

The battle for the Club Championship has also begun. Clubs must finish in the top eight of at least two titles to qualify for the Club Championship standings, and after Week 1 only a single Club has met that requirement. Hometown favourites Team Vitality are the only Club officially on the Club Championship table with top five finishes in both VALORANT and Fatal Fury: CotW giving them a total of 400 points. However, should the likes of NAVI or 100 Thieves take another victory in Week 2, they would jump up the standings after their opening week success.

To learn more about the Esports World Cup, visit esportsworldcup.com and follow the Esports Foundation on LinkedIn.

The post Press Release l Esports World Cup 2026: Three new champions crowned in VALORANT, Apex Legends and Fatal Fury after thrilling opening week appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.