AG.AL won the Esports World Cup 2026 Club Championship on August 22 after Gwendal ‘Gwen’ Duparc claimed the Trackmania Grand Final in Paris. The result earned the organization the competition’s $7 million first prize from a total Club Championship purse of $30 million.
After seven weeks of competition, the title came down to AG.AL and Team Falcons. Falcons were trying to win the championship for a third straight year, but Gwen’s performance in the final event gave AG.AL the points it needed to move ahead.
AG.AL and Team Falcons reached the final day separated by 300 points
The race tightened after Falcons were eliminated by Legacy in the Esports World Cup playoffs and AG.AL suffered a CrossFire defeat. Fortnite did not change the Club Championship standings in a meaningful way, as neither Falcons’ Peter ‘Peterbot’ Kata and Miguel ‘Pollo’ Moreno nor AG.AL’s Nikolaj ‘Sky’ Helleskov and Adrian ‘Scroll’ Richelieu reached the top eight of the Match Point Finals.
That left Team Falcons leading AG.AL by 4,600 points to 4,300 heading into Trackmania. The entire championship now rested on Gwen and Falcons’ Carl-Antoni ‘Carl Jr.’ Cloutier, who both entered the Trackmania quarter-finals.
That concludes our Fortnite EWC run. We appreciate the support throughout
نهاية مشوارنا في كأس العالم للرياضات الإلكترونية للعبة فورت نايت، شكرًا لدعمكم 💚#FalconsAreHere – #EWC26 pic.twitter.com/wfV2PCEhq4
— Falcons Esports (@FalconsEsport) August 22, 2026
Gwen immediately gave AG.AL a much-needed boost, finishing first in his quarter-final lobby and guaranteeing a place in the semifinals. Carl Jr.’s group was far less forgiving, with Aleksander ‘neon’ Pogroszewski, Vitality’s Thomas ‘Pac’ Cole, and Liquid’s Youen ‘Otaaaq’ Egler all fighting for the available spots. Pac and Otaaaq advanced, ending Falcons’ final path to more Club Championship points.
Our EWC Trackmania run comes to an end in the Quarterfinals. Thank you, Carl Jr
انتهى مشوار صقرنا @CarlJrtm في @EWC_AR
للعبة تراكمانيا من دور ربع النهائي.— شكرًا لدعمكم، والقادم أفضل بإذن الله 💚#EWC26 pic.twitter.com/KxkFDGVMGu
— Falcons Esports (@FalconsEsport) August 22, 2026
Gwen’s comeback put the championship in AG.AL’s hands
Falcons still had the lead after the quarter-finals, but the margin had fallen to 200 points and no other Falcons roster remained in position to add to the total. Gwen needed to finish in the top three overall to put AG.AL ahead.
An early deficit in the semifinal threatened to complicate that plan. Gwen responded with a comeback and finished first in the lobby, reaching the Grand Final alongside NAVI’s Hubert ‘mime’ Dziedzic, Pac, and Liquid’s Robert ‘Epos’ McKay.
By the time the final began, AG.AL and Team Falcons were level on points, with the tournaments-won tiebreaker separating them. A third-place finish or better would be enough for Gwen to win the Club Championship.
He never left the result to chance. Gwen built a commanding lead, reached match point before the other finalists were close to the threshold, and closed out the competition on Japan. The win made him AG.AL’s deciding player in front of the Paris crowd and stopped Team Falcons from claiming another championship.
AG.AL takes the $7 million prize
The Club Championship was decided at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, which hosted the Esports World Cup action up to that point. Counter-Strike 2 was a separate 32-team tournament with its own $2 million purse, and its semifinals were scheduled for August 22 before the Paris final on August 23 at the Accor Arena. The Counter-Strike 2 tournament schedule kept that bracket separate from the Club Championship race.
AG.AL’s victory now gives the organization the largest reward attached to the seven-week competition: $7 million and the Club Championship trophy. Team Falcons had controlled much of the race, but Trackmania’s final rounds left no room for another comeback once Gwen reached the podium.
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