The Esports Foundation (EF) announced the official lineup and details for the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) tournaments that will award the final spots in eight different competitions at this year’s Esports World Cup, set to be hosted in Paris, France, from 6 July through 23 August.
The program forms the final stage of qualification for EWC 2026, concluding a global Road to EWC that spans more than 230 tournaments and qualification events worldwide and is expected to engage more than 350,000 competitors across publisher ecosystems, regional leagues, and official circuits. The LCQ series consists of eight open tournaments across Counter-Strike 2, EA FC, Rocket League, Tekken 8, Chess, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, and Street Fighter 6.
Scheduled to be held in Paris between 5 July and 10 August, the events will award the final qualification spots for 37 solo competitors and six clubs at the Esports World Cup 2026, including four clubs in Counter-Strike 2 and one club each in Rocket League and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. EA FC qualifiers will advance to the play-ins stage, while all other LCQ winners will qualify directly for the main event.
LCQ schedule and qualification slots:
• Street Fighter 6 (5 July): Four players qualify
• Chess (9-11 July): 14 players qualify
• EA FC (24-26 July): Six players qualify for play-ins
• Tekken 8 (31 July- 2 August): Four players qualify
• Rocket League (31 July- 2 August): One club qualifies
• Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (4-6 August): Four players qualify
• Counter-Strike 2 (7-9 August): Four clubs qualify
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (8-10 August) : One club qualifies
Some of the most remarkable moments in EWC’s history have come as a result of the LCQ. In 2024, EA FC pro João ‘JafonsogV’ Vasconcellos battled through the LCQ before going on to claim the championship, etching his name into esports history. His performance inspired the creation of the Jafonso Award, which is awarded to teams or players that win an EWC championship after qualifying through the LCQ.
In 2025, Team Falcons’ Overwatch roster pulled off that feat to not only claim the first Jafonso Award and the OWCS Midseason Championship, but win what would turn out to be a crucial tournament victory that cemented Falcons’ second straight Club Championship. In the same year, Chess Grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Levon Aronian both reached the playoffs after qualifying for the first EWC Chess main event through the LCQ.
The Esports World Cup 2026 will be hosted at Paris Expo Port de Versailles, in Paris, France bringing together more than 2,000 players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries across 25 tournaments and 24 games for a record-breaking $75 million plus prize pool.
