Group Stage action begins in the TEKKEN 8 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 tournaments at EWC 2026

Playoff action got underway in the Honor of Kings and Arena of Valor competition at the 2026 Esports World Cup today, with the group stage beginning in both the TEKKEN 8 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 tournaments, while there was also play from the group stage of the Rainbow 6 Siege tournament along with the Last Chance Qualifier in Chess.

In the Honor of Kings and Arena of Valor tournament, fans got to witness the first two matches at the playoff stage as ROC Esports faced Team Vitality, while Geekay Esports squared off with Team Nemesis.

ROC Esports emerged victorious in their clash with Team Vitality, while Geekay Esports progressed to the next round with their win over Team Nemesis.

The TEKKEN 8 competition shifted into high gear as Groups CC and DD produced eight qualifiers for the next stage.

In Group CC it was Usama Abbasi and NOBI that progressed through the upper bracket, while Team Falcons (Numan Ch) and Yagami made their way to the next round in the lower bracket.

KEISUKE and Farzeen made their way through the upper bracket of Group DD, while ULSAN and AG.AL (M. Zubair) progressed through the lower bracket.

The Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 group stage also burst into action, with FaZe Clan, Movistar KOI, G2 Esports, and Gentle Mates all claiming upper bracket victories in Group A to move one step closer to the playoffs.

Meanwhile, in Group B Optic Gaming secured victory over Team War to progress to the next round of the upper bracket along with 100 Thieves as they beat Boston Breach.

In the second play-in of the R6 Siege tournament, Fnatic progressed to the group stage with a victory over AlUla Club Esports, while CAG by VARREL earned a win over Shopify Rebellion to move onto the next stage.