📝 EWC reveal OWCS Midseason Championship details
The format for the 2026 Midseason Championship, hosted at the Esports World Cup, has officially been announced.
Much like in 2024 and 2025, 15 teams from the major OWCS regions, as well as a team from FACEIT League South America, will be battling it out for their slice of the $1,000,000 USD prize pool.
Teams from each major region will first need to qualify for the tournament through their respective Stage 2 Regional Playoffs, and will be represented as follows:
- North America will receive three slots
- EMEA will receive three slots
- China will receive three slots
- Korea will receive two slots
- Pacific will receive one slot
- Japan will receive one slot
- South America will receive one slot from FACEIT League Season 8 Master
Much like previous years, the winner of the 2026 Champions Clash will also automatically punch their ticket to Riyadh in the summer. And, as previously reported, Team Falcons have already been confirmed for the tournament via the EWC Title Defender program.
This means the Last Chance Qualifier from the 2025 season will not be making a return this time, as it has now been replaced with the Title Defender Program.
The tournament format will also change. As in previous years, the tournament will be held in two phases: a Group Stage and a Playoff Bracket. However, instead of four groups in the Group Stage, teams this year will be divided into two groups of eight. Each group will play in a Double-Elimination bracket, with each match in a best-of-three format. The top four teams from each group will then advance to the Playoff Bracket.
The Playoff Bracket will then be a Single-Elimination bracket featuring the remaining eight teams. Unlike the Group Stage, each match will be played in a best-of-five format, culminating in a best-of-seven Grand Finals.
The Midseason Championship will take place from July 29 to August 2 at the Esports World Cup.