Liquid, 100 Thieves and BC.Game Reach EWC 2026 Playoffs
Liquid, 100 Thieves, BC.Game, BIG and HEROIC advanced to the EWC 2026 Open Qualifier playoffs. However, three headline teams landed in the same section of the bracket.
August 9, 202606:34 AM
100 Thieves, BIG, K27 and JiJieHao qualify for EWC 2026
100 Thieves, BIG, K27 and JiJieHao qualify for EWC 2026
The EWC 2026 Open Qualifier has concluded, with 100 Thieves, BIG, K27 and JiJieHao securing the final four spots at the Counter-Strike 2 main event.
A total of 64 teams entered the LAN qualifier, but several recognizable names failed to survive the single-elimination playoffs.
EWC 2026 qualification match results
Only 100 Thieves won their decisive series without dropping a map:
- 100 Thieves 2:0 1win;
- BIG 2:1 Sashi;
- K27 2:1 fnatic;
- JiJieHao 2:1 HOTU.
Liquid, Virtus.pro, HEROIC, BC.Game, 1win and HOTU were among the teams eliminated from the tournament. The results once again showed how little room for error there is in a short qualifier where one poor series can end a team’s entire run.
100 Thieves secure the first EWC spot
100 Thieves became the first team to qualify for the main event after defeating 1win 2:0.
Their playoff route also included victories over INFINITE and BC.Game. The rebuilt lineup managed to handle the pressure of the qualifier and now has an opportunity to test itself against established tier-one opposition.
BIG lose only one map
BIG produced the most dominant run of the entire qualifier, winning 10 of their 11 maps.
The only defeat came on Inferno against Sashi in the qualification series. BIG responded by taking Ancient and completing a 2:1 victory.
Gr1ks was the team’s standout player throughout the event. The Belarusian AWPer finished the qualifier with a 1.58 rating and topped the server on six of the 11 maps BIG played.
JiJieHao deliver the qualifier’s biggest surprise
JiJieHao secured the final EWC 2026 spot by defeating HOTU 2–1.
The result was a major upset according to the Valve Regional Standings: HOTU entered the match 28 positions above JiJieHao. The international roster lost Mirage but recovered on Cache before closing the series with a narrow 13:11 victory on Dust2.
K27 prospects earn their place on the big stage
K27 reached the main event after beating SAW, EYEBALLERS and fnatic in three consecutive playoff series.
Their qualification match was particularly tense. K27 won Ancient, lost Mirage in overtime and then recovered from an early deficit on Cache to take the deciding map 13:10.
The team features three players from the top 13 of the August 2026 HLTV Prospects Ranking:
- xeedo - No. 4;
- qw1nk1 - No. 6;
- kashl1d - No. 13.
The qualifier offered the young trio a chance to turn individual potential into a meaningful team result. EWC 2026 will now give K27 another opportunity to gain experience against higher-ranked opposition and prove they can compete beyond the tier-two level.
The EWC 2026 CS2 main event begins on August 12. The key question is whether any of the qualifier teams can carry their momentum into matches against the tournament’s leading contenders.
Current EWC 2026 match probabilities and predictions are available on Winio.
