From 38th to first in two years
AG.AL finished 38th in the Esports World Cup club standings in 2024. They finished sixth last year. On Sunday in Paris they finished first, closing out seven weeks of competition with 5,300 points and the $7 million top prize.
The climb cost Team Falcons a three-peat. Falcons had won the first two club championships and arrived at the final weekend positioned to take a third. They ended up second on 4,600 points and $5 million. Team Vitality took third with 3,300 points and $4 million, Natus Vincere fourth on 2,950 points and $3 million, Team Liquid fifth on 2,700 points and $2 million.
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A Trackmania race settled it
The title turned on one event. Falcons went out in the Trackmania quarterfinals, which left AG.AL needing a third-place finish or better to clinch. Gwendal Duparc of France won the tournament outright.
AG.AL did not get there on one game. They took the Tekken 8 tournament, placed second in Chess, Free Fire and Honor of Kings: World, and third in Teamfight Tactics. Breadth across titles is what the club championship rewards, and the roster delivered it week after week.
“When we began expanding AG.AL globally in 2024, the same year the Esports World Cup launched, we set out to build a Club capable of succeeding across games, regions and cultures. This title shows how far that vision has come,” said Eddy Chen, the club’s chief operating officer. He singled out M. Zubair’s run in Tekken 8 and Duparc’s win “under extraordinary pressure.”
Paris moved the numbers
This was the first Esports World Cup staged outside Saudi Arabia, after two editions in Riyadh. Organisers reported 850 million viewers and 440 million hours of online broadcast consumption, up 13 and 26 percent on last year. In-person attendance grew faster: 175,000 tickets sold, a 94 percent rise from 2025.
The event ran 25 tournaments across 24 games, drawing more than 2,000 players from over 200 clubs and 100 countries, with a record $75 million prize pool. The fourth edition returns to Riyadh next summer.
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