AG.AL crowned club champion as e-sports World Cup ends in Paris

AG.AL secured the e-sports World Cup club championship after French player Gwendal “Gwen” Duparc won the Trackmania final in Paris. His victory denied Saudi team Falcons a third successive title and gave the China-based organisation the competition’s $7 million club prize. French President Emmanuel Macron presented the trophy at Sunday’s closing ceremony, attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The tournament had been moved from Saudi Arabia to France because the continuing regional war disrupted travel arrangements. More than 2,000 players from 200 clubs and over 100 countries competed across 25 tournaments and 24 games during seven weeks. Organisers said ticket sales reached 175,000, a 94% rise on 2025.

French teams also benefited from the unexpected home staging. Team Vitality’s women’s Mobile Legends roster retained its title, winning the event’s only all-female competition for a second year in a row. On Fortnite, vic0 and Malibuca became the first duo to win two consecutive major in-person tournaments, while China’s BaiSha Gaming beat defending champions AG.AL before defeating Team Liquid 3-0 in the CrossFire final.

The World Cup is scheduled to return to Riyadh in 2027. Organisers said the Paris edition demonstrated that the event could operate outside Saudi Arabia, while also providing new approaches to running several stages at the same time.