As Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 prepares to bring down the curtain on the season, the final act is the highly anticipated Esports World Cup, which brings the action to Paris this August. If you are a fan of the game, then this is the event you should not miss, with the best teams in the world coming under one roof to play for $600,000.
When Does Black Ops 7 Start at EWC 2026?
The group stage kicks off on August 5 with Movistar Koi facing Carolina Royal Ravens. The tournament packs tons of matches within a few days as it runs its course before the end of the week. OpTic Gaming returns to defend its title, only to have every other top side waiting for an opportunity to take away the title.
Teams
- OpTic Gaming
- FaZe Clan
- 100 Thieves
- Movistar Koi
- Gentle Mates
- Team Falcons
- Team Heretics
- G2
- Carolina Royal Ravens
- Vancouver Surge
- Boston Breach
- Cloud9
- Team WaR
- Project Notorious
- The Pit
- OMIT
Schedule
The opening matches are as follows:
| Day | Match | Time |
|---|---|---|
| August 5 | Movistar Koi vs Carolina Royal Ravens | 2pm BST / 3pm CEST / 9am EST / 6am PST |
| August 5 | FaZe Clan vs The Pit EU | 3:15pm BST / 4:15pm CEST / 10:15am EST / 7:15am PST |
| August 5 | G2 vs Cloud9 | 4:30pm BST / 5:30pm CEST / 11:30am EST / 8:15am PST |
| August 5 | Gentle Mates vs OMIT | 5:45pm BST / 6:45pm CEST / 12:45pm EST / 9:15am PST |
| August 5 | OpTic Gaming vs Team WaR | 7pm BST / 8pm CEST / 2pm EST / 11am PST |
| August 5 | 100 Thieves vs Boston Breach | 8:15pm BST / 9:15pm CEST / 3:15pm EST / 12:15pm PST |
| August 6 | Team Heretics vs Vancouver Surge | 2pm BST / 3pm CEST / 9am EST / 6am PST |
| August 6 | Team Falcons vs Project Notorious | 2pm BST / 3pm CEST / 9am EST / 6am PST |
Format
The tournament kicks off in traditional CoD format with a double-elimination group stage, where the top four teams from each group advance to the playoffs. From there, matches will be single-elimination with BO7 format until the grand final, where it will be a BO9. With $1.8 million on the line, we are about to witness some of the most exciting CoD matches of the season.
Where to Watch
Just like all of the other Esports World Cup events, Black Ops 7 matches will be streamed across the official YouTube and Twitch channels, with updates and highlights set to be shared on the event’s social media platforms.
The Call of Duty season closes out with a bang as many claim the Esports World Cup to be one of the biggest events in the CoD calendar. All the top clubs will be in Paris, and given how dicey the season went, we are far from knowing who will be the dominant force starting tomorrow.
