The final week of the 2025 Esports World Cup was an action-packed conclusion for the 2-month-long event. AL.AG clawed victory from the jaws of defeat in the Crossfire Grand Final. In Street Fighter 6, Xiaohai had multiple heroic comebacks to claim his title and the 2025 Esports World Cup crown. Finally, MongolZ used the adversity they faced throughout the Counter-Strike 2 Esports World Cup to fuel their dominance in the Grand Final and emerge victorious..
Crossfire
AL.AG started out of the gate on fire, sweeping Virtus Pro and winning back-to-back matches in the first round of the Group Stage to advance. However, the following round was much more of a challenge for AL.AG as they would drop their first game to Team Stallions, but they righted the ship promptly, winning the next two games in decisive fashion to advance to the Playoff Stage. In the quarterfinals, AL.AG stumbled once again, falling in their first match to Kingzero-Esports, but recovered nicely and completed the reverse sweep to advance to the semi-finals. AL.AG would then use the momentum they accumulated from the last round to sweep Evolution Power Gaming and advance to the Grand Final to face BaiSha Gaming.
It had been an up-and-down tournament for BaiSha Gaming up to this point. They dominated the first round of the Group Stage before falling in the next round and having to qualify through the lower bracket. However, in the Playoff Stage, BaiSha Gaming flipped a switch, going undefeated en route to the Grand Final, poised to make some noise. The clash of titans did not disappoint, with BaiSha Gaming taking the first game before AL.AG struck back, winning the next two. But BaiSha Gaming still had fight in them, claiming victory in a hotly contested game four. With both teams' backs against the wall, in a winner-takes-all final match, AL.AG had an extra gear and captured the last game as well as the title of the 2025 Crossfire Esports World Cup Champions.
Street Fighter 6
Xiaohai stumbled in the early stages of this tournament, falling down 2-0 to Fly Quest’s Punk. However, Xiaohai regained his composure, ripping off three straight victories to advance to the next round of Phase 1. Xiaohai used this momentum to capture the first two games against Kakeru. Then, after a slip-up in the third match, Xiaohai put Kakeru away with a game four victory to advance to Phase 2. In Phase 2, Xiaohai won both of his two match-ups in decisive fashion, only dropping one game against BigBird and sweeping NoahTheProdigy. It is this dominant performance that allowed Xiaohai to advance to the Playoff Stage with ease.
Much like with the Group Stage, the Playoff Stage started off rocky, with Xiaohai losing his first game to Torimeshi. However, much like with Punk, Xiaohai recovered, and his counter punch was deadly, as he would win the next three matches. Then, after letting Torimeshi win his second game in game 5, Xiaohai closed the series out and advanced to the next round. In the quarterfinals, Xiaohai had an early battle with GO1, with the rounds being tied two a piece after the first four matches. It was there that Xiaohai took control, winning the next three matches in his pursuit of the semi-final. With one round separating Xiaohai from the Grand Final, nothing was stopping him. After splitting the first two games with AngryBird, Xiaohai would shut AngryBird out, winning the round 5-1. The Grand Final would be Xiaohai’s greatest challenge. Blaz displayed dominance throughout their play in the tournament. In fact, Blaz had not lost a single match until the quarter-final. And early, it felt as if Blaz was too much for Xiaohai as Blaz took a commanding 3-0 lead. But with his back against the wall, Xiaohai responded yet again, winning three straight of his own. Then, in the pivotal game seven, Blaz outfoxed Xiaohai to take the lead yet again and place himself one game away from a tournament victory. However, this win turned out to be yet another obstacle Xiaohai overcame in his quest to the top of the mountain. In the clutch, Xiaohai won back-to-back games to seal the comeback and etch his name in the history books as the 2025 Street Fighter 6 Esports World Cup victor.
Counter-Strike 2
The MongolZ made a statement in the round of 16. After a controlled 13 to 7 victory over the GamerLegion in their first game, MongolZ put their foot down and crushed GamerLegion 13 to 3 to move on to the next round. In the quarter final, the MongolZ won a close 13 to 9 game in the first match against 3DMAX. But, unlike Gamer Legion, 3DMAX responded with a 13 to 9 victory of their own. Yet, with elimination on the line, the MongolZ refused to lose and captured a 13 to 9 victory to punch their ticket to the semi-final. This round was just as challenging as the previous round for the MongolZ. Once again, after winning the first game, the MongolZ’s opponent, Team Vitality, struck back to tie the series at one apiece. It is in this game three where the MongolZ’s clutch gene would shine brightly as they would win 13 to 7, allowing them to advance to the Grand Final. The MongolZ’s opponent in the Grand Final, Aurora, had nearly the opposite path to the final round of the tournament. After losing their first match to FaZe Clan in the round of 16, Aurora would not lose another match in their quest to the Grand Final. However, this lack of challenge proved to be Aurora’s downfall as they lost their first match to the MongolZ and would never recover. The MongolZ would win three straight and crown themselves as the winners of the 2025 Counter-Strike 2 Esports World Cup.
The Esports World Cup has come to an end, and through all the twists, turns, and epic gameplay, one team emerged above the fray. With 1000 more points than second place, Team Falcons has won the second straight Esports World Cup. In second place, Team Liquid put up a respectable 4200 points, and Team Vitality came hot on their heels with 4050 points to claim the bronze medal. There was then a tie for fourth and fifth place with both Twisted Minds and Virtus.pro coming in with 3200 points. For more information on the tournament in its entirety, go to the Esports World Cup website, and come back to the Sporting Tribune next year for weekly recaps of the Esports World Cup in 2026.