$10,000 Fantasy Season Continues With 32-Team EWC CS2 Group Stage

HLTV’s $10,000 Fall Fantasy Season is moving into its next major game with the Esports World Cup 2026 group stage, giving Fantasy players a field of 32 teams and 160 CS2 players to build around.

The finalized Fantasy pool also includes 100 Thieves, BIG, JiJieHao and K27, the four teams added after securing the remaining places through the EWC open qualifier.

At the premium end of the market, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, Danil “donk” Kryshkovets and Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov have all been priced at $245,000. Despite the identical cost, donk has emerged as the early community favorite, appearing in 27% of Fantasy lineups at the time of HLTV’s announcement.

Quick Summary

Detail	Information
Fantasy competition	HLTV Fall Season 2026
Featured game	Esports World Cup 2026 — Group Stage
Fantasy player pool	160 players
Teams available	32
Groups	Four groups of eight
Group format	Double elimination
Teams advancing per group	Four
Opening matches	BO1
Remaining group matches	BO3
Highest listed player price	$245,000
ZywOo price	$245,000
donk price	$245,000
m0NESY price	$245,000
Most-picked highlighted player	donk — 27%
Fantasy Season prize pool	$10,000
Confirmation status	Officially live on HLTV Fantasy

What Happened?

A new game in HLTV’s Fall 2026 Fantasy Season has gone live around the Esports World Cup group stage.

The game is unusually broad by Fantasy standards: users can choose from 160 players representing all 32 teams in the EWC field. The tournament has been divided into four eight-team double-elimination groups, with four teams from each group advancing.

Opening matches are scheduled as best-of-one series, while the remaining group-stage matches are best-of-three.

The size of the field creates significantly more potential roster combinations than a smaller elite event. Rather than choosing from only a handful of established contenders, Fantasy managers must evaluate players across four groups and teams spanning multiple competitive tiers.

The final Fantasy pool was completed following the EWC open qualifier, with 100 Thieves, BIG, JiJieHao and K27 becoming the last four teams added to the game.

The playoff phase will not be part of the same Fantasy contest. HLTV says a separate Fantasy game will be launched once the group stage is complete.

100 Thieves, BIG, JiJieHao and K27 Complete the Fantasy Field

The conclusion of the open qualifier provided the final piece of the EWC Fantasy puzzle.

Four teams entered the Fantasy player pool after qualifying:

Team	Route into final Fantasy field	Status
100 Thieves	EWC open qualifier	Confirmed
BIG	EWC open qualifier	Confirmed
JiJieHao	EWC open qualifier	Confirmed
K27	EWC open qualifier	Confirmed

Their inclusion takes the game to the full 32-team EWC field.

For Fantasy players, this matters beyond simply adding another 20 selectable players. Lower-priced options from teams outside the leading contenders can potentially provide the budget flexibility needed to pair multiple premium stars in the same lineup.

That trade-off between star power and value is particularly relevant when three of the biggest individual names in the tournament occupy the same $245,000 price tier.

donk, ZywOo and m0NESY Headline the Premium Picks

Three superstar players sit at exactly the same Fantasy price:

Player	Team	Fantasy price	Notable Fantasy detail
Danil “donk” Kryshkovets	Spirit	$245,000	Most-picked player at 27%
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut	Vitality	$245,000	Joint premium price
Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov	Falcons	$245,000	Joint premium price

The equal pricing creates one of the clearest strategic decisions in the game.

Fantasy managers do not gain a budget advantage by choosing one of the three over another. Instead, the decision revolves around expected individual output, team trajectory through the group, matchup expectations and the construction of the rest of the lineup.

Early selections strongly favor donk.

According to HLTV, the Spirit star was present in 27% of Fantasy teams when the game was highlighted, making him the most-picked player in the competition.

That figure should be treated as a snapshot rather than a permanent statistic because selection percentages can change as more users create or modify teams.

Gizmy Emerges as an Early Value Pick

The premium stars are not the only players attracting attention.

Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen was already the fourth most-picked player despite representing 100 Thieves, one of the teams that had to qualify for the event through the open qualifier.

His Fantasy price is $170,000.

The interest follows his performance during qualification. HLTV reported that Gizmy was 100 Thieves’ highest-rated player in the open qualifier and recorded a 1.23 rating during the qualifier playoffs.

That combination of recent form and comparatively low Fantasy cost explains why managers have looked toward him as a potential budget option.

It does not guarantee equivalent production during the EWC group stage, where the level of opposition will be considerably deeper, but his price gives managers another way to structure lineups around expensive stars.

Background: How the $10,000 Fantasy Season Works

The EWC game is part of HLTV’s broader Fall Season 2026 Fantasy competition rather than a standalone $10,000 EWC contest.

The season runs through the Singapore Major in December, with points accumulated across eligible Fantasy games contributing toward the season leaderboard.

The top 10 users at the end of the season share $10,000:

Final Fantasy Season position	Prize
1st	$5,000
2nd	$2,000
3rd	$1,000
4th–10th	$300 each

The EWC group-stage game therefore carries two layers of relevance: immediate prizes attached to the individual Fantasy game and Season points that contribute to the longer Fall Season race.

EWC Group Stage Fantasy Prizes

HLTV also listed skin prizes for the group-stage game.

Placement	Prize
1st	Shadow Daggers | Tiger Tooth (Factory New)
2nd	AK-47 | Asiimov (Minimal Wear)
3rd	AWP | Redline (Field-Tested)
4th	M4A4 | The Battlestar (Minimal Wear)
5th–10th	Desert Eagle | Mecha Industries (Factory New)

Season points are also available from the game.

Why the 32-Team EWC Fantasy Game Matters

The most important feature is scale.

A pool of 160 selectable players dramatically expands the number of viable lineup combinations. Managers can potentially pursue stars from championship contenders, lower-cost players from outsiders, or combinations designed around specific groups.

The tournament format adds another layer.

Four teams advance from each eight-team double-elimination group, meaning half of each group reaches the playoffs. However, the opening BO1 matches introduce greater short-term volatility than a format built entirely around BO3 series.

From a Fantasy perspective, that can make early matchup evaluation particularly important.

There is also a structural distinction between the group stage and playoffs: the current Fantasy game ends with the group phase, and the playoffs will receive a separate game.

Managers therefore do not need to construct the current roster around an entire championship run.

Tournament Impact

The Fantasy launch reflects the scale of the expanded 2026 Esports World Cup CS2 competition.

The EWC field contains 32 teams, including major international contenders such as Spirit, Vitality, Falcons, FURIA, MOUZ, Natus Vincere, G2 and FaZe alongside teams from Europe, the Americas and Asia.

The final four places were settled through the open qualifier, completing the field shortly before the main competition.

For Fantasy purposes, the broader field means managers have access to significantly more price points and team combinations than they would in a conventional 16-team tournament.

Fantasy Strategy Impact

The pricing of donk, ZywOo and m0NESY creates an immediate roster-building dilemma.

All three cost $245,000, so choosing between them is not a question of direct savings. Managers instead have to judge which superstar offers the best expected return within the group-stage format.

Alternatively, users attempting to combine multiple premium players will need cheaper selections elsewhere.

That helps explain the early attention surrounding Gizmy at $170,000.

The four-group format also means team placement matters. A strong individual player on a difficult path may present a different risk profile from a similarly priced player whose team has a more favorable route through the double-elimination bracket.

These are strategic considerations rather than guarantees of Fantasy performance.

Timeline

Date	Development
June 2026	Initial EWC CS2 invited field established
August 7–9, 2026	EWC open qualifier determines the remaining four teams
August 9, 2026	100 Thieves, BIG, JiJieHao and K27 complete the 32-team field
August 11, 2026	HLTV announces the 32-team EWC group-stage Fantasy game
EWC group stage	Current Fantasy game takes place
After group stage	Separate EWC playoffs Fantasy game planned
December 2026	Fall Fantasy Season concludes after the Singapore Major

Key Details

Category	Detail
Fantasy season	Fall Season 2026
Season prize pool	$10,000
Season conclusion	After Singapore Major 2026
EWC Fantasy teams	32
Selectable players	160
Tournament groups	4
Teams per group	8
Group system	Double elimination
Advancement	Top four from each group
Opening series	BO1
Later group series	BO3
Playoff Fantasy game	Separate
donk selection rate at publication	27%
Gizmy Fantasy price	$170,000
donk Fantasy price	$245,000
ZywOo Fantasy price	$245,000
m0NESY Fantasy price	$245,000

What Changes Now?

With the qualifier complete, Fantasy managers can build against the full EWC group-stage player pool rather than an incomplete list.

The addition of 100 Thieves, BIG, JiJieHao and K27 introduces 20 more potential selections and creates additional low- and mid-price lineup possibilities.

Managers also now have a clearer premium tier, with donk, ZywOo and m0NESY all carrying the same $245,000 price.

Once the group stage finishes, the current game will close and attention will shift to a separate playoff Fantasy contest.

What to Watch Next

The first major point to monitor is whether the popularity of donk remains as high as the initial 27% selection rate.

Gizmy is another player worth tracking. His $170,000 price and strong qualifier run have made him an early popular selection, but the EWC group stage represents a more demanding competitive environment.

Results from the opening BO1 matches could also quickly reshape expectations around teams and individual players.

Finally, the playoff field will determine the player pool for the separate EWC playoffs Fantasy game.

Related Teams, Players and Events

100 Thieves: One of four teams added after the open qualifier. Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen is among the notable early Fantasy selections.

BIG: The German organization joined the final 32-team Fantasy field through the open qualifier.

JiJieHao: Another qualifier team entering a deep international field at EWC.

K27: Completed the quartet of teams added following the open qualifier.

Spirit: Home of donk, the most-picked player at the time of HLTV’s announcement.

Vitality: ZywOo enters the game at the joint-high $245,000 premium price.

Falcons: m0NESY is priced alongside donk and ZywOo at $245,000.

Esports World Cup 2026: The 32-team international CS2 tournament providing the competitive basis for the Fantasy game.

HLTV Fall Fantasy Season 2026: The broader season-long competition carrying the $10,000 prize pool.

FAQ

How many teams are available in the EWC 2026 Fantasy group-stage game?

There are 32 teams, giving users a total pool of 160 players to choose from.

Which teams were added after the EWC open qualifier?

100 Thieves, BIG, JiJieHao and K27 were added after qualifying for the main event.

How much do donk and ZywOo cost in EWC Fantasy?

Both donk and ZywOo cost $245,000. m0NESY is also priced at $245,000.

Who is the most-picked player in the EWC Fantasy game?

At the time of HLTV’s August 11 announcement, donk was the most-picked player and appeared in 27% of Fantasy teams. That percentage can change as lineups are created or edited.

Is the $10,000 prize pool only for the EWC Fantasy game?

No. The $10,000 is the prize pool for HLTV’s broader Fall Fantasy Season, which concludes after the Singapore Major in December. The EWC group-stage game awards Season points and separate skin prizes.