Team Vitality took down Karmine Corp 2-0 in a Best-of-3 Valorant match during the Esports World Cup 2026 group stage on July 2, securing their advancement from Group B.
The EWC 2026, hosted in Paris, carries a record $75M prize pool spread across 25 events in 24 different game titles.
Crypto sponsorship returns, with guardrails
The tournament has introduced new participant guidelines that allow licensed crypto and blockchain firms to sponsor teams. Sponsors need French AMF licensing, and gambling-related activations are explicitly banned.
Neither Team Vitality nor Karmine Corp currently has a direct affiliation with any specific blockchain project or token. Both organizations are part of the EWC Club Partner Program, which positions them to benefit from the tournament’s broader commercial framework without needing to independently negotiate crypto deals.
