Hometown Heroes: Karmine Corp Stun T1 as Both Favorites Fall in Paris

Paris got the ending it came for. On home soil at the Esports World Cup 2026, Karmine Corp knocked out T1 — and by the time the semifinals were over, both of the night's pre-match favorites were gone.

Karmine Corp — the last Western team standing

Karmine Corp took down T1 2-1 in front of a French crowd that turned the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles into a home fortress. T1 struck first, but KC refused to fold, flipping the series to book their place in a home grand final. As Inven Global reported, "the arena erupted in frenzy as they took down T1," in a match that was "effectively a home crowd for KC."

The result leaves Karmine Corp as the last Western team standing at the tournament — a French roster carrying the home region's banner into Sunday's final.

The other shoe drops: Gen.G fall too

If KC's win was the emotional headline, the second semifinal turned it into a pattern. Gen.G, the clear pre-match favorite, were sent home by Dplus KIA, who closed out the series 2-1. Map 1 alone ran nearly 49 minutes — a grinding marathon that set the tone for a night where the form book meant nothing.

Both favorites gone — a final nobody priced

For all the pre-tournament talk, neither of the two names most expected to reach the final got there. The Esports World Cup 2026 grand final is Karmine Corp vs Dplus KIA (Sunday, July 19, 14:30 CEST) — two sides that clawed up through the bracket rather than being handed a path. T1 and Gen.G, the fallen favorites, meet in the third-place match earlier the same day (12:00 CEST).

Smart edge, every match: when the favorites keep falling, the real story isn't any single upset — it's that this bracket was never as settled as the odds made it look.

Sources

Inven Global; egamersworld; sheepesports; cryptobriefing; Liquipedia (EWC 2026 playoffs + final/3rd-place schedule).