Team Stallions has secured yet another impressive top-four finish for the Philippines at the Esports World Cup 2026. While the local heroes showcased their world-class talent on the global stage, Chinese powerhouse BaiSha Gaming ultimate took home the gold, being crowned the official CrossFire champions during the grand finals held in Paris.
BaiSha Gaming has finally captured the elusive Esports World Cup CrossFire trophy. Winning the tournament in Paris on August 22, 2026, the team has successfully added the last missing piece of silverware to their already legendary global trophy cabinet.
They originally cemented their status as global elite by capturing back-to-back CrossFire Stars titles in 2022 and 2023. However, their armor showed cracks in 2025 when the roster stumbled in the Esports World Cup grand finals, conceding the trophy to AG AL. Following that upset with a disastrous showing at CrossFire Stars 2025, the team left many analysts and fans wondering if the legendary lineup was finally losing its touch.
This championship run effectively eliminates any speculation regarding the roster’s competitive decline. By executing a decisive tournament run that included dominant victories over 2025 titleholders AG AL and grand final challengers Team Liquid, BaiSha Gaming has re-established itself at the absolute pinnacle of the global CrossFire ecosystem.
The tournament also highlighted the remarkable international consistency of Team Stallions. Beyond the championship storyline, the Filipino representatives delivered a high-caliber performance by mirroring their 2025 tournament results. This placement secures back-to-back top-four finishes across the 2025 and 2026 Esports World Cup iterations, cementing their position as a premier global contender.
Entering the tournament as China’s top seed, BaiSha Gaming faced an immediate roadblock. An early group stage defeat sent them down a brutal path, but they clawed their way into the playoffs for a high-stakes showdown against defending champions AG AL. After knocking out the titleholders 2–1, BaiSha extracted sweet revenge against KINGZERO-eSports with a 3–1 victory, punching their ticket to the grand final. The ultimate clash against Team Liquid quickly turned into a masterclass, as BaiSha dominated the server to execute a flawless 3–0 clean sweep.
For Wang “N9” Hao, this victory represents the completion of a legendary quest. Prior to the tournament, the icon openly shared that the Esports World Cup title was the single, elusive trophy missing from his career. Following a flawless sweep of Team Liquid in the grand finals, N9 has finally claimed that final piece of silverware, undeniably solidifying his legacy as the greatest CrossFire player of all time.
N9’s individual resume is structurally unparalleled within the tactical FPS landscape. Since entering the professional circuit in 2015, the star player has accumulated an impressive collection of CrossFire Stars accolades, beginning with his first global championship victory in 2016 at just 17 years old. Adding subsequent world titles in 2017, 2022, and 2023, his career has been defined by sustained elite mechanical execution and flawless aim. Long heralded by analysts as the sport’s all-time finest competitor, N9 uses this inaugural Esports World Cup trophy to officially secure the final accolade required to complete his historic portfolio.
After defying the odds and completely reversing their early tournament misfortunes, the CrossFire GOAT couldn’t hold back his excitement over taking down the world’s best. Wang “N9” Hao said “I feel absolutely amazing, because we weren’t the favourites, and we had such a difficult group. But in these three days, we had the hardest road, but now we are here and we have the sweetest victory.”
For his strong leadership throughout the tournament, N9 was also named the Sony MVP, earning an additional $25,000. Ever humble on the podium, the team captain said “I couldn’t have won this MVP, I couldn’t have won this trophy without the help of my teammates. It is a team game after all, and I think I simply did what needed to be done.”
“But it was really my teammates that have elevated each other,” he continued. “So I’m just there telling them, commanding them, leading the team. But it requires a team effort. Everyone did the utmost, everyone did their part. It is absolutely a team effort and not an individual one.”
The Philippines’ Team Stallions put up a heroic fight at the Esports World Cup 2026, ultimately securing a fourth-place finish. After dominant playoff victories over ROC Esports and Evolution Power, the Filipino squad pushed tournament runners-up Team Liquid to an intense, five-map overtime thriller in the semifinals. Exhausted from that grueling series, the team fell 3–0 to KINGZERO-eSports in the bronze-medal match—locking in their second consecutive top-four placement at the event and taking home $130,000 (roughly ₱8,000,000).
To learn more about the Esports World Cup, visit esportsworldcup.com and follow the Esports Foundation on LinkedIn.
