From a competitive standpoint, it’s hard to argue that the Esports World Cup isn’t the biggest event of the year.

It might not have the prestige of a Major, but it’s as stacked as it gets: every top team in attendance, a $2 million prize pool on the line, and the Accor Arena - which previously hosted the Paris Major - serving as the stage for its climax. It really doesn’t get much bigger than this.

And the teams most likely to take the trophy home are your usual suspects in Spirit, Falcons, Vitality, FURIA, and MOUZ.

While BLAST Bounty was an event most of these squads would rather forget, they remain the big dogs heading into the event. They’ve now had more time to shake off the rust and should come into the EWC in much better form. Should, of course, being the operative word.

NAVI and 9z are two of the biggest question marks. Neither made roster changes during the offseason, but they were also the only two teams to decline their Bounty invite, meaning we have very little to go off of.

9z has already claimed a trophy this season at the XSE Pro League, but that came against a far less challenging field than the one awaiting them in Paris.

Then there’s the group of teams that should make the Playoffs - with 16 teams advancing and four coming out of each group - and just hope for the best from there: G2, Legacy, Aurora, BetBoom, FaZe, FUT, Astralis, and The MongolZ. All made changes during the offseason, some more substantial than others, and for each of them, the EWC represents their first real test against the best.

For the lower-ranked teams - Luminosity, Lynn Vision, JiJieHao, Wildcard, M80, 3DMAX, NIP, and 100 Thieves - the massive prize pool and the LAN bonus make the EWC a huge opportunity.

A deep run could give any of them a significant boost in the VRS on the road to the Singapore Major. The format also helps, as the double-elimination group stage gives them a little more breathing room and more games to capitalise on.

Counter-Strike is back. For real this time.