The final Esports World Cup open qualifier playoff field is set, with 1win, Fluxo, SAW and Iberian Soul among the teams that secured berths at the Paris event. The open qualifier wrapped up this week, sending the four squads into the next stage of the road to Riyadh.
What happened in Paris
The open qualifier drew teams from across the globe, but only a handful advanced. Brazil's Fluxo, Portugal's SAW and Spain's Iberian Soul join 1win in the playoffs. The matches played out in Paris, a city that's become a regular stop for esports qualifiers and one where crypto-friendly brands are increasingly comfortable operating.
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The qualification itself is routine esports business. But the lineup carries a detail worth a second look.
1win's crypto connection
1win isn't just another team — it's a betting platform that actively accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies for deposits and withdrawals. Its presence in a major open qualifier, hosted in a Western European capital, signals that crypto-native gambling brands are moving into mainstream esports. That's a shift from a few years ago, when such platforms mostly operated in looser regulatory environments.
The EWC is backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which has also been putting money into blockchain and crypto projects. So the qualifier isn't just about who plays next — it's a dry run for the main event in Riyadh, where crypto partnerships, fan tokens and NFT integrations are expected to feature heavily.
The regional angle
Look at the teams that made it through. Fluxo from Brazil, SAW from Portugal, Iberian Soul from Spain. All three countries have above-average crypto adoption rates. Portugal offers tax exemptions on crypto gains, Brazil has widespread usage, and Spain has a growing base of retail investors. These teams carry large, engaged fan bases in markets where crypto is already part of daily life. That makes them natural candidates for fan tokens or NFT drops down the line.
For now, that's speculative. But the geographic mix of the qualifiers is a reminder that esports and crypto share a demographic — young, tech-savvy, and increasingly comfortable with digital assets.
No direct market impact
Let's be clear: this event doesn't move Bitcoin. Prices remain range-bound around $63,000, and sentiment is slightly bearish with fear in the market. The open qualifier has no direct link to any crypto asset, and no trader is positioned based on this news. The macro picture — Fed policy, inflation data, risk appetite — is what matters for the next few days.
But the longer-term trend is worth watching. Esports is a multi-million-viewer industry, and betting platforms like 1win are already bridging the gap between gaming and crypto payments. If that crossover accelerates, it could create real demand for stablecoins and privacy-focused coins used in wagering — even if this particular qualifier fades into the background.
The next concrete step is the EWC playoffs, with the main event set for Riyadh. That's where the real crypto integrations are likely to show up. Watch the announcements there, not the brackets from Paris.
