Karmine Corp beat the top-ranked Paper Rex 2-1 on July 4 at the Esports World Cup. Two days later, in Paris, NRG ended Karmine’s run with the same score.
The second result came in a Group B decider on July 6. NRG picked Breeze, Karmine chose Fracture, and the North American side took the best-of-three to move into the Valorant playoff bracket. It was a bounce-back for NRG, who had lost earlier in the group stage to Team Vitality.
Crypto Briefing reported that matches like these are pulling in bettors. Polymarket and Kalshi, two prediction market platforms, have both seen notable jumps in trading volume around EWC 2026 matches, according to the outlet. Upsets drive that kind of activity.
The Valorant event carries a $2 million prize pool. The Esports World Cup as a whole offers more than $75 million across all its titles. Crypto Briefing noted that no direct crypto sponsorships or blockchain integrations were present at the Valorant event itself.
The outlet also gave traders a warning. Polymarket’s growth around the 2024 US presidential election showed that prediction markets can draw mainstream attention and serious money during big events. But liquidity can be thin on less popular matches, which means wide spreads and trouble getting out of a position. Crypto Briefing said traders should not assume deep liquidity in every market on offer.
