NAVI’s Fatal Fury player, Luis Guadalupe “DarkAngel” Castillo Gomez, has successfully advanced past the preliminary round of the 2026 Esports World Cup and will continue to compete for a spot in the tournament’s playoffs.
The NAVI representative began his run at the championship in Group CC. His first opponent was Pida, whom DarkAngel confidently defeated with a score of 3–0. The next match carried much higher stakes—the winner would earn a direct spot in the second stage. However, in his matchup against Vxbao from All Gamers, the Mexican esports player was unable to close out the series in his favor. Despite a fierce battle, DarkAngel lost the tense match 2–3.
The loss sent the NAVI player to the lower bracket, where he got another chance to continue his run in the tournament. This time, DarkAngel didn’t give his opponent a single chance. In his match against Team Falcons’ mok—who finished fourth at last year’s Esports World Cup—he played with confidence and secured a 3-0 victory.
At the end of the first stage , DarkAngel finished with two wins and one loss. He secured victories over Pida ( 3–0) and mok ( 3–0), as well as a loss to Vxbao (2–3). This result was enough to secure his spot among the participants in the next stage of EWC 2026.
The NAVI player will play his next match on July 10. His opponent will be ZJZ. In the second stage of the tournament, 16 participants will continue the competition, but only half of them will advance to the playoffs. There, the teams will compete not only for a share of the million-dollar prize pool but also for valuable club points toward the 2026 Esports World Cup.