Esports World Cup 2026 featured the most “experienced” series in Dota 2 history: format and full tournament details

In Group A, the top favorites — Team Falcons and BetBoom Team — faced off on the first day, but no clear winner emerged — the series ended in a draw. GamerLegion defeated Poor Rangers, while Xtreme Gaming, surprisingly, split the points with Rune Eaters.

In Group B, the results were more predictable: Nigma Galaxy and Aurora Gaming easily defeated L1GA TEAM and Level UP, while Team Liquid drew with PlayTime.

In Group C, Vici Gaming and PARIVISION got off to a strong start, defeating REKONIX and Team Nemesis. Today’s most spectacular matchup was between Team Spirit and MOUZ. The “Dragons” staged a comeback from a 28–43 score and a gold disadvantage of nearly 16,000, but they were unable to pull off another miracle on the second map, as MOUZ proved to be the stronger team.

As expected, 1WIN Team took the lead in Group D by defeating Inner Circle, while Team Yandex and LGD Gaming split points with OG and Virtus.pro.

After the opening day, GamerLegion failed to hold on to a top spot in the group and lost 0-2 to Xtreme Gaming. Meanwhile, Team Falcons and BetBoom Team won their matches and now share first place in the group.

Team Liquid claimed the only victory in Group B with a convincing win over Level Up. All other matches ended in draws, leaving Nigma Galaxy, Aurora Gaming and Liquid tied at the top of the standings.

PARIVISION became the clear leader of Group C. A second consecutive 2-0 victory earned Vladimir No[o]ne Minenko's team four points.

REKONIX and Team Nemesis currently occupy the bottom two spots and are at risk of becoming the first teams eliminated from the tournament.

1Win (the former Tundra Esports roster) remains at the top of Group D. LGD Gaming and Team Yandex also picked up victories today, moving into second and third place respectively.

Yandex also deserves special mention after defeating Inner Circle in two games that both lasted under 30 minutes. By Patch 7.41d standards, that is considered a very fast result.

Team Falcons wrapped up the day with another victory to confidently secure first place in the group.

Despite a strong start, GamerLegion failed to remain among the leaders, suffering a 0:2 defeat for the second consecutive day and dropping to fifth place after leading the group on day one.

BetBoom Team and Xtreme Gaming both finished their matches in draws, remaining in the top three with a comfortable points advantage.

Group B produced one of the biggest surprises of the day as Nigma Galaxy convincingly defeated Team Liquid.

Despite analysts' doubts about Sumail SumaiL Hassan playing the carry role, his outstanding performance became one of the key factors behind the dominant victory.

LevelUp had the toughest day, suffering their third consecutive 0:2 defeat.

PARIVISION continue to lead Group C after defeating REKONIX with a 2:0 score. Many fans and analysts have also noted that carry Alan Satanic Gallyamov has reached the level of Illia Yatoro Mulyarchuk during his best performances at The International 2021.

Team Spirit also ended the day with a victory over Vici Gaming, moving into second place. Meanwhile, REKONIX and Team Nemesis remain the main candidates to become the first teams eliminated from the tournament.

Another strong contender for a direct playoff berth is 1Win Team, which comfortably defeated LGD Gaming today to extend its winning streak in the group.

Team Yandex and OG also secured convincing victories over Virtus.pro and Inner Circle, respectively, remaining in the middle of the standings.

However, only the team that finishes first in the group will advance directly to the final stage.

BetBoom Team and Team Falcons both ended the day with victories. They will face each other tomorrow in the final round of matches, with the winner securing a direct spot in the playoffs, while the loser will have to compete in the next stage.

To keep their playoff hopes alive, Poor Rangers must defeat Rune Eaters 2:0 and hope that GamerLegion fail to win even a single map against BB Team.

Group B now has two leaders, Nigma Galaxy and Aurora Gaming, both of whom won their matches today to finish level on points.

Meanwhile, L1GA Team and Level Up finished at the bottom of the standings and became the first teams eliminated from the tournament. Although they will still face each other tomorrow, neither team can earn enough points to stay in contention.

One of the day's most unusual moments came from PlayTime Elstin elmisho Braian Verde Hurtado, who played Hoodwink. During the second map against Aurora, he purchased Skull Basher and Sange, leaving even the analysts unable to explain the idea, as the opposing draft featured no heroes against whom such a build would have been particularly effective.

PARIVISION continue their flawless run without dropping a single map. Tomorrow they will face Team Spirit, who also remain undefeated but have one drawn series. Only a 2:0 victory will allow the "Dragons" to advance directly to the playoffs.

MOUZ and Vici Gaming both sit on four points and have already secured qualification for the next stage, as Team Nemesis and REKONIX lost their matches today and are no longer able to fight for advancement.

In Group D, 1Win Team played to a draw for the first time after OG managed to take a map from the former Tundra Esports roster.

Meanwhile, Team Yandex comfortably defeated LGD Gaming to draw level on points with 1Win.

Inner Circle had the worst performance of the group, losing every match and also being eliminated from the tournament despite still having one series left to play.

Team Falcons comfortably defeated GamerLegion 2:0, eliminating them from the tournament while also securing first place in the group and a direct spot in the playoffs.

BetBoom Team and Rune Eaters both finished the day with victories. However, since only one team can qualify for the playoffs from the next stage, both squads will have to compete there.

Xtreme Gaming also advanced to the next stage despite suffering a loss to Falcons earlier today.

Notably, the Falcons became the first team in history to reach 500 map wins with the same roster. The team has not made a single roster change since November 2023.

Nigma Galaxy finished first in Group B after defeating PlayTime 2:0. On the opening map, the team was down by 30,000 gold, but completed an incredible comeback, with mid laner Artem Lorenof Melnyk securing a Rampage on Storm Spirit. The second map proved far more comfortable for Nigma.

Aurora Gaming and Team Liquid played to a draw and advanced to the next stage, where they will compete for a playoff berth.

Level Up defeated L1GA Team 2:0, but the victory was not enough to keep them in the tournament. Both teams finished at the bottom of the group and were eliminated.

The highlight of the day was the showdown between PARIVISION and Team Spirit, with a direct playoff berth on the line. The teams split the maps and finished the series in a draw. Since PVISION held a one-point advantage, they secured the direct playoff spot.

Notably, mid laner Volodymyr No[o]ne Minenko reached the milestone of 1,500 career map wins in professional Dota 2, becoming the eighth player in the world to achieve the feat.

In the remaining matches, Vici Gaming comfortably defeated MOUZ, allowing both teams to advance to the next stage. Meanwhile, despite REKONIX defeating Team Nemesis, neither team earned enough points to stay in contention, and both were eliminated from the tournament.

A similar situation unfolded in Group D. Thanks to a victory over 1Win Team, Team Yandex secured a direct playoff berth and finished the group stage without losing a single series.

Another key match featured OG and Virtus.pro, with qualification for the next stage at stake. After a hard-fought battle, VP defeated their opponents to keep their tournament run alive, while OG was eliminated.

LGD Gaming also advanced to the second stage after defeating Inner Circle 2:0. IC became the only team at the tournament that failed to win a single map.

It is also worth noting that LGD and Virtus.pro finished with the same number of points and had to play a tiebreaker for the higher seed in the second stage. The teams agreed to settle it in a 1v1 match, where their mid laners faced each other in Mid Only mode on Shadow Fiend. Santiago TaiLung Olivos of LGD Gaming emerged victorious.