Spirit are through to the Semifinals of the Esports World Cup 2026, having taken down Vitality in what could have been the final before the finals. With no real contender in sight, they remain the only undisputed favourites to go all the way.
VETO
- Spirit removed Inferno
- Vitality removed Ancient
- Spirit picked Anubis
- Vitality picked Nuke
- Spirit removed Cache
- Vitality removed Dust2
- Mirage was left over
Map 1: Anubis; Pick: Spirit; Winner: Spirit
Both teams put together streaks of their own; Vitality and Spirit remained inseparable throughout the first half as the momentum continued to swing between them. They levelled the scoreline to close out the first half, then met a second half in which Spirit started with a fast-paced offence to take back the lead. Up 11-6, Vitality played chase for the rest of the half, only for Spirit to edge out the game from the verge of OT. 26-kill masterclass from tN1R saw Spirit clinch the match with a 13-11 scoreline.
Map 2: Nuke; Pick: Vitality; Winner: Vitality
With neither half failing to separate both sides, Vitality’s domination early on in the map faced a resilient Spirit who refused to give up. As Spirit kept managing to tail Vitality till the end of the overtime, it was the IGL magixx whose team-nade on donk led to Vitality finding and opening and closing the game with a 16-14 scoreline, taking the series to the final map.
Map 3: Mirage; Pick: Decider; Winner: Spirit
Highly dominant throughout the entirety of the map, Spirit controlled the game throughout its course. Following a dominant opening half, Spirit walked away with 9 rounds to their name. With the second half starting on a similar note, Vitality failed to win a single round, leading to a 13-3 statement victory.
Spirit will head to the semi-finals as heavy favourites against Legacy despite their poor run of form. With confidence brimming high for Legacy having taken down Falcons, this will be a game that can go either way. Only time can tell how the semi-finals unfold, but we have a banger of a game on our hands to watch.
