Team Spirit, BetBoom Team and Vici Gaming kept their Esports World Cup 2026 Dota 2 campaigns alive on Wednesday after important victories in the Survival Stage. The three teams entered the day under pressure, with the remaining matches determining which squads would advance to the playoffs in Paris.
Team Spirit Beat Team Liquid
Team Spirit produced one of the day’s biggest results by defeating Team Liquid 2-1 in a closely contested best-of-three series.
Liquid had already survived an elimination match against Xtreme Gaming on July 14. However, Team Spirit proved too strong in the next round, securing the series and keeping its EWC title defense on track.
The result was particularly important for Spirit, which is competing at EWC 2026 as the defending Dota 2 champion. With the win, Spirit moved closer to another playoff appearance.
BetBoom Team Eliminate LGD Gaming
BetBoom Team also delivered when it mattered most, defeating LGD Gaming 2-0.
The result gave BetBoom a crucial victory in the Survival Stage and kept the team in contention for the EWC 2026 Dota 2 title.
LGD, meanwhile, could not recover after falling into the Survival Stage. The 2-0 defeat ended its run at the tournament.
Vici Gaming Advance After PlayTime Exit
Vici Gaming’s path to the next round took an unusual turn. Its scheduled Survival Stage match against PlayTime ended as a forfeit after PlayTime was removed from the competition.
The decision followed provisional suspensions involving PlayTime coach Juan “Vintage” Angulo and player Oswaldo “DarkMago” Herrera as the Esports Integrity Commission investigated suspected code violations. ESIC noted that no final determination of misconduct had been made at that stage.
Vici then faced 1win in its next Survival Stage match. Despite losing the series 2-1, Vici Gaming secured a playoff place and eliminated 1win from the tournament.
EWC Dota 2 Playoff Race Intensifies
With Team Spirit, BetBoom and Vici Gaming surviving the day’s action, the EWC 2026 Dota 2 playoff picture became clearer.
The tournament features 24 teams competing for a $2 million prize pool, making every Survival Stage series critical.
For Spirit, BetBoom and Vici, the next challenge will be maintaining momentum when the knockout stage begins. With several elite teams still competing, the race for the EWC Dota 2 championship remains wide open.
