Rune Eaters Upset Virtus.pro; Liquid, LGD Advance

On July 14 in Paris, three teams won elimination series in the Esports World Cup 2026 Dota 2 Survival Stage while one match was paused for an integrity review. Rune Eaters eliminated Virtus.pro 2-1, Team Liquid beat Xtreme Gaming 2-1 and LGD Gaming swept MOUZ 2-0. The scheduled series between Vici Gaming and PlayTime was postponed pending an integrity review by tournament officials.

The Survival Stage began with 12 teams competing for four remaining playoff spots after the Group Stage. Each pairing is a best-of-three elimination series; losers are eliminated and winners advance to qualification matchups on July 15.

Team Liquid required three games to eliminate Xtreme Gaming. Liquid’s roster of miCKe, Nisha, Ace, Boxi and tOfu secured control during the mid and late phases of the deciding map. Xtreme Gaming, featuring carry Ame, produced strong individual plays but could not sustain map control on the final map. Liquid will face Team Spirit in a July 15 qualification match.

Rune Eaters, listed in some brackets as Team REBELS, won 2-1 against Virtus.pro. Rune Eaters used aggressive early actions and targeted drafting to convert early leads into winning fights. Copy led Rune Eaters’ effort to close out the series. Virtus.pro’s loss eliminates the team before the playoff bracket. Rune Eaters will meet Aurora Gaming on July 15 for a playoff berth.

LGD Gaming defeated MOUZ 2-0. LGD emphasized consistent farming, map control and coordinated teamfights to convert economic advantages into decisive engagements. MOUZ created pressure at times but did not disrupt LGD’s tempo. LGD advances to face BB Team on July 15.

Xtreme Gaming, Virtus.pro and MOUZ finished between 13th and 16th place and each received $20,000. The Dota 2 competition at the Esports World Cup has a $2 million prize pool. Playoffs start July 16 and run through July 19, using single-elimination best-of-three matches before a best-of-five grand final. The event is played on patch 7.41d, a version that rewards flexible cores, effective laning supports and teams that can adjust drafts between games.

Tournament officials postponed the Vici Gaming vs PlayTime series for an integrity review and had not announced a resolution or a revised match time by midafternoon EDT on July 14. The winner of that series is scheduled to face 1w in the next round once officials clear the match and restore the bracket schedule.

The four qualification matchups on July 15 are Team Spirit vs Team Liquid, Aurora Gaming vs Rune Eaters, BB Team vs LGD and 1w vs the Vici Gaming–PlayTime winner, with survivors moving into the eight-team playoff bracket starting July 16.