FUT Esports and Team Spirit to Clash for $600,000 in EWC 2026 CS2 Grand Final
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22.08.2026 23:10
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2 min read
The finalists for the Esports World Cup 2026 Counter-Strike 2 championship title and the top prize of $600,000 have been determined in Paris. Tournament underdog FUT Esports will take on favorite Team Spirit in the grand final.
FUT’s Historic Upset Over FURIA
In the first semifinal, Turkish organization FUT Esports (ranked 14th in the HLTV world rankings) pulled off another upset, knocking out world #3 FURIA with a 2-1 victory.
The European squad took their opponent’s map pick Ancient (13-11), lost on Nuke (6-13), and then turned the match around on the Dust2 decider. Down 4-8, FUT broke the Brazilians’ economy in the late game to secure an overtime victory at 16-13.
The key factor behind the win was Ukrainian player cmtry, who dropped 55 kills over the series with a 1.35 rating on the decider, alongside consistent firepower from dem0n (50 kills). For the FUT organization, this marks their first-ever grand final appearance at a major international LAN tournament.
Team Spirit Dominates NAVI’s Conquerors
In the second semifinal match, Team Spirit convincingly swept Brazilian team Legacy 2-0. Spirit rallied back from slow starts on both maps, closing out Dust2 (13-7) and Ancient (13-9).
Danil “donk” Kryshkovets led the charge once again, finishing the series with a 1.62 rating and averaging 104.5 damage per round. He was backed by sniper Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov, who posted a 1.50 rating.
Spirit reached the final after knocking out B8, Team Vitality, and Legacy in succession.
Final Day at Accor Arena and Prize Pool Breakdown
The tournament’s final matches move to the Accor Arena in Paris:
- Third-place match (BO3): A Brazilian derby between FURIA and Legacy for the bronze medals ($190,000 for the winner and $110,000 for 4th place).
- Grand final (BO5): A best-of-five series between FUT Esports and Team Spirit. The winner will take home $600,000, while the runner-up will receive $340,000.
The Paris tournament is guaranteed a new champion: defending titleholders The MongolZ were eliminated in the round of 16 alongside NAVI and FaZe Clan, while favorites such as Vitality, MOUZ, Falcons, and G2 failed to advance past the quarterfinals.
