Rune Eaters secure their best result to date by upsetting Virtus.pro at the Dota 2 Esports World Cup Survival Stage.
Underdogs 
Rune Eaters Esports have pulled off a stunning upset against 
Virtus.pro (VP), reverse sweeping the team 2-1 in the first round of the Survival Stage to eliminate them from the Dota 2 Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026. With the victory, Rune Eaters advance to the next round, where they will face 
Aurora Gaming for a spot in the Playoffs.
The outcome was largely unexpected, given VP's pedigree as an organisation which is further bolstered by its stacked roster that features veteran stars like 
Tal “Fly” Aizik and 
Abed Azel “Abed” Yusop. VP had also attended their fair share of top-tier tournaments this season, boasting a stronger track record compared to their opponent in this matchup.
Rune Eaters, on the other hand, had never competed in a Tier 1 event before this campaign, making this breakthrough all the more impressive. The organisation made its mark on the global stage after acquiring the Pipsqueak+4 stack that secured qualification for the Dota 2 EWC through the Western Europe qualifier. The roster features regional up-and-coming talents
MIKHAIL “DarkLord” LINOV, 
Philipp “Copy” Bühler, 
Abdimalik “Malik`” Sailau, 
Masrcel “Ekki” Hołowienko, and Alim “aik” Bespaev.
With the upset victory over VP, Rune Eaters are guaranteed at least a Top 12 finish, already surpassing expectations and marking the organisation's best-ever achievement to date. Their next challenge, however, will be a much tougher one, as heavy favourites Aurora Gaming await in the second round of the Survival Stage, which begins tomorrow, 15 July.
While Rune Eaters celebrate this historic milestone, Virtus.pro are left to deal with another painful elimination. The team had narrowly missed out on qualification for The International 2026 just weeks ago, losing to the lesser-favoured 
L1GA TEAM. Now, the team find themselves exiting the Dota 2 Esports World Cup early after yet another upset.
Virtus.pro bow out of the Dota 2 Esports World Cup in 13th-16th place, taking home US$20,000 in prize money. Simultaneously, in the Survival Stage, 
Team Liquid has taken down 
Xtreme Gaming in the other opening-round series, with the winner set to face 
Team Spirit in the next round.
A hopeful Group Stage run for VP and Rune Eaters ahead of Survival Stage showdown
Before the Survival Stage clash, both Virtus.pro and Rune Eaters enjoyed a relatively decent run during the Group Stage. While neither team managed to establish themselves among the top contenders, both–widely considered underdogs within the wider field–secured enough wins to hover above the red zone.
In Group A, Rune Eaters had picked up an impressive map victory against 
BetBoom Team, and another against 
GamerLegion. However, they were unable to secure a full series win, falling to 
Team Falcons and fellow underdogs Poor Rangers.
Meanwhile, Virtus.pro collected their own share of map wins in Group D. The team secured a draw against 
LGD Gaming and swept 
OG, results that initially placed them third in the group. However, they were later pushed down to fourth after losing a 1v1 tiebreaker against LGD Gaming.
With these results, both teams were ultimately paired against each other in the Survival Stage.
Rune Eaters reverse sweep Virtus.pro in the first round of Survival Stage
The series between Virtus.pro and Rune Eaters turned into a wild best-of-three reverse sweep, with the underdogs coming out on top.
The opening map began with taking control of the laning stage, but once 
Enzo “Timado” Gianoli’s Spectre came online, he began hunting across the map with his ultimate to secure crucial kills, allowing VP to regain momentum. During the mid game, Rune Eaters found themselves unable to finish off a low-health Spectre, resulting in a costly turnaround that nearly wiped out the entire team. This opening allowed VP to snowball their advantage and close out the game at the 46-minute mark.
The second map was a nail-biting affair, with Rune Eaters needing over an hour to complete their comeback. Virtus.pro dominated the early stages of the game, with 
Jonáš “SabeRLighT-” Volek’s Beastmaster building up a Godlike streak at the 31-minute mark. However, just minutes later, that streak was ended by Rune Eaters, also taking several other valuable kills. VP still maintained the upper hand at that point, but their struggles to break through Rune Eaters’ high ground allowed the underdogs to turn the tides. A powerful late-game Tiny from DarkLord tore through VP’s cores, while a well-executed fight eventually rewarded Copy’s Puck with a Rampage–sealing the comeback for Rune Eaters.
The third and final map saw Rune Eaters play with renewed confidence, having adapted to VP’s approach. Copy’s Puck was once again the catalyst behind Rune Eaters’ success, finishing the game with a flawless 9/0/10 KDA. After winning consecutive team fights, Rune Eaters forced VP to concede in just 38 minutes, completing the stunning reverse sweep.
What is the Dota 2 Esports World Cup?
The Dota 2 tournament at the Esports World Cup 2026 will be the last Tier 1 tournament of the 2025-2026 competitive Dota 2 season, before it culminates in The International 2026 in August. With many of the teams competing in the EWC also qualified for this year's Dota 2 world championship tournament, it should serve as a good preview for the battle for the Aegis of Champions next month.
The Dota 2 EWC features 24 of the best Dota 2 teams in the world and will take place from 7 to 19 July in the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in Paris, France. The teams will be fighting for EWC glory and the lion's share of US$750,000, out of the tournament's US$25 million prize pool.
The Dota 2 EWC is split into three stages; the Group Stage from 7 to 12 July, the Survival Stage from 14 to 15 July, and the Playoffs from 16 to 19 July.
The Group Stage will see the 24 teams split into four groups of six teams each to play in a single round-robin with best-of-two matches. The top team from each group will advance directly to the Playoffs, the second to fourth-placed teams will move to the Survival Stage, while the two bottom finishers will be among the first to be eliminated.
The Survival Stage will feature the 12 teams that finished third to fourth in their respective groups during the Group Stage, with four spots in the Playoffs up for grabs in a single-elimination bracket with best-of-three matches. The Survival Stage will open with the third and fourth seeds from different groups taking each other on, with the winners moving on to face the second place teams for the four Playoff spots.
Finally, the Playoffs will be a single-elimination bracket featuring the four teams that finished as the top seeds of their groups in the Group Stage, as well as the four teams that made it out of the Survival Stage. All matches in the Playoffs will be a best-of-three except for the grand finals, which will be a full best-of-five series.
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