Vici Gaming stun Team Falcons to reach Dota 2 EWC 2026 semi-finals

Vici Gaming have produced the biggest result of their Esports World Cup 2026 campaign, sweeping Team Falcons 2-0 to eliminate the reigning world champions and secure a place in the Dota 2 semi-finals.

The Chinese squad entered the quarter-final as clear outsiders, but played with greater control across both games to continue an unlikely run that began in the regional qualifiers. Vici are now guaranteed a top-four finish in Paris and remain China’s final representative in the tournament.

Readers can follow the remaining bracket through our Dota 2 Esports World Cup betting guide, while more previews, odds and tournament coverage are available on the main Dota 2 betting page and our wider Esports World Cup hub.

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  Winrz Luv @888Starz

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Vici Gaming send the tournament favourites home

Very little about the matchup suggested a comfortable Vici Gaming win before the draft began.

Falcons had topped Group A after beating Rune Eaters, Xtreme Gaming, GamerLegion and Poor Rangers, with their only dropped map coming against BetBoom Team. That form earned them a direct place in the playoffs and strengthened their position as one of the leading title contenders.

Vici had taken a far more difficult route. They finished third in Group C after beating MOUZ, REKONIX and Team Nemesis, but losses against Spirit and PARIVISION pushed them into the Survival Stage.

The Chinese side advanced from their opening Survival Stage series when PlayTime were forced to withdraw, before earning their place in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 reverse sweep against 1win.

That result showed Vici could trouble stronger opposition. Their performance against Falcons proved they were capable of doing much more than that.

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Falcons lose control of a long opening game

Falcons made the brighter start to Game 1 and appeared to have the series moving in the expected direction.

Malr1ne’s Snapfire and Sneyking’s Winter Wyvern helped create several early pick-offs, while ATF’s Windranger climbed to the top of the net-worth chart through a steady stream of kills. Falcons also secured the first Aegis and began building what looked like a manageable advantage.

Vici refused to let the game get away from them. A well-placed Wall of Replica from Bach’s Dark Seer opened the door for Xm’s Lina and Shiro’s Spectre to turn an important fight, and another successful engagement soon after shifted the economic advantage toward the Chinese side.

Falcons managed to stabilise more than once, but they could not regain lasting control. Vici continued finding the cleaner late-game fights and forced their way onto the high ground after the 50-minute mark.

The first siege drew two defensive buybacks from Falcons. When those heroes were caught again shortly afterwards, Vici claimed mega creeps and eventually finished the Ancient to take the series lead.

Xm was the central figure in the victory, ending the opening game with a 19/5/14 record on Lina while also finishing as the most farmed hero on the map.

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Mid Slark draft catches Falcons cold

Vici followed the marathon opener with one of the most memorable drafts of the tournament, saving a last-pick Slark for Xm in the middle lane against Malr1ne’s Ember Spirit.

The unusual choice immediately created problems. Ember Spirit was pushed into buying an early Ghost Scepter, but the defensive item did little to stop Slark from becoming a growing threat as the game moved forward.

Falcons attempted to force the issue around Vici’s middle tower at the 16-minute mark. The push never developed as planned, with y’s Treant Protector providing the vision needed to disrupt the advance while XinQ’s Keeper of the Light repeatedly cleared the incoming creep wave.

That delay gave Vici time to set up the counterattack, and three Falcons players were killed once the fight turned. Two minutes later, Vici secured Roshan while also removing both opposing supports from the map.

From that point, the game unravelled quickly for the favourites. Vici kept collecting kills, followed Falcons back toward their own base and reached the high ground after only 26 minutes.

Falcons attempted to hold, but the pressure never eased. They conceded after 32 minutes, confirming a straight-games elimination that few would have predicted before the series.

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Vici Gaming’s return begins to gather momentum

The victory is easily Vici Gaming’s biggest result since the organisation returned to professional Dota 2 in October 2025.

Before arriving in Paris, their best result with the new project had been a top-eight finish at PGL Wallachia Season 7. They were also required to qualify for EWC through the Chinese regional competition rather than receiving a direct invitation.

Expectations remained modest after their third-place finish in the group stage, but the Survival Stage appears to have changed the direction of their tournament. The comeback against 1win gave Vici their first major scalp, and the sweep of Falcons has now established them as a genuine threat to reach the grand final.

Along the way, Vici have survived a field containing Xtreme Gaming, Liquid, Aurora, 1win and Falcons. That is no longer the record of a team simply benefiting from a favourable draw.

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Falcons bow out before TI 2026 title defence

For Team Falcons, the defeat ends a tournament that had initially looked capable of developing into another championship run.

The reigning The International champions had shown signs of improvement after an uneven beginning to the season, including third place at PGL Wallachia Season 8 and fourth at DreamLeague Season 29.

Their dominant EWC group-stage performance appeared to confirm that progress, but the quarter-final exposed many of the inconsistencies that have followed them throughout the year. Falcons started Game 1 well without converting their advantage, then struggled to respond when Vici changed the shape of the second draft.

Falcons leave Paris in the joint fifth-to-eighth-place bracket with US$70,000 in prize money. Their attention now turns to The International 2026 in Shanghai, where they will attempt to defend the Aegis next month.

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Dota 2 EWC semi-final bracket takes shape

Vici Gaming will face the winner of Nigma Galaxy versus BetBoom Team in the semi-finals, with a place in the best-of-five championship match on the line.

The other side of the bracket is already set after Team Yandex eliminated defending champions Spirit and PARIVISION ended the surprise run of Rune Eaters.

Vici are now only one series away from the final and have already secured at least a top-four finish. After entering through the Chinese qualifiers and surviving the elimination bracket, their run has become one of the defining stories of the Dota 2 tournament.

Falcons were supposed to be the team preparing for another trophy push. Instead, it is Vici Gaming who move forward with growing confidence and another tournament favourite removed from their path.