Spirit can still win trophies - Five key takeaways from EWC 2026

Esports World Cup came and went in the blink of an eye, and before we could fully digest it we’ve got BLAST Open Porto coming right up. So we’ll keep this brief, and just talk about the most important takeaways from EWC.

Spirit can still win tournaments - but only if the stars align

Team Spirit are still exactly the same team they’ve been for the last 18 months, and still only win when the other big teams are off their game.

Vitality were a bit all over the shop, Falcons went out to Legacy and FURIA - as we discussed in an earlier piece - are pretty much a dead team walking. Spirit can’t win in a field where the top teams are fit and firing any more, but they’ll win at a canter against a weakened field.

It’s hard to see zont1x and tN1R playing like that and think this is the beginning of a spell of dominance for them, despite how good donk continues to be.

FUT are an AWPer away from greatness

FUT’s rifle core is absolutely ridiculous and this is unlikely to be their only grand final of the next 12 months - but if they want to win one, they need a bit more from cmtry.

The AWPer has always been one of the worst rated ones in our data, and was clearly the weak link even in FUT’s run in Paris even by the surface numbers or more importantly the eye test. He’s not a terrible player, but ‘not terrible’ just doesn’t cut it at the level FUT want to be.

Obviously the team doesn’t really have the funds to do anything groundbreaking with the AWPer role, but even a small upgrade could propel them into the stratosphere. It just might take some huevos.

3. FaZe might actually be good?

They might have lost to a wobbly Vitality, but we’re barely two months into FaZe's new project and jcobbb looks revitalised, JBOEN looks like a revelation and Twistzz, we have to see, has moved us as an IGL.

They were scintillating in the group stage and we cannot wait to see more of them. If jcobbb can maintain this level, we see JBOEN going nuclear very soon, and we know how good Twistzz and frozen can be. This team is electric, and finally, we’re excited to watch FaZe play Counter-Strike again.

We’re willing to accept that Legacy might be one of the best teams in the world

We don’t know how, we don’t know why, we don’t understand, but this team just kind of owns everyone from time to time. They’re not super consistent, but at the moment, who is?

latto and dumau are just a terrifying duo, and they seem to pluck insane performances out of nowhere against big teams. They’ve won trophies before, but nobody really took them seriously, but at some point we just have to accept that this team is legitimately very, very good. Better than Aurora, anyway.

5. 100 Thieves ain’t got it

We’re not sure what ‘it’ is, but 100 Thieves don’t have it right now.

We have been excited for this team for a while, and the addition of Gizmy seemed like a masterstroke - but at times it feels like he’s having to lead and carry the team, which is not what he signed up for.

You could argue if he was a better IGL the players might be playing better, but he got a tune out of the now-Luminosity players, and they look awful without him. rain, device, poiii and sirah need to be better than this, or Gizmy will feel even more aggrieved to have been snaked by his players.

The loss to Vitality is understandable, but getting back-to-back 13-5’d by PARIVISION is troubling. Jame taught device a lesson in AWPing in that series, which must be painful.