PVISION and Team Yandex secure final playoff berths as EWC 2026 group stage concludes

The final day of the Esports World Cup 2026 group stage settled the remaining playoff positions in Groups C and D, completing the picture ahead of Tuesday's Survival Stage.

While Team Falcons and Aurora Gaming had already secured direct playoff berths from Groups A and B, today's action determined the final two teams to skip the single-elimination gauntlet. PVISION topped Group C despite dropping their first game of the tournament, while Team Yandex emerged victorious from a heavyweight battle in Group D.

Group C: PVISION on top as expected

All eyes were on the clash between PVISION and Team Spirit.

With both teams already guaranteed progression, first place remained on the line to determine where they would go. Until then, PVISION had not dropped a single game all tournament. But Team Spirit finally ended that streak in spectacular fashion as Yatoro led the charge. Spirit looked every bit like defending champions, closing out Game 1 in dominant fashion before finishing with a Rampage. The statement win suggested Spirit had found another gear heading into the business end of the tournament.

However, PVISION answered immediately. The DreamLeague Season 29 champions looked composed in Game 2, responding with a convincing victory to secure the series draw and, more importantly, first place in the group. Having lost just a single game across the entire group stage, PVISION continue to strengthen the argument that they belonged among this year's direct TI invites.

Elsewhere, REKONIX finished their tournament on a positive note, sweeping Team Nemesis 2-0. Although both teams had already been eliminated prior to their series, the victory ensured REKONIX avoided finishing bottom of the group and allowed them to head home with some wins on the board.

Group D: Yandex finish first as final elimination came down to one series

Group D delivered the day's biggest twist.

Team Yandex produced one of their strongest performances of the tournament to sweep 1w 2-0 and snatch first place away from the former Tundra roster. After controlling the opening game from start to finish, Yandex weathered a more difficult early game in the second before once again demonstrating the resilience that has defined much of their season.

The result sends Yandex directly to the playoffs, while 1w must now navigate the Survival Stage despite entering the tournament among the favorites.

LGD Gaming also handled business with a straightforward 2-0 victory over Inner Circle x Insanity, securing third place in the group. Although IC leave Paris without a victory, the newcomers showed enough promise throughout the event to suggest they can build on the experience against the world's elite.

LGD's sweep, coupled with Virtus.pro taking the opening game against OG, dramatically raised the stakes for the tournament's final series. With the standings set and the first game in the bag, everything came down to one last game.

The winner would claim the final Survival Stage berth. The loser would become the eighth and final team eliminated from the group stage.

For the final game of the day, Virtus.pro completed the job with another composed performance. They executed their draft with confidence and VP never allowed OG to build any real momentum despite the game stretching to 66 minutes. OG fought to keep their tournament alive for as long as possible, but the comeback never came. The 2nd win for VP was enough to send them to the Survival phase and keep their tournament dreams alive.

EWC 2026 Survival Phase

With the group stage now complete, only sixteen teams remain.

Team Falcons, Aurora Gaming, PVISION, and Team Yandex advance directly to the playoffs, while the remaining twelve teams enter the Survival Stage, where a single loss means elimination.

• Single-elimination
• 4th vs 3rd from groups
• winner vs 2nd place
• All matches are Bo3
• Four teams advance to playoff

Competition resumes on Tuesday following Monday's scheduled break, with just four more teams set to join the playoff bracket.

EWC 2026 current status

Playoffs bound

• Team Falcons
• Nigma Galaxy
• PVision
• Team Yandex

Survival Phase Round 2

• BB Team
• Aurora Gaming
• Team Spirit
• 1w

Survival Phase Round 1

• Rune Eaters
• Xtreme Gaming
• Team Liquid
• PTime
• ViCi Gaming
• Mouz
• LGD Gaming
• Virtus.pro

Eliminated

• GamerLegion
• Poor Rangers
• Level Up
• L1 Team
• REKONIX
• Team Nemesis
• IC x Insanity
• OG