“A Spectacular Victory”—the community reacts to Vici Gaming’s advancement to the semifinals of the 2026 Esports World Cup in Dota 2
The Dota 2 community has commented on the results of the 2026 Esports World Cup quarterfinal playoff match between Vici Gaming and Team Falcons. The match ended with a 2-0 victory for VG.
Quotes are reproduced with the original spelling and punctuation from the sources
Even before the match ended, esports player Roman “RAMZES” Kushnarev made an ironic comment about the situation:
And just for this, the Falcons’ game was rescheduled, huh?
Dmitry “CrystalMay” Korchevinin named VG the region’s new leader in the run-up to The International 2026:
China has a new leader in the race for TI 15! [Vici Gaming] Xiang qian [“Forward.” — Ed.]!
Commentator Dmitry “Mortalles” Arzhilovsky noted the Chinese team’s drafts:
They messed up their draft twice.
VG moves on. A spectacular victory
Caster Rustam “Adekvat” Mavlyutov commented on the outcome as follows:
I’m shocked, VG
Esports stream host Daria “Eiritel” Morozova had this to say:
Now even China has suddenly woken up and punished the Falcons! So now we’re waiting for Sumail’s dad in the final, it seems
Former Dota 2 professional team coach Timur “Ahilles” Kulmukhambetov jokingly linked VG’s results to the activities of the Esports Integrity Commission.
322 was banned from the EWC
Vici Gaming defeats 1win and Falcon
Although before that, XM couldn’t get his grims into the ember during the storm and was running 1-9
According to analyst Khaled “sQreen” El-Habbash, the players from the Middle Eastern club failed to show the necessary resilience:
The Falcons are a disgrace. Essentially, they’re playing a home tournament organized by their sponsors, which is considered the Dota World Championship, and yet they’re so spineless that they type “gg” at the 30-minute mark while tilting, though in my view, when you’re playing in such a prestigious tournament—especially in an arena with a live audience—you should use even 1% of your chances for a comeback and play until you reach the throne. But oh well—this team has never been known for its strong meta play.
Commentator Arseny “ArsZeeqq” Usov drew attention to comments on social media from the Falcons’ offlaner:
*** [Damn] In such a loud voice, people are writing in the comments under Ammar’s
post, “I hope they investigate you for 322” [“I hope they investigate you for ‘322’.” — Ed.]
in the comments *** [Damn]
to the INT champion))
with a salary of about 20k bucks
, that’s hilarious *** [Who cares]
Caster Vladimir “Maelstorm” Kuzminov noted the Chinese team’s progress during the tournament in Paris:
VG has made some unreal progress in 4 days. They weren’t pressing any buttons in the group stage, and now they’re already in the top 4. Shocking.
Team Falcons finished in 5th–8th place at the tournament—earning $70,000 and 200 EWC club points. Next, the Middle Eastern club will compete at The International 2026 in Shanghai—the event will take place from August 13 to 23.
Photo: Dmitry “Mortalles” Arzhilovsky.
