Misha shared his thoughts on the teams’ chances at the 2026 Dota 2 Esports World Cup

The EWC Paris begins on July 7.

What are the teams’ chances, and what lies ahead for them in this tournament?
Spirit—I see them dominating the entire tournament. Everything will depend on Miposhka and NotMi. The “Cows” trio is ready, and Rue is magnificent in the 5th position. NotMi has shown flashes of brilliance; he needs to become more consistent. Jarik has always been a smart player, and I believe he’ll analyze the drafts correctly. Expectation: Top 1

Tundra (1v) – Remember this, suckers: as long as Net Shapira is alive, there’s ALWAYS a chance for Top 1, but it’s much slimmer than for the competition.
BZMA is having a weak Dota run on its own patch, LITERALLY THE BEST PATCH for BZMA in the entire history of fucking Dota—think about it: the patch’s top hero is Pak, top 2 is Storm, top 3 is Invoker, top 4 is Ember. They’ll most likely get into form with Iceberg and be in the running for first place. Don’t let us down, kid—we’ve got to take home the trophy.

Parivizhn—the tournament favorite. They recently dropped a video explaining why 9th Grade is the modern-day Steve Jobs <...>. They’ve got a 4-star genius, a 1-star genius, and one of the top 5 players on the planet. An ultra-stable, experienced Novan in mid lane and a talented, promising offlaner. It’s as if the team was created in a lab using a perfect formula. Teams like that usually end up failing, haha. Everyone except the top 1 is a terrible disappointment.

Aurora—Last Dance for Mira; respect to the legend, and good luck. Sorry, Egor, you broke my heart. Losing to LGD in the last blast. Not even making it to the grand final—it was awful. Always second, without a single chance at first place. Zero chances. Bye. You’ll never make me believe in you again.
Top 6—a great spot; it’ll count as top 1 for them.

Htrim—their Dota has been disgusting lately; Top 8 is their limit. A trash team. Ame plays really badly and feeds. NTS vanishes from the lobby when it’s time to make tough decisions. For some reason, I’m not betting on Xinkyu for 4th. Dead Team
: Top 8 is the absolute best they can do.

Yandex is a very strong and dangerous contender. Watson is playing the best Dota of his life. He’s reached Yatoro’s level, surpassed Satanik, spaces like Skiter, and farms like the best of the best. He can do it all. And he does it all through sheer hard work. He’s not a genius, but a hard worker.
Chira Junior—I’ll pray for him; the main thing is not to mess
up. Melady—one of the best, a smart player.
DM—experience and power. Stability from Position 3 and space for Chirakla, Saks, and Watson. The perfect soldier for Yandex to keep all the cogs turning.
Saxa—an absolute genius, who carried for 10 years on Intels and continues to do so now; the best Position 4 support in the entire history of Dota, he’s grown into a captain and a leader. Very intimidating
. Top 1—the only option. Everything else is a failure.

Falcons—on paper, they’re the favorites, but in reality, they’re going to fall apart horribly. I can feel it, you can feel it—it’s hanging in the air, but everyone’s afraid to say it. You’re always the favorite when you have ATP on your team—the best player on the planet. He’s better than Yataro, he’s better than Nishi, he’s better than Satanic, better than anyone. But Snakking has lost his edge, Krit is in his final season, and the Kory are trying their best, but I can see that the fire and passion have vanished from their game. Top 3—that’s the ceiling and a stretch. Top 8–12—that’s a solid reality.

Liquid is dead. Not liquid, but dry. The team reeks of death and manure. I love Boksi, I love Mike, and Nisha—they’re incredible, they can win any tournament, but it’s clear to everyone that Tuz just isn’t playing Tier 1 Dota anymore. According to my inside sources, Zay is coming back next season—Liquid will pick up Int at 27 and Riyadh, but for now, we’re not making any moves. <...>