Nigma and Aurora won their matches in the group stage of the 2026 Esports World Cup, while the Liquid match ended in a draw.

Nigma Galaxy and Aurora Gaming defeated L1GA TEAM and Level UP, respectively, while Team Liquid and PlayTime played to a draw on the first day of competition at the 2026 Esports World Cup in Dota 2.

Nigma Galaxy crushed L1GA TEAM on both maps: first with a score of 20–6, and then 37–8.

Team Liquid ended the match in a draw. The first map began with pressure from PlayTime, but Team Liquid managed to turn the tide and secure the victory. The second map also started with pressure from PlayTime, but this time the team managed to maintain their lead and win.

Aurora Gaming won the series 2–0. Yegor “Nightfall” Grigorenko’s team easily defeated Level UP on the first map. Aurora also maintained complete control throughout the second map.

Thus, in Group B, Nigma Galaxy and Aurora Gaming earned their first wins, Team Liquid and PlayTime start the tournament with a 1-1 record, and L1GA TEAM and Level UP suffered their first losses.

The Dota 2 Esports World Cup 2026 is taking place from July 7 to 19 in Paris. Team Spirit received a direct invite as the defending champion; 12 other teams qualified based on their ESL Pro Tour rankings; and the remaining 11 participants were determined through regional qualifiers.

Photo — PGL.