
Rune Eaters won their elimination match against Virtus.pro in the survival stage of the 2026 Esports World Cup. The series ended with a score of 2-1.
On the first map, Rune Eaters managed to build a lead of several thousand gold, but starting at the 21-minute mark, the “Bears” took the lead and never relinquished it. The second game followed a similar economic pattern until the 42nd minute, when Andrey “Mag” Chypenko’s team seized the initiative, which ultimately allowed them to even the series.
On the decisive map, despite a comparable number of kills, RE gradually widened their gold lead over their opponent until they had built up a sufficient advantage to close out the game in their favor.
Virtus.pro finished in 13th–16th place and earned $20,000 for participating in the Dota 2 tournament as part of the Esports World Cup 2026. Next, the team will compete at the 2026 Games of the Future in Astana—the event begins on August 31.
Photo: Virtus.pro.