Spirit have secured their place in the Esports World Cup 2026 semi-finals after defeating Vitality 2-1 in the quarter-finals. The Russian squad took Anubis 13-11, lost an overtime battle on Nuke 14-16, and then dominated Mirage 13-3. Danil “donk” Kryshkovets delivered another outstanding performance with a 1.46 rating and 101.0 ADR. The victory ends Vitality’s run in front of the home crowd in Paris.
Spirit continue their impressive run in Paris
Spirit entered the playoffs after recovering from a surprising start to the tournament. They opened their EWC campaign with a 10-13 defeat to JiJieHao before responding with a 2-0 victory over Luminosity. The team then defeated BIG 2-1 to secure its place in the knockout stage. Spirit continued that momentum in the Round of 16, sweeping B8 2-0 to set up a quarter-final against Vitality.
Vitality also had to recover from an early setback. The French organization opened with a dominant 13-4 victory over 100 Thieves but then suffered a 1-2 defeat to B8. They responded with consecutive 2-0 victories over Lynn Vision and FaZe to reach the quarter-finals. The matchup against Spirit proved to be their final test. After three maps, Spirit ended Vitality’s title hopes and moved into the semi-finals.
Spirit survive Anubis before Vitality force a decider
The series opened on Anubis, Spirit’s map pick. The first half was evenly matched, with the teams entering the side switch tied at 6-6. Spirit gained the advantage in the second half and eventually closed the map 13-11. The narrow victory put them one map away from the semi-finals.
Vitality responded on their Nuke pick. They led 7-5 at halftime, but Spirit fought back and pushed the map into overtime. This time, Vitality held their nerve and secured a 16-14 victory to force Mirage.
The decider was completely different. Vitality failed to win a single round in the opening half as Spirit raced to a 12-0 advantage. The French side managed three rounds after the break, but the comeback was impossible. Spirit closed Mirage 13-3 and completed the 2-1 series victory.
donk powers Spirit with a 1.46 rating
Danil “donk” Kryshkovets was the clear standout player of the series. He finished the three maps with 70 kills and 43 deaths, while recording 101.0 ADR and an 82.9% KAST. His overall rating reached 1.46. Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich also made a major contribution with 63 kills and a 1.21 rating. Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov followed with a 1.18 rating.
Shahar “flameZ” Shushan was Vitality’s highest-rated player at 1.15. William “mezii” Merriman and Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut both finished with a 1.07 rating. Spirit’s balanced performance proved decisive, especially on Mirage, where they completely shut down Vitality in the opening half.
Spirit finally break their losing run against Vitality
The victory carries extra significance for Spirit due to their recent struggles against Vitality. Before this quarter-final, Vitality had repeatedly denied them in major series. Their previous meeting came at IEM Rio 2026, where Vitality defeated Spirit 3-0 in the grand final. Vitality also beat them at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 and BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 2.
Spirit celebrated ending that run immediately after the match:
THE 1.5-YEAR-LONG CURSE HAS BEEN BROKEN!
The result gives Spirit a rare recent victory over one of their toughest opponents and sends them into the final four of EWC 2026.
Vitality drop out of the VRS top six
The defeat also has an impact on the projected Valve Regional Standings. Vitality lost 39 points, dropping from 1,857 to 1,818. As a result, the team is projected to fall one position from No. 6 to No. 7. Spirit lost only three points despite the victory but remain comfortably at No. 1. Their projected total moves from 1,998 to 1,995 points.
Teams react after the match
Spirit celebrated both their semi-final qualification and the end of their difficult run against Vitality:
THE 1.5-YEAR-LONG CURSE HAS BEEN BROKEN!
We advance to the semis
Vitality, meanwhile, reflected on a disappointing end to their home tournament:
The dream of winning another trophy at Bercy in front of our home crowd ends here.
The organization also thanked its supporters for backing the team throughout the Esports World Cup.
read more
What’s next?
Spirit advance to the Esports World Cup 2026 semi-finals after eliminating Vitality in one of the biggest quarter-final matchups. Their dominant 13-3 victory on Mirage completed the series and keeps their title run alive. For Vitality, the tournament ends in the quarter-finals. After fighting back to force a third map, the French organization could not stop Spirit on Mirage and exits EWC 2026 in front of its home crowd.
