FURIA Beats 9z 2-1 to Reach the Esports World Cup 2026 Playoffs

KSCERATO led the series with 65 kills, 41 deaths, and a 1.47 rating as FURIA answered a Mirage loss with wins on Dust2 and Nuke.

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FURIA secured a place in the Esports World Cup 2026 playoffs by beating 9z 2-1 in the Group D upper-bracket semifinal. The series took place at the $2 million LAN in Paris, with Dust2, Mirage, and Nuke all required to decide the winner.

The CS2 group stage runs from August 12 through August 16, with the playoffs beginning August 19, according to the EWC 2026 tournament format. FURIA’s win keeps the Brazilian team on the upper-bracket route, while 9z falls into the lower bracket.

FURIA wins Dust2 and Nuke around a Mirage stumble

9z selected Dust2, but FURIA took control early with a 7-5 CT half before closing the map 13-6. molodoy topped FURIA’s opening-map numbers with a 14-8 score and a 1.44 rating, while YEKINDAR added 15 kills and a 1.43 rating.

Mirage became the series’ tightest map. 9z forced a 12-12 regulation score and then won four of the five overtime rounds to take it 16-13. HUASOPEEK led the comeback with 27-18 and a 1.66 rating, while meyern posted a 25-15 score and a 1.42 rating.

FURIA settled the match on Nuke, building a 7-5 lead on the T side before a 6-1 CT half finished the job. KSCERATO delivered his best map of the series with 23 kills, 11 deaths, 104.8 ADR, and a 1.90 rating. FURIA won Nuke 13-6 and closed the best-of-three without needing another overtime battle.

KSCERATO leads the final series numbers

KSCERATO finished as the match’s top performer, going 65-41 across the three maps with 93.7 ADR and a 1.47 rating. HUASOPEEK was 9z’s strongest player overall at 53-48, with 88.0 ADR and a 1.30 rating.

Team	Player	K-D	ADR	Rating
FURIA	KSCERATO	65-41	93.7	1.47
FURIA	yuurih	46-40	71.7	1.08
FURIA	molodoy	48-35	78.6	1.07
FURIA	YEKINDAR	38-41	69.9	1.02
FURIA	FalleN	41-46	64.5	0.86
9z	HUASOPEEK	53-48	88.0	1.30
9z	meyern	39-44	62.6	0.97
9z	luchov	41-51	60.9	0.97
9z	dgt	37-48	66.1	0.89
9z	max	33-47	55.9	0.81

Projected VRS movement favors FURIA

The projected VRS change following the match moves FURIA from No. 8 to No. 5, adding 70 points for a projected total of 1,865. 9z is projected to move from No. 3 to No. 4 after losing 15 points, leaving it with 1,888.

VRS updates officially once per month, so those figures remain projections rather than an immediate change to the official ranking. FURIA now waits for the playoff stage, while 9z continues through the lower bracket. Share your thoughts on the series in the comments, and follow along on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.

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