cmtry topped the board in a close win for FUT thanks to some clutch play
FUT became the first finalists of the Esports World Cup after a hard-fought victory over FURIA, which came down to an overtime Dust2 decider after the two teams traded their picks.
The win already marks a significant achievement for a FUT side whose best Big Event result to date had been a fourth place at the ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals.
And they’re now one step away from making more history for the organization in their first full year at tier one with a shot at their second trophy of the year after PGL Bucharest, awaiting their grand final opponent between Spirit and Legacy.
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| 23/08/2026 |
13:30 Legacy/Spirit winner |
Match |
FURIA’s third Ancient gamble didn’t pay off against a FUT side that has been considerably more successful on the map than Aurora or G2 that the Brazilian-majority team previously defeated on it.
It wasn’t for a lack of trying, though. FUT relied on a 2v4 starring Nikita “cmtry” Samolotov and a Dmytro “dem0n” Myroshnychenko clutch to claim a first-half lead on the T side, and then pulled off a crucial collapse retake at 10-11 to send FURIA on bad buys for the rest of the map.
Moving into their Nuke pick, FURIA set the pace early and ran away with the T side after a crucial Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis 1v3, nullifying a few awkward hitches, which saw them give away a 5v5 retake to pistols and another low-buy round towards the end of the first half.
With Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato locking down the pistol with a Dualies triple, Nuke was a foregone conclusion, and FURIA entered Dust2 with wind in their sails.
There, the favorites looked to continue in the same vein after making a gamble forcebuy work in round three thanks to a rather lucky Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo double, made to work thanks to aim punch pulling one of his bullets upwards, way outside of his line of fire.
But even with eight rounds on the offense, FURIA found closing the decider difficult. FUT clawed back into the game after two 3v5s, one in the pistol and another at 7-10, and then turned a 2v4 situation on B to find match point.
The young squad could not close the map in regulation, as FURIA pulled off a crucial double backstab play to take it to overtime.
However, closing down advantages proved just as difficult in extra time for FURIA, who gave up another 4v2 to a red-hot dem0n, who then also closed the match in a 1v1 duel against Danil “molodoy” Golubenko.
More highlights from FURIA vs. FUT
