On August 22 at EWC 2026 in Counter-Strike 2, both finalists of the tournament will be determined. After the quarterfinals, FURIA, FUT Esports, Legacy and Spirit remain in the race for the championship title.
Both semifinals will be played in a BO3 format. The first match will start at 17:00 Kyiv time, and the second at 19:55.
At stake is more than just a place in the final. The winners will have a chance to play on August 23 at the Accor Arena in Paris for the championship title and the main prize of $600,000 from the total prize pool of $2 million.
The first semifinal is a clash between a team with huge experience at major tournaments and a roster that is going through one of the best stretches in its history.
FURIA enters the match as the favorite. The team is ranked third in the Valve rankings, while FUT sits in 5th place. FURIA's current roster combines the experience of FalleN, the consistency of KSCERATO and yuurih, the aggression of YEKINDAR, and the young Kazakh molodoy.
For FURIA, 2026 has already brought several major finals. The team finished second at IEM Kraków 2026 and IEM Cologne Major 2026, losing the finals to Vitality and Falcons respectively. In addition, FURIA have titles from BLAST Rivals Fall 2025, IEM Chengdu 2025 and Thunderpick World Championship 2025.
At EWC itself, the Brazilians have also yet to lose a series: in the group stage they defeated Wildcard, in the Round of 16 they beat Aurora 2:1, and in the quarterfinals they defeated G2 2:1. Moreover, FURIA won the decisive map against G2 by a dominant 13:4 score.
molodoy is also worth keeping an eye on. The 21-year-old Kazakh has already become one of the key factors behind FURIA's success, and his individual form could be crucial in the semifinal.
FUT arrived at EWC without the status of the main favorite, but gradually turned into one of the most dangerous teams at the tournament.
In 2026, the team has already won PGL Bucharest 2026, defeating Astralis 3:1 in the final. At the same time, FUT have not always managed to go deep at other major tournaments: the team finished IEM Kraków and IEM Cologne Major in 9th–11th/12th places.
But in Paris, FUT look completely different. At the start of the playoffs, they defeated magic 2:1, and then sensationally eliminated MOUZ 2:0. Dust2 was particularly impressive, with FUT edging out MOUZ 16:13, before closing out Ancient 13:5.
Interestingly, FURIA and FUT have already met several times in 2026. Their history this year is extremely even: the teams exchanged victories at BLAST Bounty and IEM Kraków, while their most recent meeting in February ended with a 2:1 victory for FURIA. The overall head-to-head score is currently 4:4.
FURIA — 60% | FUT — 40%
On paper, FURIA are stronger: they have a higher ranking, more experience in major finals, and a stronger roster in terms of individual skill.
However, FUT have already proven that the ranking means little to them. Their form at EWC, confidence after defeating MOUZ, and head-to-head history make this semifinal much less predictable.
The main key to a FUT victory is not allowing FURIA to comfortably play their strongest maps.
The second semifinal is one of the most intriguing matchups of the tournament. On one side is Legacy, who have already eliminated NAVI and reigning Major champions Falcons. On the other is Spirit, a team featuring one of the strongest players in the world.
Legacy have become the biggest surprise of the playoffs. First, the Brazilians defeated NAVI 2:0, and the next day they eliminated Falcons by the same score. As a result, Legacy have beaten two top-level teams in succession without dropping a single map.
What is particularly interesting is that this is not simply a random streak of successful matches. In the group stage, Legacy also defeated MIBR 2:0, and over the past few months the team has already shown that it can compete with top-level rosters.
In an interview with our editorial team after the victory over Falcons, dumau said that the team is currently in its best form and does not simply want to defeat individual top teams — Legacy believe they can become the No. 1 team in the world.
And psychological resilience could become the Brazilians' biggest advantage. Legacy are playing without any obvious fear of their opponents' status.
Spirit are a team of a completely different scale. The roster have already won PGL Astana 2026 and made deep runs in other major tournaments.
Spirit's main weapon is donk. The 19-year-old player already has a Major title and Major MVP, while over the past three months his average rating stands at 1.43.
Spirit started their EWC campaign with a surprising loss to JiJieHao, but then put together a four-match winning streak. In the playoffs, the team first comfortably defeated B8 2:0, and then beat Vitality 2:1 in the quarterfinals.
It is especially important that Spirit managed to defeat Vitality after six consecutive matches without a win against the French side.
Interestingly, Legacy and Spirit have not faced each other on an official map over the past 12 months. Therefore, the teams are effectively approaching the semifinal without recent head-to-head experience.
This adds even more intrigue to the veto: the coaching staffs will have to evaluate their opponents as accurately as possible without a large number of recent head-to-head matches.
Spirit look like the favorites thanks to their huge experience and the donk factor, but the team showed some of its worst form at this tournament, barely making it to the quarterfinals, where they defeated Vitality, who themselves have not been showing their best form.
But after dumau's interview, underestimating Legacy would be a big mistake.
Spirit — 40% | Legacy — 60%
The Brazilians have already shown at EWC that they can completely disrupt the plans of favorites. If try, dumau and latto continue playing at the same level they showed against NAVI and Falcons, Spirit could face one of the toughest matches of the tournament.
The main question is whether Legacy will be able to contain donk. If they manage to do so, then we know who will be in the final.
On August 22, we will find out the final two participants of the EWC 2026 Grand Final.
17:00 — FURIA vs FUT
19:55 — Legacy vs Spirit
Both series will be played in a BO3 format, and on August 23 the winners will meet in the grand final at the Accor Arena. The final will be played in a BO5 format.
For FURIA, this is an opportunity to finally finish another major tournament with a title. For FUT, it is a chance to turn a sensational campaign into a historic final. For Legacy, it is an opportunity to prove that their victories over NAVI and Falcons were not a fluke.
As a reminder, CS2 EWC 2026: FUT, Legacy, and Spirit reach the semifinals — match results for August 21.