Heroic secured a hard-fought 2:1 victory over Team Spirit in the Round of 16 at the Esports World Cup 2025, pulling off one of the biggest surprises of the playoffs so far. Despite Spirit entering the match as heavy favorites, the Danish squad battled through adversity — including the absence of their head coach, who missed the event due to his wedding — to claim a dramatic win and advance to the next stage.

Match Progress
The clash kicked off on Ancient, where Spirit looked dominant from the start. With a commanding 9:3 first half, the Russian powerhouse gave Heroic no room to maneuver and swiftly closed out the opener 13:5, taking the lead in the series.

On Nuke, however, Heroic completely flipped the script. A strong CT half at 9:3 gave them control, and after switching sides, the Danes crushed Spirit’s defense with a flawless streak, finishing the map 13:3 to tie the series 1:1.

The decider on Mirage turned into an instant classic. Spirit initially led 8:4 at halftime, but Heroic rallied back to force overtime. In the extra rounds, Heroic held their nerve, edging out Spirit 16:14 and sealing the series 2:1 in sensational fashion.

MVP of the Match
Despite Spirit’s loss, the standout performer was Dmitry "sh1ro" Sokolov, who delivered an exceptional showing with numerous clutch rounds and consistent impact across all three maps. His efforts nearly carried Spirit over the finish line but ultimately fell just short.

With this victory, Heroic advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face Aurora Gaming in what promises to be another high-stakes clash. Spirit, meanwhile, exit the tournament in 9th-16th place, taking home $20,000.

The Esports World Cup 2025 takes place from August 20 to 24 in Riyadh, at the Boulevard Riyadh City arena. Sixteen of the best teams are competing for a prize pool of $1,250,000.