Legacy Knock Out Team Falcons to Reach EWC 2026 Semifinals

Nobody handed Legacy anything at the 2026 Esports World Cup. Instead, they went out and took it. On August 21 in Paris, the Brazilian squad walked into the quarterfinal as clear underdogs against Team Falcons, the reigning IEM Cologne Major champions, and left with a clean 2-0 sweep that sent one of the tournament's biggest favorites packing.

No Mercy

Legacy opened on Mirage, and Falcons actually grabbed the early lead in the first half. It didn't last, the Brazilians clawed back without dropping a single round on the second half and closed the map out 13-7, flipping the script before Falcons could ever settle in. Falcons tried to answer on Dust 2, their own pick, and for a while it looked like the series would tip in their favor. However, Legacy had other plans and took over in the second half ending the map with a 13-10, sending Falcons home from the playoffs.

This wasn't a fluke either. A day earlier, Legacy had already mercilessly beating Natus Vincere in a clean 2-0 victory over the CIS squad. Two eliminations of experienced rosters in back-to-back days is not something you see everyday. Legacy came to Paris with a plan, and it worked twice.

Try Steps into the Spotlight

If there was one player who made this series feel personal, it was Santino "try" Rigal. The Argentine AWPer only joined Legacy last month, taking over the sniper role, and Paris has turned into the biggest stage of his career so far. Against Falcons, he was the one trading first picks with Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov all series long, and he didn't blink.

On Mirage, his opening kills were exactly what sparked Legacy's comeback after Falcons jumped ahead early. On Dust2, he kept picking off entries at the exact moments Falcons needed to reset, choking off their momentum whenever they tried to build one.

It capped off a run where try has quietly been one of Legacy's most consistent weapons all tournament, and doing it against the world's number three team, fresh off a Major title, is the kind of series that gets a player's name remembered.

Brazil Isn't Done Yet

The win locks Legacy into the semifinals, where they'll face whoever comes out of Team Vitality against Team Spirit, a series being decided today (21). The semifinal is set for Saturday (22) and a win there would put the Brazilians into the grand final of a $2,000,000 tournament, a scenario that felt far-fetched just a week ago. With Brazilians on both sides of the semifinal bracket, if all goes well for Legacy and FURIA, we could be looking at a Brazilian grand final.

Falcons, meanwhile, head home from Paris with a reminder that no title, not even a Major, buys you safety in the playoffs. In Counter-Strike, every bracket starts from zero, and Legacy made absolutely sure everyone remembers that.

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Featured Image Credit: Esports World Cup

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