Heretics fall again as BBL and NRG shine at the Esports World Cup 2026

The playoffs officially kicked off today at the EWC - Esports World Cup 2026 with the matches between BBL Esports and Team Heretics, and Gentle Mates and NRG. The crowd was loud, the atmosphere was insane, and everything looked very good at the start of this EWC playoffs edition. Compared to Riyadh, the fan support in Paris has looked on another level.

However, this was not a bright day for everyone; especially not for Team Heretics, who once again failed to deliver on the international stage and were unexpectedly knocked out of the competition by BBL. After a poor performance at VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters London 2026, the reigning EWC champions are only confirming the difficult year they are having, as things really don't seem to be clicking for them. Let’s break down what happened in both series.

Another Heretics disappointment makes BBL shine

Team Heretics’ blackouts must be studied. After a close start to the series on Breeze, where they won 16-14, momentum should have been on their side. Instead, things took a turn.

The Spanish team completely disappeared. Heretics were dismantled on Lotus, and that simply cannot happen on the map you choose to play. Of course, BBL deserve full credit, as Yusuf "Lar0k" Kaan Kanber and Utku "Loita" Kart both popped off with a 20/8 and an 18/10 KD, respectively.

EWC - Esports World Cup 2026

Team Heretics

1

X

2

BBL Esports

Quarter Final, Best of 3 - July 9, 2026 - 11:00AM

16

Breeze

14

2

Lotus

13

10

Sunset

13

Team Heretics

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Wo0t

1.20

222

55/52/33

+3

1.06

74.3%

146.4

23%

54%

7

6

RieNs

1.05

215

54/51/16

+3

1.06

66.9%

147.0

25%

38%

6

10

benjyfishy

0.94

192

47/51/17

-4

0.92

60.6%

135.6

25%

60%

6

4

Koshmaras

0.88

184

41/56/25

-15

0.73

70.2%

118.2

16%

69%

11

5

Boo

0.76

156

38/49/22

-11

0.78

69.9%

103.6

32%

21%

3

11

BBL Esports

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Loita

1.32

244

57/46/34

+11

1.24

82.1%

157.8

31%

45%

5

6

lovers rock

1.21

254

56/54/15

+2

1.04

71.6%

153.0

26%

52%

14

13

Lar0k

1.17

229

53/46/13

+7

1.15

77.6%

143.4

29%

47%

7

8

Crewen

1.03

191

49/39/19

+10

1.26

77.6%

137.4

33%

75%

6

2

Rosé

0.91

176

44/50/23

-6

0.88

78.3%

133.4

29%

43%

3

4

In the final map, the pressure looked too big for Ričardas "Boo" Lukaševičius to handle, and he really fell off. Even though Enes "RieNs" Ecirli tried his best to keep them in it, BBL rode the momentum and managed to close out the upset and advance to the semifinals.

Mada shuts the French crowd down

What a crowd in Paris. Gentle Mates had home advantage, with the fans going absolutely wild during the match against NRG. Every kill brought noise, chants, and screams. Playing in such an environment must be much easier for them and much harder for anyone trying to match it.

Yusuf Emre "Proxh" Tunc absolutely popped off on Haven, pulling off an unreal 1 versus 3 clutch in the final stages of the map, which gave the French team the momentum they needed to keep going. Taranvir "bipo" Singh, meanwhile, was the player who shined the least during the first map, as he struggled on Cypher. The same can be said for Ethan "Ethan" Cole Arnold, who never really found his rhythm on Neon, an Agent he does not usually pick. Still, we know Martin "marteen" Pátek has Gentle Mates covered, as his performances are never disappointing.

EWC - Esports World Cup 2026

Gentle Mates

1

X

2

NRG

Quarter Final, Best of 3 - July 9, 2026 - 2:45PM

13

Haven

10

9

Ascent

13

10

Lotus

13

Gentle Mates

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

marteen

1.18

241

55/47/23

+8

1.17

77.8%

169.8

28%

75%

6

2

Proxh

1.16

212

53/47/26

+6

1.13

77.9%

134.0

35%

40%

4

6

Minny

0.92

196

49/53/9

-4

0.92

72.2%

118.3

30%

46%

13

15

bipo

0.76

157

36/46/18

-10

0.78

55.9%

106.3

29%

30%

3

7

starxo

0.65

150

31/55/17

-24

0.56

63.2%

106.8

26%

33%

4

8

NRG

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

mada

1.35

269

65/50/22

+15

1.30

76.5%

173.6

28%

57%

16

12

skuba

1.04

183

47/41/20

+6

1.15

75.0%

117.1

18%

50%

5

5

Keiko

0.99

178

46/42/18

+4

1.10

69.0%

121.2

29%

56%

9

7

brawk

0.96

201

46/39/17

+7

1.18

74.9%

136.2

17%

100%

2

0

Ethan

0.88

194

44/53/15

-9

0.83

75.0%

132.9

19%

50%

6

6

NRG, however, managed to come back to life on Ascent. At first, it looked like Gentle Mates had it under control, but never say never. Georgio "Keiko" Sanassy and Ethan stepped up helping the team tie the series.

Lotus was a banger, as Adam "mada" Pampuch delivered an insane performance on Raze while going straight up against both the French team and the crowd. Bipo and Proxh stood out in particular for Gentle Mates. The Italian gunner did not put up huge kill numbers, but he still clutched some incredible and crucial rounds to keep Gentle Mates dreams alive. Meanwhile, Proxh was massive. Despite being on Omen, he showed no fear and finished the game with a 23/16 KD, but this wasn't enough to stop Mada who dropped 29 kills in the last map of the series.

NRG managed to continue their run and will face BBL on July 11 at 15:45 PM CET.

For all things VCT related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to bring you the latest game and esports news.

Featured image credit: Esports World Cup