M80's campaign at the Esports World Cup 2026 got off to a disappointing start as they fell just short against G2 in their opening best-of-one matchup.
The action unfolded on Mirage, where the European squad managed to secure a narrow 13-11 victory after M80 nearly pushed the match into overtime. The game began with momentum swinging back and forth, as G2 grabbed the first three rounds before M80 responded with their own run to level things at 3-3. The competitive nature continued as both sides traded rounds, heading into halftime deadlocked at 6-6.
After switching to the CT side, M80 faced mounting pressure as G2 seized control of the second half. The European team captured five of the opening six rounds to build a commanding 11-7 advantage, putting M80 in a precarious position. The North American roster showed resilience with a defensive surge late in the match, but their comeback attempt fell just short of forcing overtime.
Ukrainian AWPer Artem "r1nkle" Moroz proved instrumental in G2's victory, posting an impressive 24 frags against only 13 deaths throughout the contest. His performance was the key factor in securing the razor-thin win for his squad.
With this loss, M80 now drop to the lower bracket where they'll face Aurora tomorrow morning at 09:55AM in an elimination match.
