Team Secret win ESL One Hamburg
At ESL One Hamburg, Team Secret showed the sort of exceptional play that’s worthy of a brand new Mercedes-Benz car.
After topping the charts in the group stage, Team Secret faced powerhouse Virtus.pro in their first playoff series. The team fell short there and were made to fight their way out of the lower bracket with impressive sweeps of both Evil Geniuses and paIN Gaming.
The lower bracket finals saw a rematch between Team Secret and Virtus.pro. Secret emerged as the winning team this time, with another clean 2-0 score.
Team Secret would then face upper bracket winner Vici Gaming in a best-of-five grand finals series.
The first game heavily favored Team Secret with their Lina, Terrorblade, Tiny, Chen, and Kunkka draft. Secret had a consistent net worth lead, reaching up to 17K gold.
The second game lasted for an hour with Vici Gaming eventually finding their stride. Team Secret made several slips during team fights but managed to defend their high ground to extend the game to its hour length. In the end, Vici Gaming overcame and won with a 22-kill advantage.
Vici Gaming again showed their strength in the third game, dominating Team Secret. VG easily took objectives with their carry combination of Luna and Lina, and Team Secret called GG after 35 minutes.
With Vici Gaming only one game away from the tournament trophy, Team Secret brought their “A” game and easily took game four with Michał “Nisha” Jankowski’s Terrorblade stomping Vici’s heroes.
The fifth and deciding game was lopsided, lasting for 38 minutes. Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng’s Monkey King and Nisha’s Troll Warlord proved too much for Vici Gaming to handle.
Team Secret was awarded $125,000 for winning the tournament, while Vici Gaming received $65,000 for placing second.
MidOne was voted as the most valuable player in the tournament for his stellar performance and took home a Mercedes-Benz car for his trouble.
Read Also
Dota 2
Oddin.gg’s head of risk helps explain how alleged match fixing during Dota 2 at EWC was flagged
Michael Hassall
The Dota 2 competition at The Esports World Cup 2026 was shaken to its core during the Survival Stage earlier in the week when Southeast Asian-backed, South American team PTime (better known as PlayTime) were removed from the event citing “integrity concerns.” While the case is still ongoing, and none of the accused confirmed to be guilty, one of the biggest questions behind the incident was just how these concerns ...
Dota 2
PTime removed from Dota 2 at EWC 26 as ESIC investigates coach and captain
Michael Hassall
Filipino organization PlayTime Esports has been removed from the Esports World Cup 2026 Dota 2 competition following an intervention by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and a ruling by the Esports Foundation and EWC. Following a postponement of the PTime vs. Vici Gaming Survival Stage matchup on July 14, ESIC announced that it was actively investigating two members of the South American-based PTime organization, Team Captain Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera and ...
Esports Betting
Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule
Hannan Mundia
The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...
Dota 2
Dota 2 at the EWC 2026 preview, details, predictions, and more
Michael Hassall
A titanic 24 teams are set to compete in Dota 2 at the Esports World Cup 2025 in one of the largest events of the competitive season. These two dozen organizations are set to take over the Paris Convention Center, filling it with top-tier competitive Dota 2 action. With a $2,000,000 USD prize pool, the largest on the Dota 2 calendar, there’s everything to play for in the final major ...
Dota 2
Top Dota 2 combos to boost your MMR fast
Wasif Ahmed
Dota 2 is a complex and interesting game that requires skill, strategy and teamwork to be successful. Having said that, one of the best ways to improve your MMR is by learning certain Dota 2 combos that have proven themselves over time. It’s worth knowing that there are not that many Dota 2 combos that have survived the test of time because every new patch changes the game’s meta. Nevertheless, ...
Dota 2
Dota 2 temporarily deletes popular hero before launching huge Dark Carnival update
Michael Hassall
If you were an Axe player in Dota 2 earlier this week, you’d have found yourself out of luck when you tried to pick the stalwart Oglodi warrior, as the hero was straight up removed from the game on June 23. The hero was completely missing from All-Pick and his hero model was replaced with a missing poster. Axe couldn’t even be demoed or picked in a custom game for ...
Dota 2
Team Yandex stop the magic, defeating LGD in BLAST Slam VII finals
Michael Hassall
Team Yandex have defeated LGD Gaming in the grand finals of BLAST Slam VII in a dramatic 3-1 series that saw both teams pushed to the limit, but ultimately Yandex come out on top. Concluding the last major tournament before teams head to the Esports World Cup and The International 2026 next month and in August, Yandex were able to counter the momentum of LGD that had brought them into ...
