dziugss: EWC title would prove Bucharest was no fluke

FUT reached the Esports World Cup grand final after a 2-1 victory over FURIA, securing the organisation’s first appearance in a Big Event title match. The series was decided on Dust2 after FUT won Ancient, lost Nuke, then recovered to force overtime and take the decider.

Džiugas “dziugss” Steponavičius described the match as hard fought and credited the team’s persistence on the final map. “I think we never gave up in this game, and that’s why we managed to win it,” he said after the match.

On Ancient, FUT edged a close game against FURIA. The team struggled on Nuke and lost that map by a clear margin, then reset and treated Dust2 as a fresh start. FUT trailed 8-4 and later 10-7 on Dust2 before rallying to force overtime and close out the match there.

Steponavičius noted that Nuke is not one of FUT’s stronger maps and that the squad focused on a mental reset between maps. He described the Dust2 comeback as the product of continued effort rather than a tactical change: “Nothing. I think the secret is just fighting until the end.”

FUT will face either Spirit or Legacy in the final. Steponavičius expressed a preference to meet Spirit, citing that FUT has not played Spirit with the current lineup and calling Spirit the tougher opponent for a grand final. He contrasted Legacy as a fellow underdog.

The roster added player xfl0ud earlier in the season. Steponavičius said the new signing needed time to adapt but that integration has progressed faster than expected. He voiced confidence that FUT can become a stable top-five team in the coming months, projecting improvement within roughly six months.

Steponavičius addressed criticism of FUT’s earlier Bucharest title, where some observers described the field as weaker. He said winning the Esports World Cup would matter for the team and help demonstrate that the Bucharest result was not a one-off. “It would mean a lot. I think we want to prove that win in Bucharest… a lot of people were saying that it was a Mickey Mouse tournament,” he said.

The grand final will be held at the Accor Arena, which has a larger capacity than venues FUT has played so far. Steponavičius estimated the current arena felt full at about 4,000 people and noted the Accor Arena can hold close to 20,000. He said the team will focus on executing their usual game plan in front of the bigger crowd.