dziugss ahead of Spirit final: “Winning EWC would mean a lot”

Džiugas “dziugss” Steponavičius has already helped FUT turn Esports World Cup 2026 into the organization’s deepest run at a Big Event. Now the 17-year-old Lithuanian has a chance to attach a much stronger answer to the questions that followed the team’s first trophy of the year.

FUT reached the EWC grand final after surviving FURIA 2-1 in a tense semifinal, taking Ancient 13-11, being blown out 6-13 on Nuke, and recovering from multiple deficits before closing Dust2 16-13 in overtime. The result secured FUT’s first Big Event final and set up a best-of-five against Spirit, who later swept Legacy 2-0 in the other semifinal.

For dziugss, the opportunity carries extra weight because of the conversation around FUT’s PGL Bucharest 2026 victory. That April title was the organization’s first notable LAN trophy, but the field did not include several of the scene’s biggest teams, including Vitality, MOUZ, FURIA and Falcons. The Lithuanian acknowledged that criticism after beating FURIA and made it clear that lifting the EWC trophy would be a very different statement.

Quick Context

Detail	Information
Player	Džiugas “dziugss” Steponavičius
Team	FUT
Role	Rifler
Age	17
Event	Esports World Cup 2026
Interview type	Post-semifinal interview
Semifinal	FUT 2-1 FURIA
Maps	Ancient 13-11, Nuke 6-13, Dust2 16-13 OT
Next opponent	Spirit
Final format	Best-of-five
HLTV team ranking	FUT #14; Spirit #2 entering the final
Main storyline	FUT can turn its Bucharest title into evidence that this roster belongs among the elite

HLTV lists dziugss with a 1.12 Rating 3.0 across his recent three-month sample, while FUT entered the weekend at No. 14 in the world ranking.

Why this final matters more than Bucharest

FUT’s PGL Bucharest victory deserves its place in the team’s history. They went 3-0 through the group stage, beat B8 and The MongolZ in the playoffs, then defeated Astralis 3-1 in the best-of-five final. dziugss produced a 1.28 rating in that title match as FUT won Ancient and Mirage 13-5 apiece before eventually finishing the series on Dust2.

The caveat was the field. Several of the teams that defined the top end of Counter-Strike were absent, leaving FUT with something to prove when they returned to events featuring the strongest opposition.

That is why dziugss’ message at EWC is more interesting than a standard pre-final declaration.

“Winning EWC would mean a lot.”

The important part is not simply another trophy. EWC has forced FUT through opponents that make the old criticism harder to sustain. They have already beaten MOUZ twice at this tournament, first 2-1 in the group stage and then 2-0 in the quarter-final, before eliminating No. 3-ranked FURIA in the semifinal.

Beating Spirit in a best-of-five would add the No. 2 team to that list.

FUT refuse to disappear against FURIA

The semifinal was not dziugss’ best individual series. He finished with a 0.85 rating, while cmtry led FUT at 1.16 and dem0n repeatedly delivered in the high-pressure rounds that decided Dust2. That made the nature of the victory arguably more significant for FUT: they reached the final without needing one star to carry the entire series.

Ancient provided the first warning that FURIA would struggle to shake them. FUT survived a tight finish to take their pick 13-11, helped by several low-man situations and a crucial late retake.

Nuke went in the opposite direction.

FURIA seized control on their own pick and ran away to a 13-6 victory. dziugss did not attempt to dress up the defeat afterward; he described Nuke as one of FUT’s weaker maps and said the focus was simply on resetting before Dust2.

That reset worked, although not immediately.

FURIA built an 8-4 offensive half on Dust2 and later led 10-7. FUT repeatedly escaped situations in which the Brazilians held the numerical advantage, including a 2v4 that put them on match point. FURIA forced overtime, but another lost advantage in extra rounds allowed FUT back in before dem0n sealed the series in the final duel.

dziugss reduced the comeback to a simple principle:

“I think we never gave up in this game.”

That mentality is becoming an identifiable part of this FUT run. The team has not been flawless, but it has repeatedly remained functional when matches have gone away from the expected script.

dziugss gets the opponent he wanted

When dziugss spoke to HLTV, the second semifinal between Spirit and Legacy had yet to be played.

Asked which opponent he preferred, his answer was straightforward:

“I think I would want to play Spirit.”

That wish has now been granted.

Spirit handled Legacy 13-7 on Dust2 and 13-9 on Ancient to advance without dropping a map. donk and sh1ro were the primary individual forces behind the victory, while Spirit consistently found the reads needed to prevent Legacy from establishing control of the series.

The matchup also carries genuine novelty. HLTV described the EWC title match as the first meeting between FUT and Spirit, meaning there is no recent head-to-head series to lean on when evaluating the final.

That makes current form and the veto more useful than historical results.

For FUT, Ancient has been one of the defining maps of the tournament. They beat MOUZ 13-6 on it in the group stage, crushed the same opponent 13-5 in the quarter-final, and then edged FURIA 13-11 in the semifinal. Their Nuke against FURIA, on the other hand, reinforced the weakness dziugss himself acknowledged after the series.

A best-of-five will make hiding weaker parts of the pool considerably harder.

A new FUT roster is already ahead of schedule

There is another distinction between Bucharest and EWC that matters: FUT are no longer playing with the same five.

Their April title came with Laurențiu “lauNX” Țârlea. FUT benched the Romanian rifler in July and signed former HEROIC player Yasin “xfl0ud” Koç on July 7.

The transition has moved faster than dziugss expected.

He explained after the FURIA match that practice had shown both promise and problems, and that xfl0ud was still learning the team’s system. Despite that adjustment period, the new lineup has reached the EWC final little more than a month after the change.

xfl0ud has hardly looked like a passenger in the process. He produced a 1.50 rating in FUT’s first EWC victory over MOUZ and then led the team with a 1.48 rating in the 2-0 quarter-final rematch.

That early success also explains why the team’s ambitions are already expanding. xfl0ud previously told HLTV that he believed FUT could eventually become a top-five side; dziugss agreed after reaching the final and suggested that, with more time together, the roster could become a consistent trophy contender.

EWC offers a much earlier chance to test that ceiling.

From a Bucharest trophy to a Big Event final

For dziugss personally, the speed of the rise is striking.

He is still only 17, has one Major appearance on his record, and was part of FUT’s run to Stage 3 at the IEM Cologne Major 2026. His only LAN trophy to date remains PGL Bucharest.

Now he is preparing for a best-of-five final against Spirit on one of FUT’s biggest stages yet.

The crowd is part of that challenge. dziugss said the team has little experience playing in front of an arena of this scale, but his approach to it was deliberately uncomplicated: FUT intend to treat the final as another game of Counter-Strike rather than allow the setting to change how they play.

For a roster this young, that may be easier said than done. Spirit bring far more experience at the sharp end of elite events and enter as the higher-ranked side.

FUT, however, no longer arrive as an interesting team waiting for a breakthrough. They have already won a LAN, reached the latter stages of a Major, changed a player, and immediately produced their first Big Event final.

The question in the final is whether that trajectory can survive the strongest opponent of their EWC run.

Interesting Facts

• dziugss is only 17 years old and currently plays as a rifler for FUT.
• FUT won PGL Bucharest 2026 with lauNX, defeating Astralis 3-1 in the grand final.
• xfl0ud joined on July 7, meaning FUT reached the EWC final roughly six weeks into the new lineup’s life.
• FUT have beaten MOUZ twice at EWC 2026, including a 2-0 quarter-final victory.
• The FURIA victory gave FUT their first Big Event grand final appearance.
• FUT vs Spirit is their first meeting, removing meaningful recent head-to-head history from the equation.

What comes next?

FUT will face Spirit in the Esports World Cup 2026 best-of-five grand final on August 23.

Spirit arrive after a convincing 2-0 semifinal against Legacy, while FUT have taken the more turbulent route through magic, MOUZ and FURIA in the knockout stage.

For FUT, Ancient remains an obvious source of confidence, while Nuke is the map that raises the clearest question after FURIA dismantled them there. In a five-map series, the depth of both teams’ pools and FUT’s ability to reset after losing maps could matter as much as raw individual form.

A win would give FUT their second LAN trophy of 2026, their first Big Event title, and the strongest possible response to anyone who viewed Bucharest as a product of its field rather than evidence of the team’s potential.

FAQ

Who is dziugss?

Džiugas “dziugss” Steponavičius is a 17-year-old Lithuanian rifler who plays for FUT Esports.

What did dziugss say about winning EWC 2026?

He said an EWC victory would carry major significance for FUT, particularly after criticism of the strength of the field at their PGL Bucharest title run.

How did FUT reach the EWC 2026 grand final?

FUT defeated FURIA 2-1 in the semifinal, winning Ancient 13-11 and Dust2 16-13 in overtime after losing Nuke 6-13.

Who will FUT play in the EWC 2026 final?

FUT will face Spirit, who defeated Legacy 2-0 in the other semifinal.

Have FUT and Spirit played each other before?

No meaningful recent head-to-head exists: the EWC 2026 grand final is their first meeting according to HLTV’s semifinal coverage.