Virtus.pro Came Through the Play In and Then Beat Team Vitality at the Rocket League World Championship
TSM, R8 Esports, Five Fears and Mate y Tapa were all knocked out on the opening day of the event at Fort Worth in Texas.
Virtus.pro beat Team Vitality 3-1 in Group D of the Rocket League World Championship in Fort Worth, Texas, on 16 September 2026, a day after winning the upper bracket of the play-in stage.
In the play-in on 15 September, Virtus.pro beat Bigodes 3-0 and Mate y Tapa 3-1, while Team Falcons beat FUT Esports 3-1 and R8 Esports 3-1. FUT Esports recovered to beat TSM 3-1 and Mate y Tapa 3-0, and Bigodes beat Five Fears 3-1 and R8 Esports 3-2. All four winners joined the 12 teams already waiting in the group stage, while TSM, R8, Five Fears and Mate y Tapa went out.
"Going through Play-Ins was the nervous part," Virtus.pro player 2Piece told Sheep Esports. He said the team had prepared specific plans to disrupt Vitality star zen, but declined to give details. Another win would send them through to play before a live crowd, a first for coach Memory.
Elsewhere on the first day of the group stage, FURIA beat Ninjas in Pyjamas 3-0 and Twisted Minds edged FUT Esports 3-2 in Group B. Manchester City Esports beat Shopify Rebellion 3-0 and NRG beat Bigodes 3-1 in Group C, while Gentle Mates swept Wildcard 3-0 in Group D, according to esports.gg and 1vX.gg.
The group stage finishes on 17 September, and 12 of the 16 teams will reach the playoffs, with the group winners going straight to the upper bracket quarter-finals. The playoffs run from 18 to 20 September at Dickies Arena for a US$1.2 million prize pool, with the 1v1 grand final on 18 September.