Two Dota 2 Members Suspended from the Esports World Cup Amid Match-Fixing Investigation
A Dota 2 team was removed from EWC26 after ESIC suspended two participants over suspected integrity violations.
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PTIME at EWC26. Credit: Esports Foundation
Two participants are suspended by ESIC
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The Esports World Cup had already faced its first security issue after some VALORANTcoaches had their equipment stolen during the opening days of the event. However, what happened in the Dota 2 tournament on Tuesday, July 14, appears to be on a completely different scale. The all-Peruvian roster PTime was disqualified ahead of its first Survival Stage match against Vici Gaming.
Originally scheduled for 13:00 CEST, the match was first postponed, as explained in a statement released by the Saudi organizer several hours after the original start time. In the same statement, the Esports Foundation, which oversees EWC26, said the match "will be rescheduled as a precaution after an integrity issue was identified and referred for review." It was a brief but impactful announcement, especially for a tournament of this magnitude, even if it is not part of the ESL Pro Tour circuit.
One of the biggest Dota 2 tournaments of the season tarnished
It would take several more hours, until the morning of Wednesday, July 15, for further details to emerge. The ESIC, or Esports Integrity Commission, is the organization tasked with overseeing competitive integrity in esports, monitoring match-fixing as well as other integrity issues across the scenes it covers. A partner of ESL FACEIT Group, which is closely linked to the Esports Foundation, the ESIC naturally became involved and released a clear statement on the situation on Wednesday.
According to the statement, "the Esports Foundation confirms that PTime has been removed from the Dota 2 competition at the 2026 Esports World Cup," following "the imposition by the Esports Integrity Commission of provisional suspensions on two participants associated with PTime." While the organizer did not identify them, the ESIC confirmed that the individuals are the team's coach, Juan "Vintage" Angulo, and Peruvian midlaner Oswaldo "DarkMago" Herrera, both of whom are "subject to an ongoing integrity investigation arising from the Esports World Cup 2026."
In addition to PTime's removal from the tournament, "Vintage and DarkMago are prohibited from participating, directly or indirectly, in EWC26 and all ESIC Member events while the investigation remains ongoing." These measures remain provisional for the duration of the investigation, with the Commission emphasizing that "No final determination of guilt has been made" regarding either individual. The ESIC also stated that "the provisional suspensions have been imposed following ESIC's preliminary assessment of information concerning suspected breaches of the ESIC Anti-Corruption Code and Player Code of Conduct," without disclosing the specific issues that triggered the investigation.
In its own statement, PT Sports Management, the Playtime Entertainment division responsible for the organization's esports operations, addressed the situation by first reaffirming its "strict, zero-tolerance policy toward any actions that compromise competitive integrity." The organization said it had never been informed of these allegations and was not involved, while adding that it is "in close communication with EWC officials and are unconditionally cooperating to ensure total transparency." Alongside apologizing for the disruption caused, the Philippines-based company also announced that it had launched an internal investigation and had "suspended the relevant individuals pending the outcome of the investigation."
"It's disgusting, disgusting, disgusting"
Former Ninjas in Pyjamas and OG Esports player Mikhail "Misha" Agatov quickly took to his Telegram channel to condemn the actions of the two Peruvians. The former Russian support player and coach appeared fully convinced of the duo's guilt and did not hold back:
"I'm familiar with the situation. Taiga (Tommy Le - who recently received a lifetime ban over match-fixing) did the exact same thing, even at a Major. Honestly, I think people like this should start going to prison because these guys are committing fraud together with betting syndicates. Tens of millions are being wagered, and the integrity of the game is being destroyed from within. If the screenshots circulating online are real, then PlayTime threw their match against L1GA in under 20 minutes through unfair means. It's disgusting, disgusting, disgusting. People like this are destroying esports. Let's make an example of DarkMago and throw him in a French prison."
