Astralis managed to eliminate FaZe and G2 made it to the final day of the group stage.
NAVI lose to MongolZ; off to face G2 in 2-2 game
Having a brand new player in their lineup, TheMongolZ were not expected to put up a great fight against NAVI. Even with their EWC-winning roster, TheMongolZ trailed NAVI 2-5 in overall head-to-head.
Today, they turned the trend around by beating them 2-1 in a tense qualification match.
NAVI stole Inferno while TheMongolZ stole Nuke, and it was decided on Mirage. Despite being NAVI’s first pick, it has not been kind to them this tournament. TheMongolZ won it with a stellar 8-round CT side to make the playoffs.
In the process, Polymarket Sports reported on X that a bettor made $130,000 by betting on TheMongolZ, as they were “underrated”. This was on a $70,000-USD bet.
After their upset loss, NAVI now has the unenviable task of having to win their series against G2 Esports to make the playoffs.
G2 survive another day
After starting 0-2 in the group stage, G2 now find themselves with a 2-2 record after beating HEROIC today. It was a confident win over two maps, with a solid Nikita ‘HeavyGod’ Martynenko throughout.
He posted a 1.58 rating in this series to put himself in the top 8 players of the event, with a 1.21 rating. That is despite G2 losing their opening two matches, one of them against Team Vitality,
Speaking of players with high rating but low placing…
FaZe sent packing by Astralis
FaZe continue their downward spiral in 2026. This is despite Russel ‘Twistzz’ van Dulken continuing his strong individual form, boasting a 1.19 rating at this event.
Astralis, themselves shaky in this tournament, dominated them over two maps. Helvijs ‘broky’ Saukants won multiple clutches in the first map of Ancient, and Twistzz fragged out, only to get 5 rounds total.
Astralis set up an inpenetrable CT side for FaZe, as their two new signings went ballistic.
Finn ‘karrigan’ Andersen was critical of his team in his loser’s interview. The problems he described were mental, with the team not able to reset from map to map.
Astralis set themselves up for a decider series against Aurora tomorrow.
This marks FaZe’s third group stage exit in 2026, after three events attended.
G2 vs NAVI tomorrow
2-2 pool
Aurora vs Astralis – 11:00 CET
FUT Esports vs PARIVISION – 14:00 CET
NAVI vs G2 Esports – 17:00 CET
