The black skies over Ninjas in Pyjamas are finally starting to clear.

After a tough and inconsistent start to 2025, things are beginning to turn around for NIP, who have now climbed to #24 on Valve’s official world ranking, according to HLTV’s live tracker — their highest position since their hunt for VRS points began in January.  

The rise comes off the back of a strong showing at PGL Astana, where Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer and his team locked in a coveted playoff spot earlier today.

The campaign in Kazakhstan follows up on their title-winning run at the US-based LAN event Fragadelphia Las Vegas 2025.

At the $1.25 million event in Astana, NIP have notched up wins over HOTU, Virtus.pro, and most recently G2, who were sent home after falling short in their elimination match.

Dominant duo in front

Leading the way for NIP has been the duo of Rasmus “sjuush” Beck and Artem “r1nkle” Moroz, who continue to impress with consistent firepower.

Over the past three months, they’ve averaged 1.19 and 1.22 ratings, respectively. Luckily for Snappi, they have decided to carry that form straight into Astana.

But the real test comes next.

On Friday, NIP face tournament favourites Spirit in the quarterfinals, which serves as a rematch from the group stage where Spirit came out on top.

The quarterfinal between Spirit and NIP is set to be played on Friday at 16:00 (CET).