This highly anticipated matchup featured the two primary favorites expected to eventually take on Team Vitality in the finals.
Team Spirit came into the series incredibly hot on a five match win streak. Having dropped only 10 rounds across their entire run at the Major thus far, they showcased a roster capable of dismantling even the best teams and tactics.
Natus Vincere entered the bout with four victories in their last five matches, carrying the immense hopes of both their players and their dedicated fanbase.
With Danil “donk” Kryshkovets leading the aggressive frontline and Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov scoping from the backlines, Team Spirit had plenty to prove, and they surely did that.
Spirit vs NaVi – 2:0
The plushie coached Team Spirit came out guns blazing in their opening game against Natus Vincere, completely wiping them off Dust II with a staggering 13:1 scoreline. Each member of the squad played their role to perfection as they seamlessly transitioned to Anubis.
Natus Vincere was on home turf for Anubis, but they were still unable to pose a significant threat to the current Team Spirit roster, ultimately losing on their own map pick.
Valiant individual performances from Mihai “iM” Ivan and Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov proved to be completely in vain, while the Kosovar talent makazze unfortunately remained in the shadows for the entirety of the series.
Dust II – Spirit sweeps NaVi
Team Spirit came out blazing hot, making it immediately clear to Natus Vincere that they were strictly there for business.
In round seven, Spirit found a rare spark when they managed to turn around a daunting two versus five post plant situation. While every single player on Team Spirit performed exceptionally well, TN1R was the primary catalyst making crucial plays happen across the map.
Conversely, makazze severely struggled to put up any meaningful resistance against the relentless onslaught.
Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov and Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy tried desperately to carry the load and salvage the half for their squad. Ultimately, Natus Vincere only managed to secure their lone round victory by simply evading Team Spirit until the round timer expired.
Team Spirit cruised through the remainder of the half with absolute ease, walking away with a massive 11:1 advantage.
The second half ended as quickly as it began. Team Spirit finished the map with a dominant 13:1 scoreline, highlighted by Danil “donk” Kryshkovets doing exactly what he does best. The young star comfortably closed out the match boasting an impressive 19 kills, only six deaths, and a staggering 132 average damage per round.
Anubis – NaVi loses their map pick
After dropping the opening two rounds, Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov brought Team Spirit right back on track with a massive four kill performance, followed by a stellar post plant defense against two Counter Terrorists.
From that moment onward, Team Spirit relentlessly piled the pressure onto Natus Vincere. Danil “donk” Kryshkovets did not have his strongest showing during the first half on Anubis, which was a somewhat expected outcome given the team’s historical lack of playtime on the map.
However, even with their star player having a quieter game, Team Spirit still closed out the first half with a commanding 9:3 lead, largely due to an incredible display of skill from both sh1ro and Myroslav “zont1x” Zhotkobiuk.
The second half began much better for Natus Vincere, as they successfully claimed three consecutive rounds. Anubis clearly played to their strengths far more than Dust II, allowing them to give Team Spirit a genuine run for their money in nearly every round.
Despite this renewed resistance, Team Spirit showed the entire IEM Cologne 2026 Major crowd exactly what a dominant force they truly are, securing the series victory with a decisive 13:6 scoreline.
Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov shone brightly throughout the match, delivering a flawless performance in every possible aspect of the game.
