Spirit book BLAST Open Porto playoffs as Aurora eliminate DENDELE

Spirit became the first Group A team to secure a place in the BLAST Open Porto 2026 playoffs after sweeping G2, while Aurora kept their tournament alive with a 2-0 victory over DENDELE in the lower bracket.

The two results pushed Group A in opposite directions. Spirit extended their strong run immediately after winning the Esports World Cup and are now guaranteed a trip to Porto, while DENDELE became the first team from the group to be eliminated. G2 remain alive despite their defeat, and Aurora will have another chance to fight for one of the three playoff places available from the group.

Spirit's victory was the more convincing of the two. The world No. 1 side recovered from an early deficit on Dust2 before taking control of the series, then denied G2 a comeback on Cache behind another influential performance from Danil "donk" Kryshkovets.

Aurora had to work harder. They controlled DENDELE's Cache pick before being pushed into overtime on Mirage, where a flawless extra-time run completed the sweep.

Quick Results

Match	Result	Maps	Main consequence
Spirit vs G2	2–0	Dust2 13–6, Cache 13–9	Spirit qualified for the playoffs; G2 dropped to the lower bracket
Aurora vs DENDELE	2–0	Cache 13–7, Mirage 16–12 OT	Aurora survived; DENDELE were eliminated

Main Storylines

Spirit arrived at BLAST Open Porto only days removed from their Esports World Cup title and have shown little evidence of a championship hangover.

After opening the tournament with a comfortable 2-0 against DENDELE, Spirit faced a much more established opponent in G2 with a playoff place immediately available. The result was another two-map win.

The biggest difference was Spirit's ability to take control once the gun rounds settled. G2 had encouraging starts on both maps but rarely managed to turn them into sustained stretches of pressure. Spirit's mid-round decisions, individual opening power and depth across the lineup repeatedly pulled the game away from them.

For Aurora, the story was survival rather than qualification. Their opening defeat to G2 had immediately removed the margin for error, and DENDELE made the second map uncomfortable after losing Cache. Aurora nevertheless avoided an early exit, with Jimpphat, kyxsan and Wicadia carrying much of the statistical load.

DENDELE, meanwhile, leave the group stage without a series victory after losses to Spirit and Aurora.

Spirit defeat G2 2–0

Spirit needed only Dust2 and Cache to secure their place in the six-team playoffs, beating G2 13-6 and 13-9.

The scoreline continued a difficult matchup for G2. Spirit had already defeated them repeatedly during 2026, including in the quarter-finals of the IEM Cologne Major, and G2 once again struggled to contain Spirit once the early rounds were over.

Dust2 — Spirit 13–6

Spirit chose Dust2 but initially found themselves behind.

G2 opened with three consecutive rounds before Spirit completely changed the direction of the half. The Russian side strung together nine unanswered rounds, repeatedly finding successful bombsites and putting G2 into difficult save situations.

That run turned a 0-3 deficit into a 9-3 halftime advantage.

G2 briefly threatened to stabilize after the side switch, but Spirit were comfortable once rifles were in play. They gave away only three rounds in the second half and closed their own pick 13-6.

donk and tN1R were particularly damaging. donk finished Dust2 with a 1.65 rating, while tN1R produced 18 kills and a 1.63 rating as Spirit overwhelmed G2's defense.

G2's best performer on the map was r1nkle, who posted 23 kills, but his individual output was not enough to compensate for the lack of production elsewhere in the lineup.

Cache — Spirit 13–9

G2's choice of Cache gave them another positive opening, with MATYS collecting three USP kills in the pistol round.

Again, however, Spirit quickly took over once the economy developed.

They built an 8-4 advantage on their attacking half, forcing G2 into another comeback attempt after the break.

One of the defining sequences came when G2 won a Deagle round and appeared to have created an opening back into the map. donk immediately shut down the momentum, finding two kills through smoke in Mid before completing an ace on the B site to move Spirit to 11 rounds.

Spirit followed that with another disruptive Mid play to reach match point.

G2 delayed the finish and brought the score to 12-9, but the comeback never developed far enough. Spirit converted the next opportunity to close Cache 13-9 and complete the sweep.

tN1R finished the map with the highest rating on Spirit at 1.69, while zont1x produced a much stronger Cache after a quiet Dust2.

Across the series, donk led the server with a 1.45 rating. tN1R recorded a team-high 32 kills with a 1.36 rating, and sh1ro added a composed 29-18 performance.

G2 had no player above a 1.00 series rating. MATYS finished exactly at that mark, while huNter- endured an especially difficult series at 9-29.

Aurora defeat DENDELE 2–0

Aurora entered Friday with their tournament life already under pressure following a 0-2 opening loss to G2.

DENDELE were in the same position after beginning their campaign against Spirit, making their lower-bracket meeting the first elimination series of Group A.

Aurora ultimately survived in two maps, although Mirage required overtime.

Cache — Aurora 13–7

DENDELE selected Cache after showing the map against Spirit in their opener, but Aurora were much more comfortable on it.

Aurora took a 7-5 halftime advantage and increased the pressure after switching sides, winning six of the next eight rounds to finish the map 13-7.

The victory was built on strong production throughout the upper half of Aurora's scoreboard rather than one isolated carry.

Jimpphat was particularly effective, ending Cache with 20 kills and a 1.64 rating. Wicadia added 23 kills and 113.5 ADR, while XANTARES also finished comfortably positive.

The result put DENDELE one map from elimination and forced them to respond on Aurora's pick.

Mirage — Aurora 16–12

DENDELE produced their best stretch of Counter-Strike in the first half of Mirage.

The Brazilian-majority lineup took a 7-5 lead into halftime, forcing Aurora to chase the game after the switch.

Aurora answered with seven rounds of their own during the second half, but DENDELE matched them closely enough to take the map into overtime at 12-12.

That was where the series ended abruptly.

Aurora won all four overtime rounds to turn a competitive regulation into a 16-12 victory, completing the 2-0 and keeping their BLAST Open Porto campaign alive.

Wicadia finished the entire series with 46 kills and 105.7 ADR, the highest totals in both categories. Jimpphat posted Aurora's best overall rating at 1.49, while in-game leader kyxsan followed at 1.42 after contributing 38 kills.

rdnzao was DENDELE's strongest performer with a 1.09 rating, but the team could not produce enough consistency around him to force a deciding Nuke.

Head-to-Head Context

Spirit's victory over G2 fits a clear pattern in their recent meetings.

Before BLAST Open Porto, Spirit had beaten G2 2-1 in the IEM Cologne Major 2026 quarter-final on June 19. G2 took Overpass 13-9 in that series, but Spirit responded with overtime wins on Dust2, 16-14, and Mirage, 25-22.

Spirit had also swept G2 at PGL Astana in May, winning Dust2 13-6 and Ancient 13-11.

Those results were part of a wider run of Spirit victories in the matchup during 2026. Porto therefore did not create a new rivalry trend; it reinforced one that had already been established across several LAN tournaments.

Aurora and DENDELE had no meaningful recent head-to-head history before Friday. In their case, current form and the tournament situation carried considerably more weight than previous meetings.

Key Players

donk — Spirit

donk again supplied the highest overall rating in Spirit's series, finishing at 1.45. His Cache ace was the most visible moment, but his impact went beyond the highlight: he helped Spirit stop G2's momentum each time the series threatened to tighten.

tN1R — Spirit

tN1R actually finished with more kills than donk, posting 32 across the two maps alongside a 1.36 rating. His consistency on both Dust2 and Cache gave Spirit another reliable source of opening and mid-round damage.

sh1ro — Spirit

The AWPer finished 29-18 with a 1.24 rating and an 80.5% KAST. Spirit did not need a spectacular sh1ro performance because the riflers created so much space, but his low death count helped prevent G2 from generating comeback runs.

Jimpphat — Aurora

Jimpphat recorded Aurora's best series rating at 1.49, combining 39 kills with just 21 deaths. His Cache performance gave Aurora control of the series before DENDELE made Mirage considerably more competitive.

Wicadia — Aurora

No player in Aurora-DENDELE produced more raw offense. Wicadia ended the series with 46 kills and 105.7 ADR, giving Aurora consistent damage across both maps.

kyxsan — Aurora

Aurora's in-game leader paired his calling responsibilities with a 1.42 rating and 38 kills. His individual contribution was especially important in keeping the team clear of an elimination upset.

Interesting Facts

Spirit came into BLAST Open Porto as the reigning Esports World Cup champions after defeating FUT 3-1 in the grand final on August 23.

Their Porto run has started with consecutive 2-0 victories over DENDELE and G2, meaning Spirit have reached the playoffs without dropping a map.

The latest win also continued Spirit's remarkable recent dominance of G2. Their 2026 meetings have included Spirit victories at IEM Kraków, ESL Pro League Season 23, IEM Rio, PGL Astana and the IEM Cologne Major before the latest encounter in Copenhagen.

Aurora's win was their first series victory of BLAST Open Porto after they were swept by G2 in the opening round.

DENDELE leave the event after facing two top-level opponents in Spirit and Aurora and failing to win a map in either series.

Tournament Implications

Spirit are now guaranteed to play in front of the Porto crowd at the Super Bock Arena.

Their group stage is not finished, however. They advance to the Group A upper-bracket final, where they will meet the winner of M80 versus FURIA. That match determines playoff seeding: the Group A winner advances directly to the semi-finals, while the other qualified teams enter through the quarter-finals.

G2 move into the lower bracket but still have two potential routes to survival. Their next opponent will be the winner of Natus Vincere versus paiN.

Aurora advance to the other Group A lower-bracket semi-final, where they will face the loser of M80 versus FURIA.

DENDELE have no remaining path through the bracket and are eliminated.

The structure leaves Group A with Spirit already confirmed for Porto and two additional playoff positions still available.

What Comes Next?

Group A continues with two more matches on August 28.

Natus Vincere face paiN in a lower-bracket elimination series. The winner advances to play G2 on August 30, while the loser leaves the tournament.

M80 and FURIA meet in the second upper-bracket semi-final. Its winner joins Spirit in the playoffs and then faces them in the Group A upper-bracket final on August 31. The loser drops down to face Aurora.

Aurora's lower-bracket semi-final is scheduled for August 30, followed later that day by G2 against the NAVI-paiN winner.

The group stage runs through August 31 in Copenhagen. The six surviving teams will then travel to Portugal, with the BLAST Open Porto playoffs taking place at the Super Bock Arena from September 4-6.

FAQ

Which teams won the first completed matches on August 28?

Aurora defeated DENDELE 2-0 before Spirit swept G2 2-0.

Which team has qualified for the BLAST Open Porto playoffs?

Spirit secured a playoff berth by beating G2 in the Group A upper-bracket semi-final.

Which team has been eliminated?

DENDELE were eliminated after losing their lower-bracket series against Aurora.

What were the map scores?

Spirit beat G2 13-6 on Dust2 and 13-9 on Cache. Aurora defeated DENDELE 13-7 on Cache and 16-12 in overtime on Mirage.

Who were the standout players?

donk led Spirit with a 1.45 series rating, while tN1R recorded 32 kills. Jimpphat posted a 1.49 rating for Aurora, and Wicadia led the Aurora-DENDELE server with 46 kills.

Who do Spirit, G2 and Aurora play next?

Spirit will face the M80-FURIA winner. G2 will play the NAVI-paiN winner, while Aurora will meet the loser of M80-FURIA.