The storied Counter-Strike organization fought through the lower bracket to punch its ticket to the $1.1M tournament's knockout stage
G2 Esports has clinched a playoff berth at BLAST Open Porto 2026, navigating a turbulent lower-bracket run that included a decisive Mirage victory to keep their tournament hopes alive. In a field of 16 teams competing for a share of $1.1 million in prize money, G2’s path to Porto was anything but smooth.
The playoffs will take place at the Super Bock Arena in Porto, Portugal, from September 4 to 6, where single-elimination matches will separate contenders from pretenders.
The road through the lower bracket
G2 opened BLAST Open Porto 2026 on August 26 with a clean 2-0 sweep over Aurora. On August 28, Spirit handed G2 a 0-2 defeat that dropped them into the lower bracket. On August 30, G2 dismantled Natus Vincere with another 2-0 scoreline. Their final lower-bracket match against Aurora on August 31 sealed their playoff qualification.
The group stage format, a double-elimination bracket played in best-of-three series, unfolded in Copenhagen before the action shifts to Portugal for the playoff weekend.
What G2 brings to the playoffs
G2 enters the knockout stage ranked approximately 12th in the world. The roster features veterans like huNter- alongside newer additions like r1nkle and MATYS. G2 has collected multiple BLAST Premier titles over the years, including victories in both World Finals and Fall Finals events.
The competition waiting in Porto
The upper bracket in Group A was dominated by Team Spirit and FURIA, both of whom advanced without dropping into the lower bracket.
The $1.1 million prize pool is split with $400K designated for players and $700K for the club.
