G2 Esports have reverse-swept Astralis to bag the quarterfinal spot in the Esports World Cup 2026. Having lost the opening map, G2 came up with the goods in back-to-back maps to outclass Astralis and steam ahead in Paris.
VETO:
- Astralis removed Anubis
- G2 removed Nuke
- Astralis picked Ancient
- G2 picked Dust2
- Astralis removed Mirage
- G2 removed Cache
- Inferno was left over
Map 1: Ancient; Pick: Astralis; Winner: Astralis
With Astralis delivering consistent results on Ancient in the past, they started strong yet again with a 6-0 before G2 found some footing to build from. From getting washed on their defence, G2 secured 5 rounds before letting the final one go to close out the half with a 7-5 scoreline. The second half kicked off with both teams trading rounds as Astralis settled in to keep up their unbeaten streak till the map closed with a dominant 13-6 scoreline.
Map 2: Dust2; Pick: G2; Winner: G2
A 7-0 start for G2 shifted the momentum after suffering a disastrous loss in the opening map to ensure the team remained dominant. A strong start led to a convincing closure of the first half with a 9-3 scoreline. Following a heavily one-sided first half, G2 had tons of room to trade rounds and fight it out to take the game with relative ease, returning the favour with a 13-6 scoreline, levelling the series.
Map 3: Inferno; Pick: Decider; Winner:G2
Winning 7 rounds on the less-favoured side of Inferno, G2 remained largely dominant, with Astralis managing to secure 5 rounds but were too inconsistent to pose a strong challenge. The second half saw G2 run away with the map, with Astralis failing to win rounds. As the G2 defence continued to stay on the board, the map slowly slipped away from Astralis, with a nertz smoke spray 3K closing the map in the most stylish of ways to give G2 a 13-7 win.
G2 might have had an easy time with Astralis, but they will face the winners of FURIA vs Aurora next. Regardless of the winner, both teams are in prime position to beat G2, and should they pass the test, we will see a more interesting playoff down the line.
