NAVI qualifies for the playoffs of BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 after beating Falcons with a 2-1 scoreline. Having lost the opening map, NAVI successfully reverse-swept Falcons in the following maps to make it to the playoffs.
VETO
- Natus Vincere removed Anubis
- Falcons removed Overpass
- Natus Vincere picked Mirage
- Falcons picked Inferno
- Natus Vincere removed Nuke
- Falcons removed Ancient
- Dust2 was left over
Map 1: Mirage; Pick: NAVI; Winner: Falcons
The 4-0 start for Falcons sent NAVI on the back foot on their own map pick before they started mounting rounds. Winning two back-to-back rounds, the Falcons snatched back the momentum to race till the end of the half before giving away two rounds to NAVI, only for NAVI to trail by 8-4 before switching sides. Winning the second pistol, Falcons raced up to an 11-4 lead before NAVI started mounting a comeback. Falcons managed to get going after conceding 5 rounds as the final two came their way to close out the map with a 13-9. 23 kills from Kyosuke helped the Falcons bag an early lead in the series upon his return after missing the first game.
Map 2: Inferno; Pick: Falcons; Winner: NAVI
Winning the pistol, NAVI went 3-0 up before Falcons hit the board. As NAVI remained dominant with their defense for the better part of the first half, the Falcons played the chase game until the final round, where they went back-to-back rounds, one with TeSeS clutching 1v2 to give his side a fighting chance with a 7-5 scoreline. Falcons levelled the scoreline off the back of their pistol conversion before NAVI got control of the game on the offense with relative ease. Winning a streak of rounds, NAVI hit a series point, and while Falcons managed to win two more rounds, NAVI stopped the comeback in its tracks and closed the game with a 13-9 scoreline.
Map 3: Dust2; Pick: Decider; Winner: NAVI
5-0 start for NAVI, set Falcons in recovery mode to kick off the final map of the series. As the Falcons continued to struggle, their defense could not yield consistency until the end of the half, as they walked away with a respectable scoreline of 6-6 before switching sides. Winning the pistol put the Falcons 7-6 up before the NAVI offense started putting together rounds. As the Falcons focused heavily on B, NAVI managed to retake the site every single time, leading to a 7-round streak to end the series.
Falcons just can’t seem to find the perfect rhythm to bring together all its stars into a well-structured team. As they continue to struggle, time is running out for this team to make itself a serious contender for the Major. As for this event, they have another shot at making the playoffs, but only time will tell if they can.
