Thursday will bring six best-of-three matches in the CS2 group stage. Teams in Groups B and D will fight either for direct qualification to the playoffs or for survival at the tournament.
The schedule includes upper-bracket semi-finals and lower-bracket round 1 matches. Therefore, some teams can secure a playoff place, while others will be eliminated after a single defeat.
Group D: Playoffs or Elimination
GamerLegion will face JijieHao in the Group D upper-bracket semi-final. GamerLegion reached this match after a 13-3 win over Luminosity, while JijieHao defeated Spirit 13-10. The winner will advance to the playoffs, whereas the losing team will drop to the lower bracket.
Luminosity and Spirit will meet in the Group D lower-bracket opening round. Both teams lost their first matches, so this BO3 is an elimination series. The losing roster will leave the tournament, while the winner will remain in contention through the lower bracket.
BIG and G2 will play the second Group D upper-bracket semi-final. BIG beat Aurora 13-9 in the opening round, while G2 earned a narrow 13-11 victory over M80. As a result, the winner of this match will qualify for the playoffs. The defeated team will get another chance in the lower bracket.
Aurora will take on M80 in another elimination match in Group D. Aurora lost to BIG, and M80 fell to G2 in the opening round. Therefore, the winner stays alive, but the losing team’s tournament run will end on Thursday.
Group B: Two Playoff-Deciding Series
Falcons will play Astralis in the Group B upper-bracket semi-final. Falcons opened their campaign with a 13-6 victory against K27, while Astralis eliminated MIBR from the upper path with a 13-6 result. The winner will secure a place in the playoffs.
Legacy and FaZe will meet in the other Group B upper-bracket semi-final. Legacy defeated Ninjas in Pyjamas 13-5, while FaZe beat BetBoom 13-11. Like the Falcons versus Astralis series, this BO3 offers a direct route to the playoffs. Meanwhile, the losing side will continue its campaign in the lower bracket.
Thursday Schedule
GamerLegion versus JijieHao and Luminosity versus Spirit are scheduled for 13:00 CEST. BIG versus G2 and Aurora versus M80 will follow at 15:55 CEST. Finally, Falcons versus Astralis and Legacy versus FaZe are set to begin at 18:50 CEST.
Thursday’s matches will determine the first playoff representatives from Groups B and D. At the same time, two teams from Group D will be eliminated, making every map crucial.
