The first day of the BLAST Open London 2025 group stage delivered several storylines for Counter-Strike fans: the unexpected triumph of M80 on the opening map against Vitality, a crushing 13:0 from FaZe, a confident display of strength from NAVI, and another confirmation of GamerLegion’s potential. The tournament kicked off with four upper-bracket matches, each with its own drama and heroes.
NAVI – fnatic 2:0 (Train 13:10, Mirage 13:8)
The day opened with the legendary clash between Natus Vincere and fnatic. The Swedish-British lineup chose Train and kept NAVI under pressure for a long time. The start went to fnatic — jambo and KRIMZ pulled off key rounds, while blameF held mid control. But in the second half, NAVI took over thanks to the individual brilliance of iM and b1t, closing it 13:10.
On Mirage, the story repeated: the first rounds were even, but NAVI dominated on CT in the second half. Aleksib orchestrated the team with precision, while w0nderful showed composure in clutch situations.
FaZe – ECSTATIC 2:1 (Overpass 10:13, Dust2 13:0, Inferno 16:13)
This turned out to be one of the most spectacular matches of the day. The Danish side ECSTATIC impressed with their play on Overpass, where Anlelele and sirah created real problems for FaZe, winning the map 13:10.
But the real explosion came on Dust2. Known for their strength on the map, FaZe delivered a historic demolition — 13:0. frozen and broky were unstoppable, showcasing world-class individual skill.
The decider on Inferno was a nerve-wracking battle. ECSTATIC pushed hard, but in key moments FaZe’s experience and composure prevailed. Crucial rounds from karrigan and clutches by frozen sealed a 16:13 win.
GamerLegion – Virtus.pro 2:0 (Dust2 13:7, Ancient 13:9)
Virtus.pro came in as favorites but looked lost throughout. Their pick Dust2 turned into a disaster as Tauson and PR completely outplayed the Russian squad, closing 13:7.
On Ancient, VP tried to recover. FL1T pushed forward, but lacked support from his teammates. electroNic and Perfecto had one of their worst matches in recent memory, while ICY collapsed entirely. In contrast, GamerLegion operated like a well-oiled machine and closed the series 2:0.
Vitality – M80 2:1 (Overpass 3:13, Dust2 13:7, Inferno 13:10)
The day’s main matchup delivered a shock. The American team M80 demolished Vitality on Overpass with a stunning 13:3. The European superteam looked lost: losing entry duels, failed retakes, and no rhythm to their play.
But Vitality quickly regrouped. On Dust2, they secured a convincing 13:7 win, and the deciding Inferno became a tense affair. Both sides exchanged key clutches, but Vitality’s experience and composure brought them through 13:10.
Day One Takeaways
- NAVI and GamerLegion opened with clean 2:0 victories, looking the most stable so far.
- FaZe showed strength but also weakness: the Overpass loss and shaky Inferno could be warning signs.
- Vitality narrowly avoided disaster, but their shaky form after the Overpass collapse raises questions.
- fnatic and Virtus.pro currently look far from top-5 level contenders.
The opening day of BLAST Open London 2025 proved that the tournament promises plenty of surprises and dramatic storylines. Next up are the playoff qualification matches, where the stakes will only rise higher.
