Dust2 and Mirage finished PGL Masters Bucharest 2026 level at the top of the map chart, with 18 games each. Meanwhile, Anubis took the last place with only seven games.
This result is interesting because the two classic maps no longer dominate as clearly as before. Teams spread their picks across the whole pool in Bucharest. As a result, the map distribution looks more balanced than at some other recent events.
Map Choices at Recent Tournaments
To see the change, it helps to look at two other big events. At ESL Pro League Season 24, Mirage was the clear leader with 25 games. Dust2 followed with 19, while Anubis and Cache both reached 14. Inferno and Nuke each had 10, and Ancient was last with seven.
At the Thunderpick World Championship 2026, Dust2 led with nine games, and Mirage came next with eight. Nuke had five, and Inferno, Ancient and Cache each had four. Anubis finished last with three. However, this was a smaller event, so its raw numbers are lower.
Full Map Distribution in Bucharest
At PGL Masters Bucharest 2026, Dust2 and Mirage shared first place with 18 games each. Nuke was third with 15. Inferno and Cache then followed with 14 games each, only one fewer than Nuke. Ancient took sixth place with 11, and Anubis closed the chart with seven.
The gap between the top and the middle of the chart was small. Nuke, Inferno and Cache all stayed within four games of the leaders. Therefore, teams used five maps regularly in the event, not just two.
How Pro Team Picks Have Changed
The biggest shift happened with Mirage. It dropped from 25 games at ESL Pro League Season 24 to 18 in Bucharest. Dust2, in contrast, barely moved, going from 19 to 18.
Three maps grew in popularity compared with ESL Pro League Season 24. Nuke rose from 10 to 15 games, Inferno from 10 to 14, and Ancient from seven to 11. Cache stayed at 14.
Anubis lost ground, falling from 14 games at ESL Pro League Season 24 to seven at PGL Masters Bucharest 2026. It was also the least played map at the Thunderpick World Championship 2026, with three games.
Moreover, the share of the two most popular maps changed. Dust2 and Mirage together made up about 37% of all games in Bucharest. In comparison, they made up about 44% at ESL Pro League Season 24 and about 46% at the Thunderpick World Championship 2026.
Why the Map Pool Balance Matters
According to the map distribution data from PGL Masters Bucharest 2026, Dust2 and Mirage remain the most popular maps, but their lead is smaller than before. Nuke, Inferno and Cache stayed very close behind them, while Ancient kept a steady place in the middle.
Therefore, the tournament showed a wider map pool at the top level. For fans and analysts, this means vetoes are harder to predict. Anubis, finally, remains the map that pro teams choose least often.
