Ninjas in Pyjamas defeated HEROIC 2:1 in the semifinal and advanced to the Grand Final of Stake Pulse Beat III. NIP won Cache 13:7 and the deciding Mirage 13:11, while HEROIC answered with a 13:7 victory on Inferno.
The result also strengthened the position of NIP in the race for PGL Singapore Major 2026, with the latest HLTV invite prediction giving the team a 94% chance of qualification.
Tournament context
Ninjas in Pyjamas reached the semifinal after coming back to defeat Liquid 2:1 in the quarter-final.
HEROIC advanced with a 2:0 victory over fnatic and entered the series on a strong run at the Stockholm event.
The winner would move directly into the Grand Final, while the losing team would drop into the third-place decider.
How the match unfolded — Ninjas in Pyjamas vs HEROIC
Series score: 2:1 in favor of Ninjas in Pyjamas
- Cache — 13:7 in favor of Ninjas in Pyjamas
NIP opened the series by taking control of Cache and securing a six-round victory. - Inferno — 13:7 in favor of HEROIC
HEROIC responded with the same score on the second map, tying the series and forcing Mirage. - Mirage — 13:11 in favor of Ninjas in Pyjamas
The deciding map remained close until the final rounds, but NIP held on to close Mirage 13:11 and secure a place in the Grand Final.
stavn leads NIP in the semifinal
Martin “stavn” Lund was the highest-rated player for Ninjas in Pyjamas and finished the series with:
- K–D: 52–38
- ADR: 87.8
- KAST: 78.1%
- Rating 3.0: 1.26
Rasmus “sjuush” Beck followed with a 1.08 Rating 3.0, while xKacpersky and adamb both finished at 1.03.
Linus “nilo” Bergman was the highest-rated player in the entire match despite the defeat. He recorded 54–40 K–D, 86.6 ADR and a 1.31 Rating 3.0 for HEROIC.
NIP move closer to Singapore Major
The semifinal victory also provided an important boost in the VRS race.
Ninjas in Pyjamas gained 19 points and moved from #16 to #14, while HEROIC lost 16 points and dropped from #14 to #15.
According to the latest HLTV invite prediction, the chance for NIP to qualify for PGL Singapore Major 2026 has now increased to 94%.
What’s next?
Ninjas in Pyjamas advance to the Grand Final of Stake Pulse Beat III, where they will face the winner of MIBR vs 100 Thieves.
HEROIC will play the loser of that semifinal in the third-place decider.
The Grand Final is scheduled for October 17 at 19:00 CET, while the third-place match will begin at 16:00 CET.
