Falcons will face Astralis in the Esports World Cup 2026 Group B upper-bracket semi-final on August 13. The match will be played as a Bo3, with both teams advancing after confident victories in their opening games.
Falcons enter as clear favorites. They are ranked second in the Valve Regional Standings, while Astralis hold 19th place. Moreover, Falcons have a stronger recent record and more reliable options in the map veto.
Falcons Bring Elite Form
Falcons opened their EWC campaign with a 13-6 win over K27 on Dust2. The team have also won four of their previous five series, including victories over FURIA, Spirit and Vitality.
Recent results:
- Falcons 13-6 K27
- Falcons 1-2 100 Thieves
- Falcons 3-0 FURIA
- Falcons 2-1 Spirit
- Falcons 2-1 Vitality
m0NESY has been Falcons’ best player over the past three months. He has posted a 1.24 rating and a 0.82 kills per round. His 80.7 ADR also highlights the damage output that makes him one of the main threats in the series.
Falcons have a deep map pool. They hold strong records on Dust2, Nuke and Anubis, which should give them several comfortable choices in the veto.
Astralis Need Their Map Picks
Astralis began the tournament with a 13-6 victory over MIBR on Inferno. However, their recent form has been inconsistent, with losses to MOUZ and HEROIC among their last five matches.
Recent results:
- Astralis 13-6 MIBR
- Astralis 1-2 MOUZ
- Astralis 2-1 paiN
- Astralis 2-1 HOTU
- Astralis 0-2 HEROIC
Staehr has been Astralis’ strongest individual player in the last three months. He enters with a 1.17 rating, 1.27 multi-kill rating and 81.7 ADR. In addition, his 75.3% KAST shows that he can consistently contribute in successful rounds.
Astralis need Staehr to continue this form. The Danish team also needs to turn Inferno or Ancient into a realistic map win, because Falcons have advantages across several other likely options.
Map Pool Favors Falcons
Stats from the last three months:
- Cache: Falcons — | Astralis 67%
- Dust2: Falcons 71% | Astralis 0%
- Mirage: Falcons 25% | Astralis 50%
- Inferno: Falcons 60% | Astralis 100%
- Nuke: Falcons 80% | Astralis 12%
- Ancient: Falcons 57% | Astralis 62%
- Anubis: Falcons 80% | Astralis —
Astralis should look for Inferno. They have won all three recent games on the map, while Falcons have a 60% win rate across five matches. Ancient could be another workable option, as Astralis have won 62% of eight games.
However, Falcons should be able to avoid Astralis’ best conditions. Dust2 and Nuke strongly favor Falcons, with 71% and 80% win rates respectively. Anubis is also an excellent option, as Falcons have won four of five recent matches on the map.
Prediction
Astralis have a possible route to one map through Inferno or Ancient. Staehr’s form could also help the team keep individual duels competitive.
Nevertheless, Falcons hold a major VRS advantage and arrive in better overall form. Their map pool is more complete, while m0NESY gives them a consistent advantage in firepower.
Prediction: Falcons 2-0 Astralis
