BLAST Open Porto 2026 will continue the Opening Round in Group A with a match between Spirit and DENDELE. The teams will play a Bo3: the winner will advance to the Upper semi-finals, while the losing team will drop to Lower Round 1. Spirit approach the match as the second-ranked team in the world and on a six-match winning streak, while DENDELE are ranked 31st, which is why Spirit enter the match as the clear favorite.
BLAST OPEN PORTO 2026 GROUP A — FORMAT SPECIFICS
The group stage of BLAST Open Porto 2026 is played in a Double Elimination Bo3 format. Group winners advance directly to the Playoffs Semi-finals, while teams that finish the group in second and third place will receive spots in the Quarter-finals. In the Opening Round, victory allows a team to continue through the upper bracket, while defeat sends them to Lower Round 1.
Bo3 significantly reduces the underdog’s chances of a random upset compared to Bo1. DENDELE can create problems on one comfortable map, but to win the series they need to withstand Spirit’s tempo on at least two maps, which looks like a difficult task given the difference in individual level.
HEAD-TO-HEAD — FIRST MEETING BETWEEN THE TEAMS
Spirit and DENDELE have not yet faced each other with their current rosters, so there is no head-to-head match history. For the teams, this will be their first direct matchup at an official tournament.
The difference in status is very noticeable. Spirit are ranked second in the world and have remained among the main title contenders for a long time, while DENDELE are in 31st position and have only recently approached the top 30.
CURRENT FORM
Spirit — six wins in a row and a dominant donk
Spirit approach BLAST Open Porto on a six-match winning streak. The team defeated FUT 3:1, Legacy 2:0, Vitality 2:1, B8 2:0, BIG 2:1, and Luminosity 2:0. This stretch shows that the roster is consistently handling both second-tier teams and opponents of the highest level.
The main firepower remains donk, who has a 1.43 rating over the last three months. He shows 0.93 kills per round, 76.7% KAST, and 94.4 ADR. Together with sh1ro, tN1R, magixx, and zont1x, he forms a roster with a huge advantage in individual firepower.
DENDELE — strong individual results, but instability
DENDELE have recently been showing decent results, although their form remains less stable. The team defeated SAW, QueenConso, FURIA, and paiN, but at the same time lost to JiJieHao and FaZe. The 2:1 victory over FURIA looks especially telling, confirming that the roster is capable of punishing stronger opponents.
The best listed numbers belong to doc, who has a 1.14 rating over the last three months. He records 0.73 kills per round, has 75.3% KAST, and 80.1 ADR. Together with gafolo, koala, maxxkor, and rdnzao, he can create problems for Spirit, but to win, the team will need an almost flawless series.
MAP POOL & VETO
Statistics over the last 3 months (Spirit | DENDELE):
- Cache: 25% | 80%
- Dust2: 71% | —
- Mirage: 75% | 44%
- Inferno: — | 67%
- Nuke: 60% | 67%
- Ancient: 100% | 50%
- Anubis: 88% | 57%
Expected veto:
- DENDELE should almost certainly remove Ancient. Spirit have won all five matches on this map over the last three months, while DENDELE have only a 50% win rate across eight played maps.
- Spirit, in turn, will logically avoid Inferno. The team has not used this map at all in the current stretch, while DENDELE have a 67% win rate on it across six matches.
Likely maps:
- Anubis or Dust2 look like the most natural options for Spirit. On Anubis, the favorite has an 88% win rate against DENDELE’s 57%, while on Dust2 they have 71%, whereas the opponent practically does not use this map.
- DENDELE may try to answer with a Cache pick, where they have an 80% win rate against only 25% for Spirit. If the series reaches a third map, Nuke looks like one of the most balanced options — 60% for Spirit against 67% for DENDELE.
KEY DUELS
- donk vs doc — the main individual matchup between the most productive players on both teams.
- sh1ro vs gafolo — an AWP duel that may determine control of key areas and the number of opening frags.
- tN1R vs koala — a rifle matchup, especially important in the middle stages of rounds and during the fight for space.
PREDICTION
DENDELE have several strong maps and have already shown that they can beat opponents ranked much higher. The best scenario for the underdog looks like Cache or Inferno, where Spirit have weak or no statistics. If DENDELE get a comfortable pick and start the series well, they are capable of making one of the maps competitive.
However, Spirit’s advantage is too large in almost all other parameters. The team is on a six-match winning streak, has a much stronger roster, a dominant donk, and a huge advantage on Ancient, Anubis, Mirage, and Dust2. With a normal veto, Spirit should control the series and advance to the Upper semi-finals without serious problems.
Projected result: Spirit 2–0 DENDELE
