BLAST Open Porto 2026 continues with a Semi-final between Spirit and Falcons. The teams will play a Bo3 on September 5: the winner will advance to the Grand Final, while the losing side will end its run at the tournament. Spirit are ranked first in the world against Falcons in second place and enter the series on a nine-match winning streak, but Falcons already defeated them in the IEM Cologne Major 2026 Semi-final.
BLAST OPEN PORTO 2026 PLAYOFFS — ONE WIN FROM THE GRAND FINAL
The BLAST Open Porto 2026 Playoffs are played in a Single Elimination format, so there is no second chance for either roster. Spirit advanced directly to the Semi-finals after finishing first in Group A, while Falcons had to start the Playoffs from the Quarter-finals after losing the Group B Upper final to MOUZ.
Spirit had more time to prepare for the match, but Falcons have already played on the Porto stage and looked convincing against G2. They won the Quarter-final 2:0, taking Inferno 13:6 and Dust2 13:9, with Nikola “NiKo” Kovač finishing the series with a 1.54 Rating 3.0.
HEAD-TO-HEAD — FALCONS WON THE COLOGNE MAJOR SEMI-FINAL
The overall head-to-head map balance is almost even: Falcons have ten victories against nine for Spirit. Their most recent meeting came in the IEM Cologne Major 2026 Semi-final, where Falcons won the Bo3 2:1 and later went on to win the tournament.
- Anubis — Falcons 16:14 Spirit
- Mirage — Spirit 13:8 Falcons
- Dust2 — Falcons 16:12 Spirit
The previous series between the teams went in the opposite direction. Spirit defeated Falcons 3:0 at PGL Astana 2026, winning Ancient 13:10, Mirage 13:7 and Dust2 16:12. The recent history therefore gives both sides successful examples against the other.
CURRENT FORM
Spirit — nine consecutive victories and a perfect Porto group stage
Spirit approach the Semi-final in excellent form. They defeated FURIA 2:0, G2 2:0 and DENDELE 2:0 in Porto without dropping a map, while before that they won Esports World Cup 2026 after victories over FUT, Legacy, Vitality and B8. Spirit have now won nine consecutive matches.
The main individual force remains Danil “donk” Kryshkovets. Over the last three months, he has a 1.45 Rating 3.0, 0.93 kills per round, 77.2% KAST, a 1.43 multi-kill rating and 95.2 ADR.
Falcons — strong response after the loss to MOUZ
Falcons have been less stable in recent weeks. They beat G2 2:0 in the Quarter-final, but before that lost 1:2 to MOUZ after victories over Legacy and Lynn Vision. Their recent results also include a 0:2 defeat to Legacy at Esports World Cup, although Falcons remain the reigning IEM Cologne Major champions.
Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov has the strongest listed numbers for Falcons over the last three months with a 1.33 Rating 3.0. He averages 0.84 kills per round, only 0.56 deaths, 75.7% KAST, a 1.21 multi-kill rating and 82.7 ADR.
MAP POOL & VETO
Statistics over the last 3 months (Spirit | Falcons):
- Cache: 57% | —
- Dust2: 73% | 77%
- Mirage: 75% | 50%
- Inferno: — | 62%
- Nuke: 60% | 67%
- Ancient: 100% | 33%
- Anubis: 88% | 80%
Expected veto:
- Spirit have the clearest reason to remove Inferno. They have not played the map with the current core during the three-month sample, while Falcons have a 62% win rate across eight maps.
- Falcons should remove Cache. They have no played maps there in the same period, while Spirit have seven appearances and a 57% win rate. The teams used the same opening bans in their Cologne Major Semi-final.
Likely maps:
- Ancient looks like the strongest direction for Spirit. They are 7–0 on the map over the last three months, while Falcons have won only 33% of six appearances.
- Falcons have several options for their own pick. Dust2 gives them a narrow statistical advantage at 77% against 73%, while Anubis stands at 80% for Falcons against 88% for Spirit. Falcons won both maps against Spirit in Cologne.
- Mirage is another comfortable option for Spirit with a 75% win rate against 50% for Falcons. Spirit also won Mirage 13:8 in their latest head-to-head series.
KEY DUELS
- donk vs kyousuke — two aggressive riflers capable of creating a large advantage through opening fights and individual multi-kills.
- sh1ro vs m0NESY — the main AWP duel of the series, especially important on Dust2 and Anubis, where both teams are statistically strong.
- tN1R vs NiKo — a rifle matchup that can become important if the main stars neutralize each other and the series is decided by secondary firepower.
PREDICTION
Falcons have a very real path to the Grand Final. They already defeated Spirit in the Cologne Major Semi-final, have a strong Dust2 and Anubis, and arrive after a clean 2:0 victory over G2. NiKo was especially strong in the Quarter-final, while m0NESY and kyousuke give Falcons enough individual firepower to compete with Spirit over a full Bo3.
However, Spirit currently look more reliable. They have won nine matches in a row, have not dropped a map at BLAST Open Porto, and hold a major statistical advantage on Ancient as well as a noticeable edge on Mirage. donk also has the strongest individual numbers in the matchup over the last three months. Falcons can take one map, but Spirit have more comfortable directions in the veto and enter the Semi-final in better overall form.
Projected result: Spirit 2–1 Falcons
