After a first stage filled with upsets and early eliminations of favorites, the tournament moved on to matches with an even higher cost of mistakes. Stage 2 participants needed to win only one series to turn a successful online run into a ticket to the final part of the season.
Tournament context
Stage 2 of BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 2 is played in a single-elimination Bo3 format. The eight winners of the Round of 16 receive spots at the LAN Finals, which will take place from July 30 to August 2, while the losing teams end their tournament runs.
After the first playday, FaZe, Liquid, Astralis, and MOUZ secured tickets to the final stage. DENDELE, G2, HOTU, and FOKUS left the tournament.
How the matches unfolded — DENDELE vs FaZe
Series score: 2:1 in favor of FaZe
- Nuke (DENDELE’s pick) — 2:13
FaZe completely destroyed the opponent’s plan on its own map choice. DENDELE took only two rounds and could not create a single stable stretch that would have allowed them to get back into the game. - Mirage (FaZe’s pick) — 13:10
DENDELE responded on the opponent’s map and kept the intrigue alive in the series. The Brazilian roster played the decisive rounds better and took advantage of FaZe’s instability, moving the match to a third map. - Cache — 7:13
On the deciding map, FaZe regained control of the game. The team adapted faster to the opponent’s tempo, created a comfortable advantage, and did not allow DENDELE to repeat the upset after their victory over FURIA in Stage 1.
Player of the Match — Jakub “jcobbb” Pietruszewski (FaZe)
- K–D: 49–35
- ADR: 85.9
- Rating 3.0: 1.40
Key contribution: jcobbb became FaZe’s most consistent player across all three maps and gave the team the necessary advantage in key duels.
VRS results
- FaZe — +9 pt → 1626 pt
The victory moved FaZe up to 15th place in the ranking. The team did not play a flawless series, but qualification for the LAN Finals and a positive VRS result became an important outcome of the day. - DENDELE — -8 pt → 1444 pt
After the sensational victory over FURIA, the Brazilian roster could not get past another favorite. DENDELE lost eight points but kept 28th position.
Liquid vs G2
Series score: 2:0 in favor of Liquid
- Anubis (Liquid’s pick) — 13:6
Liquid immediately imposed their own scenario on the opponent and confidently converted their own pick. G2 could not stabilize their defense, while Liquid steadily increased their advantage and closed the map without a nervous ending. - Mirage (G2’s pick) — 13:5
On G2’s pick, Liquid’s advantage became even more convincing. The team controlled the tempo, won most of the important duels, and did not give the opponent a chance to take the series to Inferno.
Player of the Match — Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski (Liquid)
- K–D: 36–21
- ADR: 97.4
- Rating 3.0: 1.45
Key contribution: EliGE became Liquid’s main firepower, finished both maps with high impact, and helped the team eliminate a top-seeded opponent for the second time in a row after their victory over Vitality.
VRS results
- Liquid — +36 pt → 1307 pt
The victory over G2 brought Liquid the biggest increase among the day’s winners. The team rose to 40th place, while two consecutive wins over Vitality and G2 significantly strengthened its ranking position. - G2 — -29 pt → 1715 pt
The 0:2 defeat was painful for G2 both in tournament and ranking context. The team lost 29 points and dropped to 11th place.
HOTU vs Astralis
Series score: 2:1 in favor of Astralis
- Cache (HOTU’s pick) — 1:13
Astralis played an almost flawless opening map. HOTU could not take advantage of their own pick and won only one round, finding themselves under constant pressure from the Danish roster. - Nuke (Astralis’ pick) — 13:7
HOTU unexpectedly responded on the opponent’s map. The team played the key episodes better, stopped Astralis’ attempts to get back into the game, and leveled the score in the series. - Ancient — 10:13
On the deciding map, the battle remained competitive until the final stretches. Astralis played the ending more consistently, did not allow HOTU to complete the comeback, and secured a ticket to the LAN Finals.
Player of the Match — Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard (Astralis)
- K–D: 59–36
- ADR: 98.4
- Rating 3.0: 1.48
Key contribution: jabbi delivered the strongest individual result of the series and became the main factor behind Astralis’ advantage on the first and third maps.
VRS results
- Astralis — +11 pt → 1512 pt
Astralis gained 11 points and moved up to 22nd position. Despite dropping a map, the Danish roster completed the main task and qualified for the LAN Finals. - HOTU — -10 pt → 1368 pt
HOTU managed to recover after the blowout on Cache, but did not complete the comeback. The team lost ten points and remained in 34th place.
FOKUS vs MOUZ
Series score: 2:0 in favor of MOUZ
- Dust2 (FOKUS’ pick) — 10:13
FOKUS managed to put up a fight on their own map, but MOUZ played the decisive part of the match better. The favorite’s experience showed in the key rounds, where the team did not allow the opponent to deliver an upset. - Mirage (MOUZ’s pick) — 8:13
On their own pick, MOUZ acted more confidently. The team quickly gained control of the map, kept the advantage until the end, and closed the series without needing to play Cache.
Player of the Match — Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás (MOUZ)
- K–D: 36–18
- ADR: 76.9
- Rating 3.0: 1.49
Key contribution: torzsi finished the series with a twofold frag advantage and gave MOUZ stability in the most important rounds of both maps.
VRS results
- MOUZ — +2 pt → 1779 pt
The victory over a lower-seeded opponent brought MOUZ only two points. The team kept eighth position, but the main result was reaching the final stage. - FOKUS — -2 pt → 1277 pt
FOKUS lost two points and remained in 44th place. The team created competition on Dust2, but could not take a single map.
What’s next?
FaZe, Liquid, Astralis, and MOUZ become the first four participants of the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 2 LAN Finals. At the final stage, eight teams will continue the fight in a single-elimination bracket.
DENDELE, G2, HOTU, and FOKUS end their tournament runs. The most notable result of the day was Liquid’s victory, as after their sensational win over Vitality, they eliminated G2 just as convincingly.
Match summary
The first day of Stage 2 brought two clean results and two full series. MOUZ predictably got past FOKUS, while FaZe and Astralis each dropped one map but kept control in the decisive moments and completed the main task.
Liquid left the strongest impression. The team first eliminated Vitality and then crushed G2 on two maps, earning the biggest VRS increase of the day. FaZe, Liquid, Astralis, and MOUZ will now prepare for the LAN Finals, while the BLAST Bounty season has ended for their four opponents.
