The BLAST Open Porto 2026 group stage closed in Copenhagen on 31 August, and the six teams flying to Portugal are locked. Spirit and MOUZ won their groups and skip straight to the semi-finals, while FURIA, G2, Falcons and Vitality all start their weekend in the quarter-finals. The arena stage runs 4–6 September at the Super Bock Arena – Pavilhão Rosa Mota in Porto, with $1.1 million in combined player prize money and club share on the line.
Who qualified for the Porto playoffs
Both groups ran as eight-team, double-elimination brackets with every series a best-of-three. Three teams advanced from each, and only the group winner earned the bye.
- Group A: Spirit (1st), FURIA, G2
- Group B: MOUZ (1st), Falcons, Vitality
Spirit's run to the top seed went through the two teams most people had picked to beat them. They knocked G2 into the lower bracket 2-0 in the upper-bracket semi-final, taking Dust2 13-6 and Cache 13-9, then closed the group out with another 2-0 over FURIA to claim the bye. MOUZ did the same on the other side, taking the Group B decider over Falcons.
The pattern for the four quarter-finalists was survival rather than dominance. Vitality — playing the entire event with Justinas "jL" Lekavicius standing in for William "mezii" Merriman, who is on paternity leave — lost their opening series to Inner Circle and then had to win out. They eliminated 9z 2-0 (Dust2 13-2, Nuke 13-6), beat Legacy, and finished the job 2-0 against FUT for the last Group B slot.
G2 took the same road out of Group A after the Spirit loss, but needed all three maps against Aurora. Aurora took Anubis 13-7 and led Inferno 12-8 with match points before G2 dragged it into double overtime and won 19-16. The Mirage decider was a rout: G2 closed it 13-1 after an 11-1 half.
The biggest name left in Copenhagen is Natus Vincere. NAVI were beaten by regional qualifier M80 on 26 August, then lost to G2 on 30 August and were eliminated without reaching Portugal.
What the format means for the trophy
BLAST's split structure is why the group stage mattered more than usual. The first phase was played behind closed doors at BLAST's Copenhagen studio from 26–31 August; only the playoffs are in front of an arena crowd.
From here it is single elimination: quarter-finals and semi-finals are best-of-three, and the grand final is a best-of-five. That gives Spirit and MOUZ a two-series route to the title. FURIA, G2, Falcons and Vitality have to win three in a row over the same three days.
Porto is new territory for the circuit. It is BLAST's first event in the city and its fourth in Portugal, after Lisbon in 2018, 2022 and 2025.
Prize pool: what is actually being played for
The advertised $1.1 million is not a conventional placement pool. Per the published breakdown it splits into $400,000 in player prize money and $700,000 in club share:
| Placement | Player prize | Club share | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $150,000 | $100,000 | $250,000 |
| 2nd | $60,000 | $100,000 | $160,000 |
| 3rd–4th | $40,000 | $75,000 | $115,000 each |
| 5th–6th | $20,000 | $55,000 | $75,000 each |
| 7th–8th | $10,000 | $40,000 | $50,000 each |
| 9th–12th | $7,500 | $25,000 | $32,500 each |
| 13th–16th | $5,000 | $15,000 | $20,000 each |
Placement rows below first place come from the tournament's published breakdown rather than a Valve or BLAST payout document, so treat the lower brackets of the table as reported rather than official.
Ranking stakes
Twelve of the sixteen invitations were set by the Global Valve Regional Standings at the 6 July cutoff, with four more coming through regional qualifiers — another reminder that Valve's ranking system now gates access to the biggest third-party events. Spirit and Falcons sat first and second in the global VRS through August, and both are still alive. 9z, also inside the August VRS top five, are not: Vitality knocked them out of the Group B lower bracket.
Two roster notes shaped the bracket before a shot was fired: paiN entered as a replacement for BetBoom, who withdrew over visa issues, and Vitality confirmed jL as their stand-in in early August.
Schedule
Playoffs run 4–6 September at the Super Bock Arena – Pavilhão Rosa Mota, with the quarter-finals first and the best-of-five grand final last. Exact pairings and start times sit on the official event page, and it is worth checking before each series — HLTV and BLAST have already listed different times for this event once.
FAQ
When are the BLAST Open Porto 2026 playoffs? 4–6 September 2026, at the Super Bock Arena – Pavilhão Rosa Mota in Porto, Portugal. The group stage was played 26–31 August at BLAST's Copenhagen studio.
Which teams qualified for the playoffs? Six: Spirit and FURIA and G2 from Group A, MOUZ and Falcons and Vitality from Group B. Spirit and MOUZ won their groups and go directly to the semi-finals.
Why do Spirit and MOUZ skip the quarter-finals? The format rewards the winner of each double-elimination group with a direct semi-final berth. Second and third place start in the quarter-finals, which means one extra best-of-three on the road to the final.
How much is BLAST Open Porto worth? $1.1 million combined — $400,000 in player prize money plus $700,000 in club share. The champions take $150,000 in player prize money and a $100,000 club share.
Is Vitality playing with their full roster? No. jL is standing in for mezii, who is on paternity leave. Vitality still reached the playoffs, but through the lower bracket after losing their opener to Inner Circle.
Did NAVI qualify? No. NAVI lost to M80 on 26 August and to G2 on 30 August, and were eliminated in the group stage.
Results and format per HLTV's BLAST Open Porto 2026 event page and BLAST's official tournament hub, retrieved 31 August 2026.
