Ninjas in Pyjamas, Aurora, and MIBR secure PGL Astana playoff spots after key Swiss stage wins. Full quarterfinal bracket, matchups, and schedule revealed.
PGL Astana 2025 playoff bracket finalised
The playoffs bracket is now confirmed for PGL Astana 2025, with eight Counter-Strike 2 teams set to battle it out in the single-elimination bracket at Barys Arena starting Friday, May 16. Among those advancing are Ninjas in Pyjamas, Aurora, and MIBR, who all secured qualification on the final day of the Swiss stage.
NiP break through with gutsy win over G2
Ninjas in Pyjamas punched their ticket to their first tier-one playoffs with a new lineup after a high-stakes 2-0 win over G2 Esports in the round five decider. Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer’s squad entered the series as the overwhelming favourite with esports betting sites, and they had already taken down Virtus.pro and HOTU earlier, but their do-or-die clash against G2 proved the turning point.
The series saw G2 struggle without star rifler Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač, leaving Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa and Nikita “HeavyGod” Martynenko to shoulder the burden. After a string of strong showings, malbsMd finally ran out of gas, and NiP’s mid-series momentum shift on Dust2—powered by Michel “ewjerkz” Pinto and Rafael “arrozdoce” Wing—set the tone.
G2’s woes converting pistol rounds into round control were again evident on Nuke. Despite Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski providing a spark with an audacious knife kill, NiP stayed composed on the defence. Artem “r1nkle” Moroz closed the match with a dazzling AWP quad-kill, capping off a solid display to secure NiP’s playoff debut and a US$62,500 payday.
Aurora bounce back to eliminate ODDIK
Aurora stormed into the quarterfinals with a dominant 2-0 victory over ODDIK, brushing off a shaky start to their PGL Astana campaign. After failing to qualify in their first attempt against Natus Vincere, the Turkish CS2 squad made the second chance count in style.
Led by Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş, Aurora showed complete control on both Dust2 and Anubis, never allowing the underdog Brazilians to get into gear. ODDIK’s inspiring run—including upsets over G2 and paiN Gaming —ended quietly, with the team managing just six rounds per map in their final two losses to FURIA Esports and Aurora.
Post-match, Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli revealed the team’s preparation was hampered by an earthquake in Istanbul and subsequent travel issues. “We came here not in the best shape… It’s not the only reason we didn’t play well, but it added to everything,” he said.
MIBR stun Virtus.pro in decider
MIBR rounded out the playoff field with a thrilling 2-1 upset over Virtus.pro. The Brazilians bounced back from a narrow Mirage opener loss to seal the decider on Ancient thanks to several standout moments from Rafael “saffee” Costa.
Virtus.pro’s Mirage pick started promisingly, but MIBR wrestled back momentum to edge out a 13-11 win. A one-sided Anubis followed, where Denis “electroNic” Sharipov and his team ran riot to force a third map.
Ancient was the tightest map of the series. After early control from MIBR, Virtus.pro surged ahead 9-8, only to falter late. Saffee stole the spotlight with a triple kill at 11-10 and a 1v2 clutch in the final round to ice the series.
Quarterfinal matches
- The MongolZ vs Aurora – May 16 @ 10am UTC+5
A rematch of their IEM Katowice bout, where the Mongolians defeated Aurora. This will mark their seventh clash since the start of 2024. - Natus Vincere vs Astralis – May 16 @ 1pm UTC+5
Two titans collide in a battle of tactical nous and mechanical firepower. - FURIA vs MIBR – May 16 @ 4pm UTC+5
All eyes will be on young AWPer Danil “molodoy” Golubenko, who makes his arena debut in his hometown. - Spirit vs Ninjas in Pyjamas – May 16 @ 7pm UTC+5
Tournament favourites Spirit will face a resurgent NiP squad looking to spring a surprise.
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