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Six of the world’s top seven Counter-Strike teams will head to Lisbon, Portugal, to comepete in the playoffs of BLAST Open Spring, following the final day of the group stage.
Team Vitality held off a spirited challenge from MOUZ to secure their place in the semifinals, taking a tightly contested 2-0 series across Mirage and Dust2—both ending 13-11.
SEMI-FINALS SECURED FOR @TEAMVITALITYCS!
#BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/xzLv597vM1
— BLAST Premier
(@BLASTPremier) March 24, 2025
MOUZ started brightly on Mirage, recovering from a lost pistol round to build a 7-5 lead at the half thanks to multi-kill rounds from Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo.
Vitality struggled early in their terrorist side gun rounds but adapted mid-half, shifting to a default-heavy approach that allowed them to control the middle of the map.
Dust2 followed a similar script, as it started even in the first half before MOUZ edged ahead.
But Vitality’s half-buy gamble, stacking three on B, paid off late and secured the win.
Despite captain Dan “apEX” Madesclaire claiming post-match that Vitality played their “C game,” the win stretched their unbeaten run to 14 matches and cemented their global No.1 status heading into the business end of the tournament.
Team Spirit overcame early setbacks in the group stage to down Virtus.pro 2-0 in the Group A lower bracket decider, booking their ticket to Lisbon with back-to-back 13-9 wins on Ancient and Anubis.
Danil “donk” Kryshkovets once again took centre stage, delivering a monstrous 1.78 rating on Ancient.
His teammates followed suit, with Boris “magixx” Vorobiev (1.37), Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov (1.36), and Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia (1.64 on Anubis) all contributing heavily.
It marks Spirit’s third consecutive 2-0 win over their Russian rivals dating back to June 2024.
The result also strengthens their reputation as the CIS region’s dominant force and extends their 2025 playoff streak to four tournaments.
Virtus.pro, meanwhile, squandered a valuable chance to earn Valve Ranking points in their fight with Astralis for a Stage 2 invite to the BLAST.tv Austin Major.
With just five points separating the two teams ahead of the April 7 cutoff, the pressure is mounting.
Eternal Fire delivered arguably the most dominant performance of the day, crushing Natus Vincere (NaVi) 2-0 (Inferno, Dust2) to secure their first-ever win over the Ukrainian giants after five straight losses.
The Turkish squad looked revitalised, with Ali “Wicadia” Yalçın and Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş leading the charge.
.@ETERNALFIRECS2 ARE HEADING STRAIGHT TO THE SEMI-FINALS!
#BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/gKXfJLymAL
— BLAST Premier
Wicadia was especially electric on Dust2, ending with eight multi-kills, a 21-7 scoreline, and a staggering 1.97 rating.
Despite winning both pistols, NaVi were disjointed and error-prone, most notably letting slip a 5v2 on Dust2.
Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy endured one of the worst series of his career, posting ratings of 0.42 and 0.39—his overall 0.83 event rating is now the lowest in any LAN of his career.
In contrast, Eternal Fire continue to build momentum.
The addition of Samet “jottAAA” Köklü in the off-season has helped fuel their rise, with the team reaching the bracket stage at five consecutive tier-one events.
However, their punishing schedule has raised burnout concerns, voiced by in-game leader Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli earlier this year.
G2 Esports rounded out the BLAST Open Spring playoff bracket with a 2-0 win over The MongolZ (13-11 Ancient, 13-4 Dust2), setting up a mouth-watering quarterfinal clash against MOUZ.
Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov was key to their Ancient comeback after a slow start, while Nikita “HeavyGod” Martynenko closed the map with a clutch 1v2.
G2 carried that momentum into Dust2, stringing together six straight rounds after an eco win and dominating the rest of the map.
The victory lifts G2 into the top six of the Valve Rankings, currently securing them a Stage 3 invite for the upcoming Austin Major.
Meanwhile, The MongolZ exit in seventh-eighth place, ending their impressive streak of four straight playoff finishes.
The BLAST Open Spring playoffs will kick off on Thursday, March 28, with MOUZ and G2 Esports set to clash before a massive all-CIS meeting between Team Spirit and Natus Vincere.
BLAST Open Spring quarterfinal matches
- Team Spirit (-303.03) vs Natus Vincere (+225) @ 3:30pm WET
- MOUZ (-188.68) vs G2 Esports (+137) @ 6:30pm WET
