Gentle Mates Eliminate M80 at BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 Closed Qualifier

Gentle Mates earned a convincing victory over M80 in the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Closed Qualifier, eliminating the North American side from the tournament. The European team controlled the series with confident map play, strong coordination, and consistent performances in key rounds. Despite attempts to respond, M80 were unable to shift the momentum, while Gentle Mates advance to the next round.

Map veto

The map veto for the match looked as follows:

1. M80 removed Nuke
2. Gentle Mates removed Dust2
3. M80 picked Mirage
4. Gentle Mates picked Inferno
5. M80 removed Overpass
6. Gentle Mates removed Anubis
7. Ancient was left over

Mirage (13:2 Gentle Mates)

The match began on Mirage, M80 ’s map pick, but Gentle Mates immediately took control. From the opening rounds, they dictated the pace with aggressive map control and precise utility usage. M80 struggled to establish mid presence and repeatedly lost early duels, which allowed Gentle Mates to build a strong economic advantage.

On the defensive side, Gentle Mates read M80’s executes well and punished predictable setups. The map quickly slipped out of reach for the North American team, ending in a dominant 13:2 win for Gentle Mates.

Inferno (13:8 Gentle Mates)

Inferno was more competitive, with M80 showing improved coordination and better round conversions. However, Gentle Mates remained composed and consistently won critical moments. Their control of banana and disciplined site holds on the CT side limited M80’s options.

On the T side, Gentle Mates executed well-structured attacks and secured important entry frags, preventing any real comeback attempt. The map concluded 13:8, sealing a clean 2:0 series victory.

Match MVP

The MVP of the match was Alejandro “alex” Masanet, who delivered an outstanding performance throughout the series. He finished with 38–22 K/D, a +7.69% impact, 102.6 ADR, 86.1% KPR, and a 1.72 rating, playing a crucial role in Gentle Mates’ dominant showing.

Gentle Mates demonstrated strong teamplay and tactical discipline across both maps, leaving M80 without consistent answers. With this victory, Gentle Mates continue their run at the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Closed Qualifier, while M80 are eliminated from the competition.