Liquid defeat Gentle Mates and advance to the main stage of BLAST Bounty Winter 2026

Team Liquid secured a confident victory over Gentle Mates in a decisive match of the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier, completing a comeback in the series and booking their spot in the main stage of the tournament. After losing Inferno, the North American squad managed to turn the tide, dominating on Mirage and closing out the series convincingly on Nuke, while the Spanish team saw their run in the qualifier come to an end.

The map veto for the match was as follows:

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

Inferno (13:7 Gentle Mates)

The match started on the Spanish side’s pick, where they confidently opened the game on the T side and secured 9 rounds in the first half. In the second half, Liquid tried to seize the initiative, but without success. Gentle Mates comfortably closed out their map pick with a 13:7 scoreline.

Mirage (9:13 Liquid)

Team Liquid responded on their own map. The first half of Mirage was evenly contested, with no clear favorite. The game shifted in Liquid’s favor once they moved to the CT side, where their active defense gave Gentle Mates no real chances. The final score was 13:9 for Liquid.

Nuke (3:13 Liquid)

The decisive Nuke ended in a one-sided 13:3 victory for Liquid. From the very first rounds, Liquid were in full control of the map. With no real chances for the Spanish squad, Liquid comfortably won the third and deciding map.

Match MVP

The best player of the match was ultimate, who finished the series with a 1.25 rating.

With this victory, Liquid advance to the main stage of the tournament and begin preparations for the LAN format, while Gentle Mates exit the competition. The BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier takes place from January 13 to 18, with 32 teams competing for 8 spots at the LAN event in Malta.