Team Spirit defeated Inner Circle and advanced to the LAN stage of BLAST Bounty Winter 2026

Team Spirit confidently defeated Inner Circle in the decisive match of the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier to secure a spot in the LAN stage of the tournament. The series ended 2–0, with donk emerging as the key figure of the matchup—his outstanding individual form had a decisive impact on both maps and left the opponents with no real chances.

Map veto:

1. Inner Circle removed Nuke
2. Spirit removed Inferno
3. Inner Circle picked Ancient
4. Spirit picked Dust2
5. Inner Circle removed Overpass
6. Spirit removed Anubis
7. Mirage was left over

Ancient (8:13 Spirit)

The match started on Ancient, Inner Circle’s pick. They opened confidently and secured a three-round streak but failed to maintain control, allowing Spirit to close the first half with a 9:3 lead. After the side switch, Inner Circle showed a solid defense and cut the deficit to just two rounds, but Spirit didn’t allow them to capitalize and closed the map 13:8.

Dust2 (5:13 Spirit)

On Spirit’s pick, Inner Circle struggled from the start. Playing on the defensive side, they managed to win only three rounds in the first half. After switching to the T side, they tried to impose their game, but thanks to donk’s individual performance—he finished the map with a 2.21 rating—Spirit secured a convincing 13:5 victory.

MVP of the match

The best player of the match was donk, posting 110.8 ADR, +6.58% Swing, and a 1.80 rating.

Inner Circle end their run in the tournament, while Spirit advance to the LAN stage. BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier takes place from January 13 to 18, where 32 teams compete for 8 LAN spots in Malta.