NAVI Defeat Aurora and Move to 2-1 at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026

Natus Vincere secured a crucial victory over Aurora Gaming in the group stage of PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026. The BO3 series turned out to be extremely tense and went all the way to overtime on the deciding map, where NAVI showed composure and resilience in the most important moments. With this win, the Ukrainian side improved their record to 2-1 and kept strong playoff hopes alive, while Aurora are now just one step away from elimination.

Map Veto:

1. Aurora removed Ancient
2. Natus Vincere removed Overpass
3. Aurora picked Anubis
4. Natus Vincere picked Mirage
5. Natus Vincere removed Dust2
6. Aurora removed Nuke
7. Inferno was left over

Anubis (13:9 NAVI)

NAVI started on the CT side on their opponent’s pick. Aurora managed to gain a slight advantage on the T side, finishing the first half 7:5. The situation changed once NAVI switched to the attack, where they won key rounds and closed Anubis with a 13:9 victory.

Mirage (9:13 Aurora)

The Turkish side responded on NAVI’s map pick. In the first half, Aurora delivered a strong defensive performance, leading 8:4. Although NAVI tried to shift the momentum after the side switch, Aurora secured the crucial rounds and took Mirage 13:9.

Inferno (16:12 NAVI)

The first half of the deciding map was highly competitive, with NAVI edging it 7:5. In the second half, playing on the T side, NAVI reached match point, but Aurora mounted a comeback from 7:12 to force overtime. In overtime, however, NAVI did not drop a single round and sealed Inferno 16:12.

Match MVP

b1t was named the MVP of the match, finishing the series with a 1.35 rating.

With this result, NAVI move to a 2-1 record, while Aurora remain one loss away from elimination. PGL Cluj-Napoca runs from February 14 to 22, featuring 16 teams competing for $225,000 for first place, with a total prize pool of $1,250,000.