Spirit convincingly defeat Liquid to reach Group B upper bracket final at BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026

Team Spirit kicked off their BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 campaign with a confident victory over Team Liquid in the Group B upper bracket match. Despite Liquid’s attempts to put up a fight, the Eastern European squad showed more consistency across both maps and closed out the series 2–0, making a strong statement in their push toward the playoffs.

Map veto:

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

The match started on Mirage, picked by Liquid. However, Spirit controlled the game on the CT side, securing a dominant 9:3 lead in the first half. Liquid responded with a solid defensive performance after the side switch, but it wasn’t enough to turn things around. Spirit closed Mirage with a 13:8 victory.

The first half on Ancient was evenly contested, with both teams showcasing their strengths and ending it in a tie. After switching sides, Spirit took control on the CT side, putting together a five-round streak. Liquid tried to level the score, but Spirit edged out the final rounds to secure a 13:11 win on Ancient.

MVP of the match

The standout player of the match was donk, who finished with an ADR of 115.2 and a 1.79 rating.

With this win, Spirit advance to the Group B upper bracket final, where they will face PARIVISION. Meanwhile, Liquid drop to the lower bracket and will take on NiP. BLAST Open Rotterdam runs from March 18 to March 29, featuring 16 teams competing for the championship title and a $250,000 prize pool.