We’re going back to Group A in Day 3 of the BLAST Open Spring 2026, and now it actually matters – upper-bracket on the line, lower bracket elimination matches. A few of these look close on paper, and yeah… this is usually when things are starting to get weird.

Group A – Upper-Bracket Semifinals

Falcons vs NAVI

This one is easily the highlight match of the day, but there’s a big question hanging that might change my predicted outcome – will kyousuke sort out his visa problems and Falcons are in full force, or are they running another game with NucleonZ as a substitute? Either case, they looked more than fine without him in the opener against NRG, and they’re at 4 wins in their last 5 matches. NAVI are also on a good win streak, five games in a row – including the grand final at ESL Pro League Season 23 couple of days ago. They’re clearly in a decent form, even though their opener against B8 was a bit messier than I expected.

The head-to-head stats lean Falcons, 2-0 in series and 4-1 in maps, although it’s not exactly fresh. If we take NAVI’s current form, and the fact that there are some overlaps in map preferences between these two teams, the matchup looks very tight. Mirage is most likely to be picked by either team with NAVI having a 4 games win streak on it, while Falcons have historically been a bit stronger there. Dust2 also seems to be a strong pick for NAVI at the moment, also riding 4 games win streak, but Falcons are more than comfortable there too. The only gap shows on Anubis, where Falcons have some edge.

If kyousuke plays, it will probably be a cleaner win – if not, a full three-map grind.

Prediction: Falcons 2-1.

FURIA vs Aurora

Both teams won their opening matches, but neither looked too convincing. FURIA look like they’re still trying to find their rhythm. They swept TYLOO, but the map results were closer than expected. Aurora had tougher time, dropped a map to a struggling FaZe Clan, but eventually closed it out 2-1. If we zoom out a bit, Aurora looks like the more consistent team lately, winning four of their last five series, with the only loss being the ESL Pro League final couple of days ago.

The head-to-head leans FURIA pretty clearly. They won three of the four clashes, with the last two being a back-to-back sweep series at Thunderpick World Championship 2025 semifinal, and the latest in the quarterfinals at IEM Kraków 2026.

Map-wise, there’s no any huge gaps between them, which is why I feel like this’ll be one of the most competitive matches of the day. Aurora might have the better form right now, but FURIA have consistently shown they know how to counter Aurora.

Prediction: FURIA 2-1.

Group A – Lower-Bracket Quarterfinals

TYLOO vs FaZe

TYLOO lost 2-0 to FURIA in their opener, but considering that was their first real S-tier opponent since the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, they didn’t look too out of place. There were lots of moments where they held their own against FURIA, which might prove to be more than enough to make it interesting.

FaZe though… it’s getting kinda hard to defend them at this point. The loss to Aurora puts them at 8 losses in their last 10 matches, and the only wins came against Monte and HEROIC. They look completely lost right now, and if they drop this game against TYLOO and get eliminated early, again – they should start looking beyond just the coaching change. Head-to-head doesn’t offer much either, just one series where FaZe barely avoided an upset. This should be their game on paper, but it’s not looking convincing, at all. I feel like this one is the reality check game for FaZe and at this point they must win it, but if I was a betting man, I’d stay clear of this.

Prediction: FaZe 2-1.

B8 vs NRG

Both teams dropped into the lower bracket after their losses in Day 1, but they looked pretty different while losing. NRG were comfortably swept by Falcons, without looking too competitive on either map. B8, on the other hand, at least showed signs of life and pushed NAVI to three maps, even if they couldn’t close it out. And that’s what makes this young team looking more convincing coming into this matchup.

Looking at their form, neither team looks in a great spot, both being on four-game loss streaks. There’s only one head-to-head series between them, where NRG reverse-swept B8 at IEM Kraków earlier in this year – but that’s the event where B8 were playing with an unknown stand-in. B8 are looking better now with s1zzi settled in well with the team.

Overall, B8 look more structured right now, which might just be enough in a matchup like this.

Prediction: B8 2-1.