BLAST.tv Austin Major: How every Playoff team qualified

After three stages of world-class Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) action, the Playoffs for the BLAST.tv Austin Major is set.

The remaining eight teams will compete at the Moody Center for a chance to become the champion of CS2’s biggest tournament, etching their names in the long-standing history of Valve’s first-person shooter.

Esports Insider takes a closer look at the journeys of each Playoff team and how the organisation managed to earn an opportunity to compete on the big stage.

Defending Major champions Team Spirit had a straightforward run to the Moody Center after beginning its campaign as one of eight teams directly invited to Stage 3.

Victories over PaiN Gaming, Lynn Vision Gaming, and NAVI earned a flawless 3-0 record, laying the foundations for another potential appearance in the final. Team Spirit will face off against MOUZ in its quarter-final match.

In contrast to Team Spirit’s simple path to the Playoffs, MOUZ played the most maps of any team in Stage 3 to earn its place in the final phase of the BLAST.tv Austin Major.

Early losses to Virtus.pro and FaZe Clan placed the second-highest ranked team on the verge of elimination, needing victories across three best-of-three matches to remain in the tournament. 2-1 wins over Team Liquid, Aurora Gaming, and Legacy were enough to book its place on the big stage.

PaiN Gaming is one of two teams to qualify for the Playoffs after working its way through Stages 2 and 3 to secure a place in the last eight.

Wins over the likes of FURIA, Nemiga Gaming, and Virtus.pro demonstrated the Brazilian organisation’s ability to contend with surprising underdogs and established names. The team will need to channel its previous form in an opening-round clash against fellow Brazilians FURIA.

Like PaiN Gaming, FURIA also worked its way into the Playoffs from Stage 2, scoring wins over M80, B8, and Aurora Gaming along the way. Having moved away from the AWP role, two-time Major winner Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo is back on the big stage and is hoping for another shot to lift the trophy.

The MongolZ head into the Playoffs of the Austin Major after playing its part in the longest match of the tournament so far. A 28-25 win over G2 Esports saw the Mongolians secure their place with a win-to-loss record of 3-2.

Despite defeats to FURIA and FaZe Clan, The MogolZ has an excellent chance to make a deep run after displaying incredible resiliency in its deciding Stage 3 match. However, the team has been tasked to take down a familiar foe, with a quarter-finals tie against FaZe Clan announced.

NAVI has looked like a cohesive unit at the Austin Major, picking up three wins over Nemiga Gaming, 3DMAX, and G2 Esports in Stage 3 to lock in a place at the Moody Center.

A first-round showdown against Team Vitality stands in the way of a semi-final place, but with the French organisation showing cracks in its armour, a victory is certainly possible.

Despite having Oleksandr ‘S1mple’ Kostyljev, widely regarded as one of the greatest Counter-Strike players in history, on its roster, FaZe Clan’s journey to the Playoffs was far from smooth sailing. Two losses towards the end of Stage 2 almost saw the North American organisation eliminated, but a win over MIBR saw it make it to Stage 3.

Stage 3, through, was more straightforward, defeating MOUZ, Legacy, and The MongolZ to earn FaZe Clan a chance of winning its first Major since 2022.

As the best team in the world, it’s no surprise to see Team Vitality in another Major Playoffs. A shock defeat to Legacy in the first round of Stage 3 brought the team’s unbeaten streak to an end, but it quickly started rebuilding momentum to cement itself as a powerhouse going into the final stages.

Wins over MOUZ, 3DMAX, and Virtus.pro were enough for Vitality to make it through, setting up a tantalising contest against NAVI in the quarter-final.