3DMAX and paiN Gaming have become the first two teams eliminated from PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 after failing to score three wins during the Group Stage.
The all-French roster failed to win a single map across three best-of-threes, while paiN Gaming lost to The MongolZ, Aurora Gaming, and G2 Esports.
3DMAX’s Struggles Continue
Having scored a top-12 finish at IEM Krakow 2026, 3DMAX hoped to build on the result by securing a place in the playoffs. The team’s Cluj-Napoca campaign kicked off with a 2-0 defeat to Team Falcons before another 2-0 loss to Astralis put the team on the verge of elimination in the opening two days of the Tier 1 tournament.
Victory against HEROIC was a must-win series if 3DMAX had any chance of making it into the playoffs. The opposition began Nuke with a clinical attacking display, placing the team immediately on the back foot. HEROIC’s defence also held firm in the second half to secure a comfortable 13-5 win.
Inferno was a much closer contest, with 3DMAX ending the first half with a four-round advantage. The lead, however, wasn’t enough to prevent HEROIC from completing an impressive comeback on its attacking half, scoring nine rounds to overturn the deficit and take a 13-10 win and wrap up the series with a 2-0 sweep.
A Slow Start For PaiN Gaming
After signing Vinicius ‘vsm’ Moreira and Guilherme ‘piriajr’ Barbosa in early January, paiN Gaming remains one of South America’s strongest teams despite beginning the year with a top-16 at BLAST Bounty Season 1 and a top-20 in Krakow.
The team’s Cluj-Napoca campaign opened with a 2-1 defeat to The MongolZ, where paiN Gaming only managed to win three rounds across two maps. Another 2-1 defeat to Aurora Gaming was an improvement, but a lack of cohesion on Anubis and Dust II resulted in the Brazilians closing in on another early exit.
paiN Gaming finally showed signs of life in its third-round match against G2 Esports. Despite signs of potential on attack and defence, its opponent sent the team packing with a 2-0 defeat.
Team Vitality And Team Falcons Advance
Towards the top of the Group Stage table, the pairing of Team Vitality and Team Falcons became the first teams to secure a place in the playoffs after ending the Group Stage with three victories.
While G2 Esports and The MongolZ managed to take a map off the dominant Team Vitality roster, the world’s best CS2 team demonstrated its class to earn its place in another Tier 1 playoffs.
After sweeping aside 3DMAX in its opening match, Team Falcons managed to overcome FaZe Clan before completing a reverse sweep against FURIA to earn its first playoff appearance of 2026.
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 Day 3 Details
Day three of PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 is underway with the 12 remaining teams continuing to compete for three more places in the playoffs. In addition to more teams advancing to the next stage, another three teams will head home.
