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NAVI will not be gracing the BLAST Open London stage with its presence after a shock CS2 defeat to massive underdogs M80 in the online Group Stage.
Sixteen teams competed online with one goal in mind: to earn a podium finish in their respective group (eight teams, each with a GSL-style format) and thereby qualify for the BLAST Open London Finals, set to take place from September 5 to 7 at the OVO Arena Wembley in London.
M80 pulled off a massive upset against NAVI. Image Credit: BLAST.tv
NAVI’s run has ended prematurely, while another favorite, Team Spirit, is fighting for one of the final two spots in the LAN Finals.
M80 Stuns NAVI: Another Concerning Result
After finishing in 3rd/4th place at IEM Cologne 2025, NAVI has had consecutive disappointing results, with a 9th-16th place finish at BLAST Bounty Season 2 and the Esports World Cup. However, few fans could have anticipated that NAVI would be eliminated so early in Group A, given that the squad is currently ranked 6th on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS).
NAVI got off to a solid start, swatting aside Fnatic 2-0 before falling to the lower bracket at the hands of a strong FaZe Clan. M80, ranked 30th on the VRS, put up a fantastic showing against Team Vitality, with the #1 team in the world digging deep to produce a stunning reverse-sweep comeback to send M80 to the lower bracket.
In the lower bracket of Group A, M80, with German IGL Elias “s1n” Stein at the helm, came from behind to dispatch Virtus.pro and set up a match against NAVI.
M80 took the lead in the series, winning their map pick of Ancient (13-9). NAVI bounced back on their map pick, Train, with a convincing 13-7 victory.
On the third and deciding map, Inferno, M80 took a slight lead in the first half and narrowly avoided overtime as the teams traded blows in the second half of play, resulting in a 13-11 scoreline.
With the win, M80 moves on to the Group A lower bracket final.
NAVI couldn’t complete the comeback. Image Credit: BLAST.tv
NAVI is eliminated in 9th-12th place, earning only $7,500 for their efforts. With a string of poor results, one cannot help but wonder if roster upheaval is imminent.
Despite NAVI’s recent results, let’s not take anything away from M80. The squad has performed well above expectations and shown strong form against Vitality and Virtus.pro, putting themselves in serious contention for a spot in the LAN Finals.
Which Teams are Set to Compete at BLAST Open London LAN Finals?
Four of the six teams that will compete on LAN in front of a crowd at the OVO Arena Wembley venue in London have already been confirmed.
In Group A, Team Vitality and FaZe Clan secured a top-two finish, and in Group B, MOUZ and FURIA are guaranteed top-two finishes. The top teams in each group will face off for the 1st-place seed heading into the Playoffs Stage.
Two more teams will soon secure spots in London. In Group A, M80 looks to continue its miracle run against Fnatic.
In Group B, Team Spirit is fighting for survival against G2 Esports. Team Spirit was knocked down to the lower bracket by Brazilian powerhouse FURIA, while G2 fell at the hands of MOUZ.
The top team from each group earns a spot in the semifinals. The 2nd-place teams advance to the quarterfinals as the higher seeds, and the 3rd-place teams as the lower seeds.
