Falcons and FURIA reach playoffs of US$1 million CS2 event in Malta as 9z and Aurora meet in a decider

Team Falcons and FURIA are through to the playoffs of the US$1 million Counter-Strike 2 world championship event at BLAST's studio in Malta. Both won their group upper-bracket finals 2-1 on Thursday 15 October, with Falcons edging Argentina's 9z and FURIA coming from a map down against fellow Brazilians Legacy.

The eight-team event runs from 14 to 18 October, with two double-elimination groups of four feeding a four-team playoff on 17 and 18 October.

Falcons hold off 9z

Falcons, the Cologne Major champions, opened with a 13-9 win on Nuke, but 9z hit back on Mirage, 13-8, behind luchov, who posted his best numbers of the series on that map. Falcons settled the series on Dust2, again 13-9.

TeSeS was Falcons' top performer across the three maps with a 1.26 rating, while NiKo finished just above even in kills and deaths. It was a tough series for kyousuke, whose Mirage was one of his weakest maps since joining the team.

9z had started the event strongly with a 2-0 win over Aurora, and Falcons had opened with a 2-0 victory over Ninjas in Pyjamas.

FURIA recover against Legacy

Legacy took the first map, Cache, 13-10 after leading 7-5 at half-time and stretching that to 10-5. FURIA responded with a commanding 13-5 on Inferno and then won Mirage 13-8 on the strength of a strong first half.

KSCERATO and molodoy led FURIA's scoring with ratings of 1.29 and 1.23 respectively. Veteran FalleN also played a key part, switching to a rotating role on Inferno and winning a late 1v2 to help close out the series. For Legacy, dumau was the standout.

FURIA had reached the upper final by sweeping their opening opponent 2-0, while Legacy began with a 2-0 win of their own.

Two places still to fill

The remaining two playoff spots are decided by the group lower-bracket finals on Friday 16 October in Malta, which will be late on Friday night or early Saturday morning in Malaysia. In Group A, 9z face Aurora in a rematch of the opening game, after Aurora knocked out Ninjas in Pyjamas. In Group B, Legacy must beat the winner of the lower-bracket semi-final to join FURIA in the last four.

The semi-finals, third-place match and grand final are all scheduled for Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October.

Warm-up for Singapore

The event is one of the final stops before the PGL Major Singapore, which begins on 24 November. Falcons and FURIA are both among the teams already listed for the Major's final Stage 3, and the Major's playoffs will be held at the 12,000-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium from 10 to 13 December, the first CS2 Major staged in Southeast Asia.

Key takeaways

• Falcons beat 9z 2-1, winning Nuke and Dust2 13-9.
• FURIA came from behind to beat Legacy 2-1 after losing Cache.
• 9z and Aurora play for the last Group A playoff place on 16 October.
• Playoffs are on 17 and 18 October in Malta.

FAQ

Who has qualified for the Malta playoffs? Falcons and FURIA have qualified; two more teams join them after the lower-bracket finals on 16 October.

What is the prize pool? The event in Malta has a total prize pool of US$1 million.

When is the PGL Major Singapore? It runs from 24 November to 13 December 2026, with the playoffs at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from 10 to 13 December.

Sources: HLTV, esports.gg, BLAST.tv, Egamersworld