Astralis edges G2 in late-night FISSURE Playground 3

Astralis closed out the opening day of FISSURE Playground 3 in the early hours of Sept. 8, 2026, defeating G2 2-1. The rematch of their Esports World Cup round-of-16 meeting finished near 01:45 local time after Astralis won the decider 13-5.

G2 took the first map, and the second map went to overtime before G2 prevailed in sudden death. Astralis regrouped on the third map and pulled away for a 13-5 finish to seal the best-of-three.

The loss ended G2’s eight-match winning run on their home map Inferno; the team has now lost two consecutive matches on that map. Astralis, which fields a majority-Danish lineup, remains in the upper bracket as group-stage play continues.

Earlier on Sept. 8, Alliance eliminated FaZe and MIBR defeated The MongolZ. Other match winners across Group A and Group B included 9z, Legacy, FURIA, BETBOOM and PARIVISION as the tournament opened its group slate.

G2 will move to the lower bracket and face BIG in an immediate elimination match as they aim to remain in the event. Astralis will continue in the upper bracket and play its next scheduled group-stage fixtures as the tournament progresses.

FISSURE Playground 3 began group-stage play on Tuesday, with teams from two groups meeting across multiple matches. The opening day produced a mix of expected outcomes and upsets and concluded with the late-night headline match between Astralis and G2.