Astralis knocked out as StarSeries Fall qualifier moves on

Astralis were eliminated from the StarSeries Fall Europe closed qualifier after a 0-2 loss to HEROIC in the Group B decider on 24 July 2026, ending the Danish-majority roster’s run in the group stage. The top two teams from each group advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket scheduled for the weekend.

Filip “NEO” Kubski took over coaching duties earlier in the qualifier; the defeat to HEROIC was Astralis’s first loss since that change. Astralis kept another campaign alive with a come-from-behind win over Nemesis in the Round of 32 at the BLAST Bounty event.

The European playoffs will produce two qualifiers for the StarSeries Fall LAN in September, which carries a $500,000 prize pool. Teams already confirmed for the LAN are Vitality, Natus Vincere, FURIA and MOUZ, along with the winners of the North American and South American qualifiers.

The opening round of the single-elimination bracket will feature a rematch between Ninjas in Pyjamas and HEROIC, a repeat of last week’s Stake Ranked Episode 3 upper bracket final.

Other matches on 24 July produced notable individual and team performances. Henrich “sl3nd” Hevesi posted a 1.54 rating as INFINITE defeated Nemesis in the tournament’s only three-map match of the day. Gentle Mates beat Walczaki, and Echo claimed a second win over Nuclear TigeRES in the qualifier.

Scheduled matches for 25 July include HOTU versus INFINITE at 11:00, Aurora against Echo at 13:00, magic versus Gentle Mates at 14:00, and Ninjas in Pyjamas versus HEROIC at 16:00.

No statements have been released by Astralis or HEROIC about the Group B decider. The European qualifiers conclude with the playoff matches this weekend, which will determine the two remaining European berths for StarSeries Fall.