The second day of action in the PGL Bucharest European closed qualifier has wrapped up, bringing several surprising results. Among the biggest stories, BC.Game has been eliminated, while both fnatic and BIG have been sent to the lower bracket.

This qualifier, featuring 32 teams, offers only one spot at the main event in Romania. With the double-elimination format in full swing and every series being a best-of-three, competition is heating up as teams battle for playoff qualification. The final four teams will meet in a best-of-five grand final to determine the sole qualifier spot.

Ninjas in Pyjamas managed to edge out fnatic in a tense 2-1 battle, securing crucial VRS points. Despite a remarkable 1.79-rated performance from Benjamin “⁠blameF⁠” Bremer—who posted 121.3 ADR and outshone his teammates—fnatic couldn’t capitalize on their Ancient map pick, falling in the decider.

In a major upset, Spirit Academy has moved to the Group D upper bracket final, securing wins over Sashi and BetBoom. The latter series was particularly hard-fought, with both teams splitting 13-11 victories before Spirit Academy sealed the Anubis decider in a dramatic double-overtime finish. Maxim “⁠kyousuke⁠” Lukin was instrumental in guiding his team to this unexpected success.

Elimination Matches and Lower Bracket Struggles

NAVI Junior put an end to Roler Coaster’s qualifier journey, eliminating the mixed roster that featured Ilya “⁠Perfecto⁠” Zalutskiy, Mareks “⁠YEKINDAR⁠” Gaļinskis, and Artem “⁠ArtFr0st⁠” Kharitonov in the Group A lower bracket.

BC.Game suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of ENCE, who staged an impressive comeback after dropping the first map, ultimately taking the Anubis decider in overtime. Both teams had been sent to the lower bracket following initial losses to OG and Passion UA.

Meanwhile, Metizport found themselves on the losing end of a reverse sweep against Partizan in Group C, sealing their fate with a last-place finish.

Other Standout Results from Day Two

OG has secured a spot in the Group A upper bracket final, battling past ENCE in a close opening series before sweeping Passion UA in a convincing 2-0 victory.

GUN5 delivered a strong performance against Monte, claiming a 2-1 win, and nearly pulled off an upset against HEROIC. They managed to take HEROIC’s Mirage pick but couldn’t maintain their momentum, falling to dominant 10-2 halves on Ancient and Nuke led by Linus “⁠LNZ⁠” Holtäng.

BIG struggled in their group, falling to SINNERS and now facing a do-or-die lower bracket match against ENCE to stay in the competition.

As the qualifier progresses, teams are fighting to stay alive, with only a handful of matches left before the final four enter the decisive playoffs. With upsets shaking up the tournament landscape, the battle for the sole PGL Bucharest spot is more intense than ever.