Internal Circle Esports delivered one of the biggest surprises of the BLAST Open Porto 2026 group stage by defeating Team Vitality 2-0 in the upper-bracket quarterfinals on August 27.
The Ukrainian CS2 roster secured the opening map, Anubis, by a 13-8 score before completing the sweep on the second map without dropping a round. The result sends Internal Circle forward in Group B with significant momentum, while Vitality must now continue through the lower bracket.
Vitality played without mezii
Vitality entered the match with a temporary change to its lineup. William “mezii” Merriman was absent on paternity leave, with Justinas “jL” Lekavičius replacing him as a stand-in. The team therefore fielded apEX, flameZ, jL, ropz and ZywOo.
Internal Circle’s lineup featured cptkurtka023, Dawy, headtr1ck, onic and zeRRoFIX. The team had qualified for the tournament through the RES Showdown 4 Europe qualifier in July and had limited LAN experience compared with its more decorated opponent.
Another early exit threat for Vitality
The defeat adds to a difficult run for Vitality. The team had previously been eliminated by Team Spirit in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Esports World Cup. Vitality is a multi-time BLAST champion, making its back-to-back early exits from major events particularly notable.
BLAST Open Porto 2026 runs from August 26 through September 6. The group stage is being held in Copenhagen, with the playoff rounds scheduled to move to Porto. The tournament has a total prize pool of $1.1 million, including $400,000 for players and $700,000 for clubs.
