HEROIC Sends Astralis Packing in StarSeries EU Qualifier Group Stage
Astralis are out of the StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 European Closed Qualifier after dropping a 0-2 decider to HEROIC in Group B on July 24, ending their bid for one of just two EU slots at the $500,000 LAN – and marking the first competitive setback for the roster since Filip ‘NEO’ Kubski took charge as head coach.
How Astralis Exited Group B
Astralis opened the qualifier with a 2-1 win over FOKUS on July 21, but dropped their next match 0-2 to HOTU on July 22, playing a Group B decider against HEROIC and losing 0-2. HEROIC closed it out convincingly at 2-0, sending Astralis home without a playoff berth. The group stage results confirmed that HooXi’s squad – featuring Jakob ‘jabbi’ Nygaard, Victor ‘Staehr’ Staehr, Love ‘phzy’ Smidebrant, and Gytis ‘ryu’ Glušauskas – lost the next match 0-2 to HOTU and then lost the Group B decider 0-2 to HEROIC.
The qualifier ran as a 16-team competition with only two EU spots on offer, meaning a single poor run carries outsized elimination risk. Astralis ran into that variance directly: a dropped map here, a dropped series there, and the roster is watching playoffs from the outside. That two-slot scarcity also shapes how the result should be read – this is not a deep bracket exit, it is a group-stage collapse in a format that punishes any inconsistency immediately.
Playoffs Bracket: Who’s Still In
The four playoff matchups are set for the weekend, with the headline clash being Ninjas in Pyjamas against HEROIC – a rematch of last week’s Stake Ranked Episode 3 upper bracket final. The full single-elimination bracket for July 25:
- HOTU vs INFINITE – 07:00
- Aurora vs Echo – 09:00
- magic vs Gentle Mates – 10:00
- Ninjas in Pyjamas vs HEROIC – 12:00
Two teams will advance from these playoffs to join Vitality, Natus Vincere, FURIA, and MOUZ at the main event, alongside the winners of the North American and South American qualifiers. The $500,000 LAN takes place in September. For more on how other teams navigated this qualifier, the Nuclear TigeRES qualifier run offers useful bracket context.
INFINITE’s Henrich ‘sl3nd’ Hevesi was the standout performer from the final day of group play, posting a 1.54 rating in a three-map series win over Nemesis – the only series of the day to go the distance. Gentle Mates and Echo also secured their playoff spots with cleaner results, beating Walczaki and Nuclear TigeRES respectively.
What’s Next for Astralis
The StarSeries exit does not end Astralis’ active tournament slate. Astralis are still alive in BLAST Bounty following a come-from-behind win over Nemesis in the Round of 32. That tournament now becomes the immediate measuring stick and how the roster responds to the setback.
Source: HLTV
