NiP Eliminated as magic and Aurora Claim Final Europe Spots at StarSeries Fall 2026

Tobias Ferrante Tobias Ferrante

Published: Jul 27, 2026

Aurora and magic have secured the final two European berths at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026, with both sides coming through the Europe closed qualifier on July 26 to join Vitality, FURIA, Natus Vincere and MOUZ at the $500,000 September LAN event.

magic’s Clean Run Ends at NiP’s Expense

magic moved through the qualifier without dropping a map, sweeping Walczaki and Gentle Mates before setting up a deciding match against Ninjas in Pyjamas. Former PARIVISION rifler Andrey ‘AW’ Anisimov was the standout performer as magic closed it out 2–0, winning Ancient 13–9 and Anubis 13–11. The result builds on a strong end to their previous campaign – top-four at PGL Astana and a runner-up finish at Stake Ranked Episode 2 – and confirms the roster as a legitimate mid-tier threat heading into an event that already eliminated Astralis and HEROIC from European contention.

Five professional esports players wearing Ninjas in Pyjamas team jerseys posing for a group portrait.
The Ninjas in Pyjamas roster posing in their official team apparel.

NiP’s day compounded badly: earlier they had fallen to paiN to miss a BLAST Bounty Season 2 LAN finals spot, making their qualifier exit to magic a second LAN berth lost in the same session.

Aurora Grind Through HOTU in Three Maps

Aurora’s path was rougher – they dropped maps to both K27 and Nemesis before reaching the deciding qualifier match against HOTU. The series went the distance after HOTU took Aurora to all 24 rounds on Cache before losing Anubis, sending it to a decider. On Mirage, Ismailcan ‘XANTARES’ Dörtkardeş, Ali ‘Wicadia’ Haydar Yalçın and Jimi ‘Jimpphat’ Salo all stepped up decisively to seal a 13–9 win and the LAN spot. The qualification is a needed confidence injection for Aurora’s revamped roster, which opened its BLAST Bounty Season 2 campaign with a defeat to FOKUS.

Six members of the Aurora Gaming esports team wearing matching black and teal jerseys.
The Aurora Gaming roster posing in their official team apparel.

What’s Next: NA and SA Qualifiers Complete the Field

Six of the eight StarSeries Fall spots are now confirmed. The North America and South America closed qualifiers run July 28–August 2, each producing one team to complete the lineup. The full confirmed field to date:

Coverage from the Americas leg – including how teams like those tracked in the StarSeries NA qualifier are progressing – will fill out the bracket picture

Source: HLTV

Tobias Ferrante
Tobias Ferrante

Since: June 2, 2026

Tobias Ferrante has been following competitive gaming since the early days of LAN tournaments, and his passion for esports eventually collided with a deep interest in betting markets and odds analysis. He approaches esports wagering with the mindset of a strategist rather than a gambler, breaking down team form, meta shifts, and roster changes to help readers make smarter, more informed decisions. His coverage spans titles including League of Legends, CS2, Valorant, and Dota 2.

See all articles from this author