G2 2:0 TWMI 
FLCN 0:2 VP 
SCRT 2:1 FNC 
SHIFT 2:0 REBELS 
FAZE 2:0 BD 
The Europe and MENA League 2026 Kickoff is slowly approaching its conclusion. Today, Team Falcons, Virtus.pro, G2 Esports, and Twisted Minds will face off for a chance to qualify for the BLAST R6 Major Salt Lake City. The two victorious sides will clinch their spots, whilst the defeated rosters will fall to the Lower Bracket.
Here's what you need to know about today's matches:
Team Falcons vs. Virtus.pro
Today's action will begin with the clash between Virtus.pro and Team Falcons. The winner of this game will become the first team to qualify for the BLAST R6 Major Salt Lake City.
Regardless of today's result (and Kickoff overall) Virtus.pro have already shown fans that a project combining Russian with other European players was always possible. In just a few months, the Bears have gone from that solid Russian roster to a project that involves a Brazilian coach, two French players, and three Russians. The move to English comms has been smooth and the level displayed so far has been above what many had expected.
Virtus.pro's Danila "dan" Dontsov and Pavel "p4sh4" Kosenko have been the Bears' best players with SiegeGG ratings of 1.17 and 1.14, respectively. The team had a great start to the group stage with victories over G2 Esports, Fnatic, and Team Heretics, but a final sloppy display against Shifters saw them falling to second place in the last minute. They clearly bounced back after a one-sided victory against Rebels Gaming.
However, Virtus.pro will face off today against a hard nut to crack. On paper, Team Falcons are above the Bears; but the truth is that even the Falcons have shown some weaknesses. All the eyes have been on Marc "jume" Steinmann for obvious reasons, and, so far, the German has kept up with his teammates' pace: he's the best player in the team alongside Fatih "Solotov" Türker, with SiegeGG ratings of 1.29 each.
In the group stage, Team Falcons took down Rebels Gaming, Twisted Minds, and Geekay Esports while only losing three rounds in the process. Their only defeat came against Team Secret after an spectacular performance by Noah "Noa" Urwitz. Still, they clinched the group's top seed.
Despite the recent roster changes, it's also worth mentioning their head-to-head record since November 2024: both teams have got two wins each, with Team Falcons' two victories coming in their last two clashes.
G2 Esports vs. Twisted Minds
Last but not least, G2 Esports and Twisted Minds will clash in the second and final match of the day. Just like in the previous game, the winner of this series will qualify for Salt Lake City.
Historically, G2 Esports and Twisted Minds have never clashed before. The only similar precedent is a Team Falcons' 2-0 victory at Gamers8 2023 against the samurai, which involved Karl "Alem4o" Zarth, Jack "Doki" Robertson, and Benjamin "Benjamaster" Dereli against Fayez "Jlad" Jallad and Fahad "P9" Albabtain. However, it has been a long while since then.
On paper, G2 Esports are the favorites to win the series. The samurai topped the standings of Group A after collecting three regulation victories and an overtime defeat against Virtus.pro. Meanwhile, Twisted Minds' second-place finish in Group B after victories against Team Falcons and Rebels Gaming was followed by a 2-0 win against Fnatic in the Upper Bracket Round 1.
G2 Esports are also favorites statistically speaking. The team's new addition Stéphane "Shaiiko" Lebleu has had plenty of freedom in the samurai and has exceled through his iconic aggressivity. The Frenchman is now the second-highest rated player in the league with a SiegeGG rating of 1.31, only behind Noah "Noa" Urwitz's 1.38.
Not too far from the French goat, we also find his teammates Zack "Stompn" Lamb, Doki, and Benjamaster, with SiegeGG ratings of 1.29, 1.17, and 1.15. The four players are among the twelve best rated in the league, with Alem40 being the only player in the team with a negative rating (0.98) due to his role in the lineup.
It's also worth highlighting that Shaiiko, Stompn, Benjamaster, and Alem4o are all among the best eight KOSTs in the league as they are located between 75 and 70. Doki is the only exception with a KOST of 65.
Meanwhile, Twisted Minds haven't exceled; but they have done enough to be considered a team that's difficult to play against. During the group stage, we have seen a very aggressive Twsited Minds. However, at the same time, the MENA roster have shown some great strategies. It's not firepower what Twisted Minds have.
Lastly, it's also important to mention that Twisted Minds have struggled a bit at getting the entry kills. Although Osama "Tr1ixd" Zahrani is the second best entry in the competition, the rest of players in the roster have negative numbers in this category. This could be a problem against G2 Esports, which includes players of Shaiiko, Benjamaster, Stompn, and Doki's caliber.
Curiously enough, Twisted Minds have yet to play the same map twice. In the group stage they showed Fortress, Consulate, Lair, and Clubhouse. Last week, against Fnatic, they played on Kafe Dostoyevsky and Nighthaven Labs. On the other hand, G2 Esports have played Fortress twice, Consulate, and Clubhouse.