1win Essence playoffs begin as Nigma and MOUZ stumble

With the group stage now complete, the 1win Essence Season 2 playoffs are set to begin, with eight teams remaining in one of the final competitive tests before The International 2026.

The two teams to fall at the first hurdle were MOUZ and Nigma Galaxy. MOUZ, the only team in attendance not heading to TI, finished bottom of the standings with a 0-2-2 record. More surprising was Nigma's early exit, as the TI-qualified squad managed just one drawn series alongside three defeats, ending their campaign with a 0-1-3 record.

At the other end of the table, Team Liquid, BetBoom Team, and Team Falcons all secured upper bracket berths after winning three of their four group stage series. Joining them was Vici Gaming, who emerged as one of the event's pleasant surprises with a string of strong performances to reach the upper bracket semifinals.

While results have largely gone as expected, there have been a few notable storylines. BetBoom Team unveiled a carry Io during the group stage, perhaps offering an early glimpse at strategies teams are preparing for TI. Meanwhile, LGD Gaming were forced to forfeit their final group stage series due to a scheduling conflict with the Games of the Future LAN in Astana, where the team is competing simultaneously. The forfeited match dropped LGD into the lower bracket, where they now face immediate elimination.

The playoffs get underway today with LGD taking on 1win Team in the opening lower bracket match at 11:00 CEST, followed by OG facing GamerLegion. With the lower bracket now single elimination, there is little room for error as the tournament heads towards its conclusion on August 5.