FOKUS eliminated Aurora from the online portion of BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 2, taking the first-round series 2-1 with a 13-4 win on Dust2 after the teams split Cache, 13-11 to FOKUS, and Nuke, 13-7 to Aurora, HLTV reported.
The result is the first defeat for Aurora since the roster went international. HLTV noted the team had beaten K27 and Nemesis at the StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 Europe Closed Qualifier, and that the loss ends their hopes of playing a first LAN event together in Malta.
For FOKUS, who opened that same closed qualifier with a 1-2 loss to Astralis, it is a first win with Paavo "podi" Heiskanen and Jacob "jocab" Nerheden in the lineup, and it moves them into the next round of the bracket.
Cache goes the distance
The series opened on Cache, the most recent addition to the Active Duty map pool. Aurora took the first five rounds on the CT side before FOKUS answered with six straight to level the half. Down 8-9, jocab killed three to tie the map.
At 11-11 he opened against Ismailcan "XANTARES" Dortkardes and then took down Ozgur "woxic" Eker to swing a 3v3, handing FOKUS map point. Back-to-back opening kills from Mateo "Matheos" Prislin closed it out at 13-11.
Nuke and Dust2
Nuke ran the other way. XANTARES, rated 1.55, and Ali "Wicadia" Haydar Yalcin, rated 1.45, led Aurora to a 6-6 half on the T side, then conceded a single round on defence to force the decider 13-7.
Dust2 was settled early. FOKUS opened 7-0, including a smoke defuse by podi in a 1v2, and reached double digits before the half. Aurora took two rounds immediately after the switch and nothing more, with FOKUS closing the map 13-4 to win the series.
The series finished 13-11 to FOKUS on Cache, 7-13 on Nuke and 13-4 on Dust2. FOKUS advance in the bracket; Aurora exit BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 2 at the first round of the online stage.
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