Team Spirit won the PGL Astana tournament in May 2026, defeating Falcons 3-0 in the Grand Final to retain their title. The victory highlighted improvements in Spirit's supporting cast, which allowed star player donk to focus on clutch situations.
Spirit's supporting cast steps up
Falcons showed promise throughout the event but lost their sixth consecutive Grand Final. Furia also impressed, with molodoy returning to form. HLTV data showed that Spirit's tN1R posted the highest LAN ratings for the team at IEM Rio and PGL Astana, with 1.14 and 1.13 respectively, finally justifying his roles. In contrast, teammate zont1x struggled statistically upon his return, recording 0.76 and 0.80 HLTV ratings at Pro Leagues Season 23 and BLAST Open Rotterdam.
Falcons player Nikola 'NiKo' Kovac remarked to the broadcast that he thought it was "crazy" that people expected Falcons to win the event. Meanwhile, Spirit's kyousuke praised Falcons' in-game leader karrigan, saying: "He's insane I'd say, he's a f**king crazy guy, I would say two things that I like about him, it's mid-round calling, I think he's really good at it, he see micro detail and he can call because of this detail."
The tournament provided a wealth of storylines for the build-up to IEM Cologne. Team Spirit's dominant performance solidifies their position as a top contender, while Falcons must address their Grand Final woes. Furia's resurgence adds another competitive layer to the scene.
Source: Insider Gaming
