Aurora-FUT thriller highlights PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 opening day

Aurora Gaming and FUT Esports provided the match of the day Saturday, needing three maps with an overtime round on Day 1 of the PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 event in Romania.

Along with FUT, MOUZ, Team Vitality and The MongolZ also won 2-1 matches, while FURIA, Team Falcons, Natus Vincere and FaZe Clan swept their openers 2-0.

The 16-team Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event begins with a Swiss style format with Saturday's winners playing Sunday's Round 2 high matches and the losers playing in the low matches. In Round 3, the four 2-0 teams pair off, as do the four 0-2 teams, and the eight 1-1 teams make up the mid matches.

Two more rounds follow before the eight-team playoff field is set on Wednesday. All matches are best-of-three. The playoffs, which run Feb. 20-22, are single elimination and best-of-three except for the grand final, which is best-of-five.

The $625,000 prize pool awards $225,000 to the winner and $100,000 to the runner-up.

FUT opened with a 13-6 win on Mirage on Saturday, but Aurora followed with a 16-13 overtime win on Anubis. In the decider, FUT took Overpass 13-6. The other 2-1 results: MOUZ beat PARIVISION, Vitality topped G2 Esports and The MongolZ downed PaiN Gaming.

As for the sweeps: Natus Vincere took care of Astralis, FaZe beat HEROIC, Falcons got by 3DMAX and FURIA topped B8.

Sunday's PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 matches:

Round 2 High Matches

--Natus Vincere vs. MOUZ

--Team Falcons vs. FaZe Clan

--FURIA vs. FUT Esports

--Team Vitality vs. The MongolZ

Round 2 Low Matches

--3DMAX vs. Astralis

--G2 Esports vs. PARIVISION

--Aurora Gaming vs. paiN Gaming

--B8 vs. Heroic

PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 prize pool

1. $225,000

2. $100,000

3. $68,750

4. $43,750

5-8. $25,000

9-11. $15,625

12-14: $9,375

15-16. $6,250

PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 standings (match record and round difference)

1. FURIA, 1-0, +5

2. Team Vitality, 1-0, +2

3. Team Falcons, 1-0, +9

4. Natus Vincere, 1-0, +10

5. MOUZ, 1-0, +10

6. FaZe Clan, 1-0, +12

7. The MongolZ, 1-0, +17

8. FUT Esports, 1-0, +11

9. Aurora Gaming, 0-1, -11

10. B8, 0-1, -5

11. G2 Esports, 0-1, -2

12. 3DMAX, 0-1, -9

13. Astralis, 0-1, -10

14. PARIVISION, 0-1, -10

15. HEROIC, 0-1, -12

16. paiN Gaming, 0-1, -17

--Field Level Media