DraculaN Season 5 Concludes Group Stage, Eight Teams Advance to Playoffs

DraculaN Season 5 Concludes Group Stage, Eight Teams Advance to Playoffs

The highly competitive DraculaN Season 5 Counter-Strike 2 event has now finished its group stage phase, setting the stage for an intense playoff bracket featuring the eight teams that emerged from the initial phase. The event, held in Bucharest as part of the Digital Crusade tournament series, has attracted a broad field of international participants and delivered several noteworthy performances throughout its opening rounds. 

After the conclusion of the group stage’s GSL format, where teams competed in multiple best-of-ones and best-of-threes to determine which squads would continue, eight teams secured spots in the double-elimination playoff bracket. The playoff field now includes both teams that advanced through group winners and decider matches, as well as top-seeded entrants who bypassed some early round play due to seeding. 

Standout Performances and Group Results

One of the standout narratives through the opening phase came from 100 Thieves, who navigated their group efficiently thanks to strong individual performances. Players such as André “Ag1l” Gil and William “sirah” Kjærsgaard delivered high impact maps, helping their squad to comfortable wins over MANA and BRUTE — two of the teams they faced in Group B. With these results, 100 Thieves secured their spot in the playoff bracket and improved their ongoing competitive ranking within the scene. 

Who Reached the Playoffs

From the four GSL groups, the following teams made it out into the playoff stage:

• 100 Thieves — strong performances in Group B

• Nexus — topped one of the groups

• ASTRAL — another group winner

• Eternal Fire — led their grouping

• aimclub — fighter from a decider match

• MANA — rebounded for a decider win

• INFINITE — advanced through decider

• HYPERSPIRIT — also through decider
  (Note: Lineups based on first-phase group results reported.)

These teams now join higher-seeded squads in the playoffs, including HEROIC, FlyQuest, ENCE, and others who were seeded based on prior results and competitive status, forming a bracket hopeful of close contests and upsets. 

Format and Playoff Schedule

The DraculaN Season 5 playoffs follow a double-elimination bracket, where each match consists of best-of-three series once the bracket has begun. This format rewards consistency and adaptability, as teams have a second chance should they drop a match early in the bracket. 

According to the official bracket schedule:

• Playoffs matches began on February 25, 2026

• Early rounds saw matchups such as HEROIC vs. INFINITE and FlyQuest vs. HYPERSPIRIT

• 100 Thieves were scheduled to face ENCE

• Other key matchups included internal European contests and battles between teams that emerged from the decider matches
  (Precise playoff scheduling based on publicly available bracket release.) 

Tournament Context

DraculaN Season 5 features a wide variety of teams from across the global CS2 landscape, encompassing both established orgs and rising contenders. Tournament entry lists include names such as Heroic, 100 Thieves, FlyQuest, ENCE, Team Brute, Nexus Gaming, Estral Esports, Infinite Gaming, Eternal Fire, Diamant Esports, GenOne, BESTIA, CYBERSHOKE, HyperSpirit, aimclub, mindshock, and others — highlighting the competitive depth of this event. 

The tournament’s structure — starting with a group stage before moving into a double-elimination bracket — is a common format in CS2 events. It allows teams multiple opportunities to demonstrate form and adaptability, with initial GSL play filtering performance before elimination matches add high stakes. 

What's Next

As the playoffs progress, observers are watching how certain teams perform under pressure:

• 100 Thieves entered the bracket with momentum but experienced a tough upper bracket opener, suffering a 2–0 defeat to ENCE in an upper bracket playoff match, sending them down into the lower bracket where they must now fight to stay alive.

• Other standout contenders such as HEROIC and FlyQuest will aim to leverage their seeds to climb toward the final.

Matches in double-elimination have wide implications not only for DraculaN Season 5 but for player and team rankings within the broader Counter-Strike 2 competitive ecosystem. Wins here can influence confidence heading into future events and potentially affect qualification pathways for larger international competition later in the year.