Liquid and NIP crash out as B8 and Inner Circle lead Logitech G Play Connect playoffs

Liquid and Ninjas in Pyjamas were eliminated from Logitech G Play Connect 2026 after contrasting but equally costly group-stage campaigns in Warsaw.

Liquid remained in contention until the final round of Group B, only to suffer a one-sided 13-6 loss to BBL on Nuke and finish 2-3. NIP ended Group A with an even poorer 1-4 record, their only victory coming against last-placed Metizport.

At the other end of the standings, B8 completed a flawless 5-0 run to secure the first direct semifinal berth. Inner Circle joined them after finishing 4-1 in Group B, while Luminosity, M80, BBL and 3DMAX moved into the quarterfinals.

The $100,000 LAN now changes format: the round-robin best-of-one groups give way to a single-elimination playoff bracket featuring best-of-three quarterfinals and semifinals, followed by a best-of-five grand final. 

BBL dismantle Liquid with their season on the line

Liquid entered their last match knowing victory over BBL would keep their playoff hopes alive. Instead, the North American side produced its weakest result of the group, losing 13-6 on Nuke.

BBL established control with an 8-4 opening half and allowed Liquid only two rounds after the side switch. Four Danish players finished above a 1.20 Rating 3.0, reflecting a collective performance rather than a single carry.

NickyB topped the server, while Boye and leakz supplied the heavier fragging numbers. Liquid received productive games from Jorko and EliGE, but the rest of the lineup could not match them: NAF posted a 0.76 rating, JT finished at 0.75 and stand-in VLDN recorded a 0.55.

The distribution mattered. Liquid’s two best performers combined for 34 kills, but NAF, JT and VLDN produced only 24 between them. BBL, by comparison, had four players reach at least 13 kills.

Liquid were competing without malbsMd, who missed the tournament for personal reasons. VLDN replaced him, while coach flashie was also absent from the team’s campaign. The circumstances reduced the value of Warsaw as a test of Liquid’s full roster, but they do not entirely explain a group in which the team repeatedly struggled to build momentum. 

Liquid’s Nuke revival lasts only one match

Liquid began Group B with a 13-8 Mirage victory over INFINITE before losing 13-6 to Inner Circle on Cache. Their third game ended in a 16-14 overtime defeat to EYEBALLERS on Mirage, leaving little margin for error.

A 13-6 win over 3DMAX on Nuke briefly appeared to have corrected their trajectory. Liquid delivered their cleanest performance of the tournament against one of the group’s eventual playoff teams and entered the final round with qualification still possible.

That improvement did not carry into the BBL match. The same Nuke scoreline was reversed only hours later, with Liquid managing six rounds against a team ranked well below them on HLTV at the start of the event.

The two Nuke results underline the inconsistency of Liquid’s campaign. They demonstrated that the map could support a convincing win, then immediately failed to reproduce that level in the match that mattered most.

Liquid finished fifth in Group B at 2-3 with a negative four-round differential. Their losses to both Inner Circle and BBL also meant that even the tightly contested overtime defeat to EYEBALLERS was not the sole reason for their elimination.

Luminosity survive NIP’s comeback on Ancient

NIP’s last chance disappeared in a 13-11 defeat to Luminosity on Ancient.

Luminosity built the foundation of the win during an 8-4 opening half. NIP improved considerably after switching sides and won seven of the next 12 rounds, but their recovery began too late to erase the deficit.

AZUWU was the difference-maker. The British rifler finished with 19 kills, 81.5 ADR and a 1.24 Rating 3.0, including a 13-5 performance and 1.72 rating on Luminosity’s defensive side. Rainwaker and yxngstxr added 16 and 18 kills respectively as Luminosity secured the second seed in Group A.

adamb was NIP’s highest-rated player, but the team lacked enough production elsewhere. Krimbo and sjuush both finished below a 0.80 rating, while xKacpersky’s 17 kills were offset by 21 deaths and a 54.2% KAST.

The side splits tell the story more clearly. NIP were comprehensively outplayed in the opening half, with xKacpersky posting a 0.38 rating and the team’s three Danish players all struggling for impact. Although xKacpersky rebounded to a 1.47 rating after halftime, the comeback stopped two rounds short. 

Four losses expose a tournament-wide problem for NIP

The narrow final score could suggest that NIP were close to rescuing their campaign, but their overall record paints a harsher picture.

They opened with a 16-14 overtime defeat to M80 on Mirage, then lost 13-9 to B8 on Ancient. A 13-8 victory over Metizport on Nuke kept them alive, but subsequent defeats to GamerLegion on Dust2 and Luminosity on Ancient left the Ninjas at 1-4.

Ancient became a recurring weakness rather than an isolated loss: NIP played it twice and lost both times. Across their five maps, they posted a 55-63 round record and defeated only the team that finished at the bottom of Group A.

The result also carries consequences beyond the $100,000 event. HLTV reported that NIP’s elimination leaves them all but certain to miss qualification for the PGL Major Singapore after a difficult season. Liquid, despite their struggles in Warsaw, remain in a stronger position in the qualification race. \

B8 turn five different maps into a perfect group

While Liquid and NIP struggled for consistency, B8 delivered the most complete group-stage performance.

The Ukrainian team went 5-0 while playing five different maps: Cache against Metizport, Ancient against GamerLegion and NIP, Dust2 against Luminosity, and Mirage against M80. Only Luminosity reached double figures against them.

B8 closed their campaign by beating M80 13-9 on Mirage. They trailed 7-5 at halftime but dominated their CT side 8-2, with kensizor recording 21 kills, 118 ADR and a 1.43 rating. npl added a 19-10 scoreline and a 1.22 rating.

That comeback was consistent with the broader strength of B8’s tournament run. They did not rely on one preferred map or a favorable sequence of opponents, and their 65-43 cumulative round score produced a group-best differential of plus 22.

Inner Circle took the other direct semifinal spot with a 4-1 record. Their only defeat came in the final round, when EYEBALLERS recovered from a 7-5 halftime deficit to win Anubis 13-10. The result was not enough to save EYEBALLERS: they joined BBL and 3DMAX on 3-2, but losses to both teams in the tied group left them outside the playoffs.

Six teams remain in contention in Warsaw

B8 and Inner Circle advance directly to the semifinals, while the other four qualifiers begin in the quarterfinals.

Luminosity face BBL, with the winner moving on to play B8. On the other side of the bracket, 3DMAX meet M80 for the right to face Inner Circle. The playoffs are single elimination, increasing the importance of adapting from the volatile best-of-one groups to full best-of-three series.

For Liquid and NIP, there is no second chance. Liquid leave Warsaw in ninth-to-tenth place after alternating encouraging wins with decisive defeats, while NIP exit with four losses from five matches and a Major qualification campaign now in serious jeopardy.