Vitality reach semi-finals with stand-in: Two wins over NAVI show the team's strength in Bucharest

Team Vitality have secured a place in the semi-finals at PGL Masters Bucharest 2026 – and the performance is all the more impressive because the team has played the entire tournament without their regular captain apEX, with former NAVI player jL as stand-in.

The road to the semi-finals has not been without adversity. In the group stage, Vitality lost 2-1 to FUT, but responded immediately by defeating NAVI 2-0 on Inferno and Dust2. When the two sides met again in the quarter-finals, it was a far closer contest. NAVI opened with a dominant 13-5 win on Cache and demonstrated that they had adapted since the group stage meeting. Vitality found their footing on Mirage, however, where ZywOo took control after the half-time break and posted a rating of 2.61 on the CT side in the second half. The team won 13-9 and forced the match to a deciding Dust2.

On the third map, Vitality established an 8-4 lead in the first half. When NAVI won the pistol round after the break and threatened to claw back, ZywOo responded with a Scout triple kill that shattered NAVI's momentum. Dust2 ended 13-6, and Vitality advanced 2-1 overall.

ZywOo finished the quarter-final as the team's best player with 49 kills, 40 deaths and an overall rating of 1.24. jL ended on 0.97, but contributed in decisive situations along the way.

Vitality have now eliminated NAVI from the tournament twice – once in the group stage and once in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, Nemiga await, having caused a surprise by eliminating FUT 2-0. The final is played as a best-of-five on 31 October, and Vitality are still in contention for the title – with a stand-in in the lineup.