Astralis vs Ninjas in Pyjamas prediction — Esports World Cup 2026

Key factors

• Final result: Astralis defeated Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-1.
• Astralis won Nuke 13-3, dropped Inferno 10-13, then closed Cache 13-7.
• The lean-only Astralis pick was correct, but NIP’s map win confirms the pre-match caution that this was not a strong-favorite spot.

Notes

Our pick Astralis was correct. Final score: Astralis 2-1 Ninjas in Pyjamas.

Momentum

Astralis retain a slight structure and class prior, but confidence is reduced because the supplied current-event record materially upgrades NIP’s lower-bracket rebound after the 2-0 over BetBoom. Astralis’ MIBR win supports them only modestly, while the Falcons loss keeps their ceiling capped.

LAN form

Astralis’ phzy/HooXi/jabbi/Staehr/ryu lineup still rates slightly higher in structure and baseline map depth, while NIP’s Snappi/sjuush/stavn core has enough LAN experience and now a confirmed rebound result to keep this close.

Psychology

Advancement pressure is close to neutral after the NIP rebound. Astralis are still the narrow pick, but NIP’s experienced Danish core can punish hesitant mid-rounds and should not be treated as a flat underdog after the BetBoom result.

Key risks

• Lean-only pick after NIP’s material lower-bracket rebound against BetBoom.
• Astralis showed fragility against Falcons and cannot be priced as a strong favorite.
• Map-path risk if NIP reach Ancient or a comfort-control map where stavn/sjuush can slow the game.