Team Spirit have been crowned champions of PGL Astana 2025, defeating Astralis 3:1 in a thrilling grand final. In a tournament where favorites dropped like flies — with NiP making an unexpected top-4 run and NAVI crashing out in the quarterfinals — it was Spirit who ran the entire gauntlet without a single serious misstep. Their style combined structure with instinct, individual brilliance with collective synergy. This victory firmly establishes donk as the new generational leader, and Spirit as the team to beat going forward.
Spirit’s path to the title
Spirit didn’t just win — they dominated. Across the entire tournament, they dropped only two maps:
Group stage:
- 2:0 vs GamerLegion — a confident opening with no room for doubt.
- 2:0 vs NiP — a tactical showcase; chopper read the map like an open book.
- 2:0 vs Astralis — the first encounter with the future finalists, and Spirit showed full control.
Playoffs:
- 2:0 vs NiP — a repeat of the group stage, only cleaner.
- 2:1 vs FURIA — their only real test, but Spirit held firm.
- 3:1 vs Astralis — a fitting conclusion to a flawless campaign.
How the grand final unfolded
The final was a clash of generations: the youth of Spirit versus the experience of Astralis. It was donk vs device, and while the match only lasted four maps, each one was filled with moments worth remembering.
Dust2 (Spirit’s pick) — 13:5
Spirit set the pace right from the start. donk took control within the first few rounds, dropping 17 kills, including an entry frag nearly every other round. Astralis couldn’t find any consistent path into sites, and the first half ended 11:1. The second half was a mere formality.
Nuke (Astralis’ pick) — 13:10
Astralis brought a real fight. They took the pistol, controlled the tempo in defense, and stavn repeatedly shut down pushes toward A. But Spirit adapted. chopper worked the mid-rounds masterfully, sh1ro won crucial clutches, and once again, the map swung Spirit’s way.
There were even light-hearted moments — Spirit’s players joking in chat during rounds, clearly confident and relaxed, even poking fun at their opponents.
Mirage (Spirit’s pick) — 5:13
The champions’ only misstep. Astralis asserted dominance with aggressive mid control, and stavn found his rhythm early. Spirit struggled to stabilize their economy and failed to take a single round after switching sides. The map slipped out of their grasp quickly and decisively.
Train (decider) — 16:13
The final map turned out to be the toughest. Astralis started strong, winning the first half 8:4 behind sharp entries and well-structured T rounds. stavn again led the charge with impact frags. But after the side switch, Spirit mounted a steady comeback. A pistol round win gave them momentum, and they slowly chipped away at the deficit. In the final stretch, donk and sh1ro rose to the occasion, delivering in high-pressure moments. Spirit sealed the map 16:13, and with it — the championship.
Player stats from the final
Best player of the match — Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
No debate — donk was the face of the final. Across four maps, his average rating hit 1.51. His aggression was far from reckless — it was controlled chaos. In every game, he found a moment to change the course, with fearless duels even against the likes of device, Staehr, or stavn. This wasn’t raw talent anymore — this was the arrival of a star.
Astralis return: a fight to the very end
Though Astralis fell short in the final, their run at PGL Astana 2025 was a turning point for the organization. They:
- Reached playoffs after dropping to Spirit in the Swiss stage (3-1),
- Eliminated NAVI in the quarterfinals (2:1),
- Defeated Aurora in the semifinals (2:1),
- Pushed Spirit hard in the grand final.
Special praise goes to stavn, who ended the tournament with a 1.19 rating, and device, who once again showed his class at the top level. Also worth highlighting is HooXi, whose leadership helped this revamped lineup reach a level few expected.
Astralis are back, and they must be taken seriously once again.
Prize money & what’s next
For their championship win, Spirit take home:
- $200,000 for 1st place
- $200,000 club bonus
- 1,000,000+ concurrent viewers at the peak of the final
Next up: BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, where Spirit will enter as the team to beat — a worthy rival to both Vitality and Falcons.
