1win upsets Team Liquid to qualify for Esports World Cup

The Counter-Strike 2 squad 1win secured a spot in the Esports World Cup 2026 main event after defeating Team Liquid in the open qualifier. The upset saw the #63-ranked 1win eliminate the #19-ranked Liquid in a best-of-three playoff series on August 9.

1win's roster includes in-game leader Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov, Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov, Artem “ArtFr0st” Kharitonov, Petr “fame” Bolyshev, and Andrey “BELCHONOKK” Yasinskiy, coached by Konstantin “groove” Pikiner. The team was formed from a recent independent project that became a fully backed roster under 1win.

Following the qualifier, 1win joins Fluxo, SAW, and Iberian Soul as one of the four teams to advance to the main event. Nafany described the new lineup as feeling "like a dream" and expressed confidence in the team's individual quality despite acknowledging existing inconsistencies.