1WIN eliminates Liquid from EWC Open Qualifier in major CS2 upset

Team Liquid’s road to the Esports World Cup 2026 ended abruptly on August 9 when 1WIN, a Russian squad ranked 44 spots below them, sent them packing from the Counter-Strike 2 open qualifier. The best-of-three playoff loss means Liquid won’t be competing in one of the year’s most prestigious esports events. For a team sitting at #19 in the world rankings, losing to the #63-ranked 1WIN qualifies as a genuine upset. How the qualifier played out The EWC Open Qualifier brought together 64 teams fighting over just four spots in the main event. The format spread across three days. Group stages ran on August 7 and 8, with the decisive playoff round wrapping up on August 9. The total prize pool sat at $100,000. Liquid navigated the group stages without major incident. They picked up wins over teams like Dhala. The qualifier field featured squads like BC.Game, 100 Thieves, and OG, all competing for those same four precious slots. The match, which kicked off around 05:00 UTC on August 9, told a different story. 1WIN took the series, and Liquid’s qualifier run ended with a placement somewhere in the 17th to 32nd range. Who made it through With Liquid out, the four teams that secured spots in t...