Alliance became the latest team to qualify for the XSE Pro League Guangzhou 2026 playoffs after defeating 9z 2-0 in the Swiss Stage’s 2-1 qualification match. The Swedish squad edged out 9z on Dust2 before closing the series in convincing fashion on Inferno, while the South American side dropped to the 2-2 pool and will have one final chance to reach the playoffs.
Road through the Swiss Stage
Alliance have been one of the tournament’s biggest surprises. They opened the event by defeating PARIVISION, followed it up with a dominant win over Ninjas in Pyjamas, suffered their first defeat against B8, and responded immediately by eliminating 9z to finish the Swiss Stage with a 3-1 record and secure a playoff berth.
For 9z, the road continues. After victories over SINNERS and 3DMAX, they lost consecutive series to EYEBALLERS and Alliance, dropping to 2-2. One final best-of-three will determine whether they can still qualify for the playoffs.
read more
Alliance book their playoff ticket
Both teams entered the series with identical 2-1 records, knowing that victory would secure an immediate place in the playoffs. The opening map, Dust2, was closely contested, but Alliance prevailed 16-14 after overtime to steal 9z’s map pick.
That momentum carried over to Inferno, where Alliance took control early and never looked back. The Swedish lineup comfortably closed the map 13-7, completing a 2-0 sweep and punching their ticket to the playoff stage.
eraa powers Alliance to victory
Sean “eraa” Knutsson delivered his best series of the tournament, finishing with a 1.40 rating, 86.4 ADR, and 49-28 K-D to earn Player of the Match honors. Markus “upE” Johansson (1.24 rating), Jonatan “bobeksde” Persson (1.22), and Arvid “avid” Åberg (1.22) also played key roles as Alliance outperformed 9z across both maps.
For 9z, no player managed to reach a rating above 1.00. Ignacio “meyern” Meyer was the team’s highest-rated player with exactly 1.00, while Luciano “luchov” Herrera (0.99) and the rest of the roster struggled to match Alliance’s pace.
VRS update
The victory also significantly boosted Alliance’s Valve Regional Standings position. The Swedish squad earned 41 VRS points, climbing from 24th to 21st, while 9z lost 24 points and remain 12th in the rankings.
Alliance celebrated qualification on X by posting: “2-0 vs @9zTeam as we move into the playoffs in China.” Meanwhile, 9z acknowledged the defeat while remaining optimistic about their chances:
This result leaves us 2-2 in the Swiss Stage, tomorrow we’ll have the last chance to qualify for the playoffs.
read more
What’s next?
Alliance advance directly to the XSE Pro League Guangzhou 2026 playoffs after finishing the Swiss Stage with a 3-1 record. Meanwhile, 9z fall into the 2-2 qualification pool, where one final series will decide whether they can join the playoff bracket.