Fnatic bench Xizt and twist after falling short of Berlin Major

Fnatic has taken decisive action following months of underwhelming competitive results, removing Richard “Xizt” Landstrom and Simon “twist” Eliasson from their active Counter-Strike lineup. This roster move comes as an immediate response to the team’s failure to secure a spot at the upcoming Major tournament.

Prior to this season’s disappointing outcome, Fnatic maintained the unique distinction of being the sole organization to compete in every Global Offensive Major championship since the series began—fourteen consecutive appearances that now ends with the Berlin qualifier.

“This marks the inaugural instance where our competitive efforts fell short of Major qualification standards. Both leadership and competing members recognize this outcome as incompatible with the excellence we demand from ourselves and expect from the black and orange legacy,” the team’s official statement clarified.

Organization representatives characterized this development as the most significant competitive setback in their Counter-Strike competitive history.

Xizt and Twist joined Fnatic’s professional squad during 2018, contributing to notable achievements including IEM Chicago semifinal appearances and PLG Grand Slam championship victory. Their competitive trajectory following these accomplishments became increasingly inconsistent.

The team demonstrated fluctuating form with a fourth-place finish at WESG Finals, followed by runner-up placements at both StarSeries i-League Season 7 and IEM Sydney competitions.

Despite these respectable placements, Fnatic struggled to maintain the elite performance level required for championship contention. The Swedish roster managed only top-12 finishes at DreamHack Masters Dallas, ESL Pro League Season 9 Finals, and ESL One Cologne events.

The European Minor tournament ultimately determined their competitive fate, eliminating Fnatic’s opportunity to extend their Major participation record.

In response to these competitive shortcomings, Fnatic management has committed to intensive efforts aimed at reclaiming their position as professional gaming’s elite competitor. The organization’s initial focus involves comprehensive talent identification and acquisition initiatives.

According to HLTV reporting, the team now considers international roster configurations after maintaining exclusively Swedish player lineups for the past six competitive seasons.

This strategic shift represents a fundamental departure from Fnatic’s longstanding recruitment philosophy, potentially opening new strategic possibilities for the organization’s competitive future. Teams considering similar roster transitions should evaluate cultural integration challenges alongside potential strategic benefits when moving toward international player compositions.

“I recognize my recent performances haven’t met professional standards and certainly fall short of my personal competitive expectations. I accept full responsibility for these subpar showings and view this situation as motivation to intensify my training regimen, maintain positive mindset, concentrate on personal development and enhance my individual capabilities. I remain confident about future competitive opportunities where I’ll contribute to championship matches,” Xizt commented regarding his benching.

He extended sincere well-wishes to the organization moving forward.

The official announcement included remarks from Twist, who expressed gratitude toward Fnatic for his competitive tenure.

“Considering the unprecedented nature of missing Major qualification in Fnatic’s competitive history, roster adjustments became unavoidable. Now, unfortunately without Simon and Richard’s contributions, we must construct a resilient, consistent competitive lineup capable of restoring Fnatic to championship contention,” explained team director Andreas “Samuelsson” Samuelsson.

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