Gentle Mates Crowned Champions at IstanbuLAN 2026, Edging Out HOTU in Thrilling Final

Gentle Mates Crowned Champions at IstanbuLAN 2026, Edging Out HOTU in Thrilling Final

Gentle Mates emerged victorious at IstanbuLAN 2026, defeating HOTU 2–1 in the grand final of the Turkish LAN event on 14 February 2026. With the win, the Spanish squad claimed the $12,500 grand prize and climbed significantly in the global Valve Regional Standings (VRS).

The best-of-three final was tightly contested. HOTU took the first map on Anubis, but Gentle Mates rebounded strongly, dominating Nuke and closing out the title on Overpass. The final result showed:

• Gentle Mates 2–1 HOTU
  • Map scores: Anubis, Nuke, Overpass
  • Final scoreline: 16–12 / 13–2 / 13–10 (approx.)

This win marked a successful LAN performance for Gentle Mates, who dropped only one map across the entire IstanbuLAN bracket — a sign of their consistency throughout the event.

Prior to this final, Gentle Mates also secured a 2–0 victory over magic in the semi-finals, which booked their place against HOTU for the title match.

Standings & Future Impact

Before IstanbuLAN 2026, Gentle Mates had limited LAN participation this season and had stumbled in some online qualifiers, including an exit from BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1. Their victory in Turkey not only brought prize money but significantly improved their VRS position — climbing from around #28 to at least #18 globally according to HLTV’s standings update.

HOTU, despite the runner-up finish, also benefited from their deep run at IstanbuLAN, gaining valuable ranking points and prize earnings that contribute to their regional and international placement.

After this event, Gentle Mates are scheduled to compete at the Roman Imperium Cup V, where they will face teams including Passion UA, Ninjas in Pyjamas, fnatic, and 100 Thieves — a more stacked LAN that will further test their form.

Match Context & Stats

• Event: IstanbuLAN 2026 (LAN tournament in Turkey)

• Format: Best-of-3 grand final

• Prize: $12,500 for first place

• Teams: Gentle Mates (Spain) vs. HOTU (CIS)

Both teams had faced each other earlier in the event cycle; Gentle Mates lost a prior meeting against HOTU in January’s iteration of the same tournament before reversing the result in the final.

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Summary

Gentle Mates have added a major LAN title to their 2026 campaign, showing resilience and tactical maturity by overcoming their earlier deficit to HOTU and lifting the IstanbuLAN 2026 trophy. With improved rankings and confidence, they now shift focus to tougher competition in upcoming European LAN stages.