Nemesis and 9INE Qualify for Stake Ranked Episode 1 After Closed Qualifier Wins

Nemesis and 9INE have secured the final spots at Stake Ranked Episode 1, completing the team list for the upcoming $100,000 Counter-Strike 2 LAN tournament in Barcelona. The event will take place from April 1–4, 2026, and marks the first installment of the new Stake Ranked CS2 circuit organized by StarLadder.

The two teams advanced through the closed qualifier, joining invited squads G2, GamerLegion, HEROIC, Gentle Mates, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and BetBoom in the eight-team tournament.

Nemesis upset BIG to secure Stake Ranked qualification

Nemesis produced one of the biggest surprises of the qualifier. The team entered the event as an underdog but managed to defeat several established European squads on the way to Barcelona.

Their run started with a comeback victory against EYEBALLERS. Nemesis dropped the opening map Nuke (11-13) but recovered with convincing wins on Mirage (13-4) and Overpass (13-8).

The squad then eliminated SINNERS in the next round before facing BIG in the decisive match for qualification.

The series against BIG went the distance:

Ancient — 13-11 Nemesis

Inferno — 13-10 BIG

Mirage — 16-14 Nemesis (OT)

The overtime victory on Mirage sealed Nemesis’ spot at the LAN event and ended BIG’s qualifier campaign.

Across the closed qualifier, Philipp “tex1y” Moskvitin stood out as Nemesis’ top performer, finishing the event with a 1.19 rating across eight maps.

9INE dominate closed qualifier without dropping a map

While Nemesis fought through multiple close matches, 9INE qualified in dominant fashion, winning every series 2-0.

The team defeated:

Tricked

fnatic

FOKUS

In their match against fnatic, 9INE secured wins on Anubis (13-7) and Ancient (13-6). They later confirmed their qualification with another 2-0 victory over FOKUS, closing the series with a 13-11 win on Inferno.

One of the standout performers for 9INE was Tobias “kraghen” Kragh Jensen, who recorded a 1.31 rating across six maps, making him one of the highest-rated players of the qualifier.

flayy makes strong debut after joining 9INE

The qualifier also marked the first official event for 9INE’s new AWPer Alan “flayy” Krupa, who joined the team in early March.

flayy replaced Roberts “shield” Tipsis and arrived from the now-inactive Venom roster. Prior to joining 9INE, he held a 1.14 average rating over the previous 12 months.

Following his transfer announcement, flayy commented on social media:

“I’m more than ready for this new chapter in my career. Let’s get to work.”

The AWPer finished the qualifier as the team’s second-highest rated player, helping 9INE secure a flawless qualification run.

Stake Ranked Episode 1 teams

The Stake Ranked Episode 1 CS2 tournament will feature eight teams:

G2

GamerLegion

HEROIC

Gentle Mates

Ninjas in Pyjamas

BetBoom

9INE

Nemesis

The event will take place in Barcelona, Spain, with $100,000 in prize money and important Valve Regional Standings (VRS) implications ahead of upcoming Major invites.

About the Stake Ranked CS2 circuit

Stake Ranked is a new Counter-Strike 2 tournament series launched by StarLadder and Stake for 2026. The circuit will feature six events throughout the year, each consisting of:

• open qualifiers

• a 16-team closed qualifier

• an eight-team LAN finals

Six teams qualify via Valve Regional Standings invites, while two teams earn their place through the closed qualifiers.

Stake Ranked Episode 1 in Barcelona will be the first LAN event in the series, making it an important opportunity for emerging teams like Nemesis and 9INE to gain international exposure and VRS points.