s1mple reacts to BC.Game exit at IEM Kraków 2026: “Results could have been better”

BC.Game’s first big test of 2026 ended earlier than expected at IEM Kraków 2026, and star AWPer Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev openly admitted the team fell short of its potential.

After elimination, the Ukrainian superstar thanked fans and reflected on the team’s performance:

“Thanks for the welcome, Kraków. The results could have been better — we made a lot of mistakes, but we’ll learn from them. Thanks everyone for the support ❤️.”

The statement quickly became one of the most discussed post-match reactions of the tournament, highlighting the ongoing rebuilding phase of the BC.Game CS2 roster.

BC.Game results at IEM Kraków 2026

BC.Game began their campaign in the Play-In stage, where the team secured two wins in three matches to advance to the main event.

However, their momentum stopped in Group B:

Loss vs Team Vitality

Elimination match loss vs FaZe Clan

Final placement: 13th–16th

FaZe vs BC.Game elimination match

Map results:

Dust2 — FaZe 13:8

Nuke — BC.Game 13:6

Ancient — FaZe 13:3

The decisive Ancient map ended in a one-sided defeat, confirming BC.Game’s exit from the $1,000,000 tournament.

Coach TaZ reacts after elimination

BC.Game head coach Wiktor “TaZ” Wojtas delivered one of the shortest reactions of the event:

“Nothing to say. GG.”

Despite the brevity, the message reflected the team’s disappointment after an inconsistent group stage showing.

Thorin sparks debate after FaZe series

The elimination series reignited a familiar debate around AWPers and star impact. Analyst Duncan “Thorin” Shields criticized the narrative he expected to appear after the loss:

“Now idiots will say broky is better than s1mple, and they’ll really believe it.”

The series statistics reportedly showed broky with a higher average rating than s1mple (1.42 vs 1.14), fueling the discussion across the CS2 community.

In a separate comment, Thorin defended BC.Game’s overall showing and praised coach TaZ:

“If any other coach were in his place — everyone would be thrilled.”

This perspective reframed the result as early progress rather than failure for a newly formed roster.

s1mple on long-term roster development

In a late-January interview, s1mple emphasized that BC.Game is still in the early stages of development:

“Once we’ve been together for one or two months, I’ll be more comfortable and I’m pretty sure my game will be sharper.”

This statement suggests the team is focusing on long-term growth rather than immediate results.

IEM Kraków 2026 overview

Location: Kraków, Poland

Dates: Jan 28 – Feb 8, 2026

Teams: 24

Prize pool: $1,000,000

Winner prize: $400,000

The tournament remains one of the biggest CS2 events of the year and a key milestone for new rosters and rebuilt lineups.

Why this result matters for BC.Game

Key takeaways:

The roster successfully passed Play-In.

Lost to elite tier-1 opponents (Vitality, FaZe).

Team still in early synergy stage.

Expectations remain high due to s1mple’s presence.

For fans and analysts alike, the main storyline is clear: BC.Game is still a work in progress.