VMPL
New Delhi [India], November 12: Russian team 1w won the international Moscow Cyber Games 2026 tournament, defeating HOTU 2–0 in the final. The victory secured 1w a place in Stage 2 of PGL Major Singapore 2026. The final took place on November 1 at Moscow Game Hub as part of the second Moscow International Game Week.
Moscow hosted an international Counter-Strike 2 tournament for the first time since 2019. The results counted toward the official Valve Regional Standings (VRS), which are used to determine invitations to major Counter-Strike 2 tournaments. A total of 956 teams from 31 countries entered the Moscow Cyber Games qualifiers.
The Moscow tournament affected invitations to three international competitions: PGL Major Singapore 2026, PGL Cluj-Napoca 2027 and BLAST Bounty 2027 Season 1. By winning, 1w secured places at all three events. HOTU’s defeat in the final changed the race for the last European spot at the Singapore Major. 100 Thieves ultimately received the invitation after winning another qualifying tournament.
The final ended with a 2–0 win for 1w. The team took Anubis 13–9. On Dust2, HOTU fought back from 4–8 to level the score at 11–11, but 1w won the final two rounds to claim the title.
For 1w captain Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov and coach Konstantin “groove” Pikiner, the victory marked another major achievement together. In 2021, they won IEM Katowice as members of Gambit. Gorshkov said that competing at PGL Cluj-Napoca would give the team a chance to build on its success and contend for a place at the next Major.
Both finalists defeated Mongolian teams in the semifinals. 1w beat 5star eSports on Inferno (13–9) and Mirage (13–4), while HOTU defeated The Huns Esports on Ancient (13–2) and Cache (13–7). The Huns Esports took third place, beating 5star eSports 2–1.
The Moscow Cyber Games final was one of the main events of the second Moscow International Game Week, held from October 29 to November 1. The event featured esports competitions, an exhibition and a business program. More than 250 experts from 20 countries took part in discussions on the games industry.
One of the week’s main venues was Moscow Game Hub, a center for developing and producing video games and animation that opened in November 2025. The 55,000-square-meter complex supports the full production cycle, with a data center, a motion-capture studio, five sound-recording studios, a photogrammetry studio, a high-resolution screening room and an esports arena.
Moscow International Game Week is organized by the Agency of Creative Industries of Moscow under the Moscow Department of Culture.
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Moscow Hosts International Counter-Strike 2 Tournament; Winners Secure Place at PGL Major Singapore
