Last reviewed: August 11, 2026
100 Thieves have eliminated BC.Game from the Esports World Cup 2026 Open Qualifier, closing out a 2-1 series that swung on an overtime Nuke thriller and a tense 13-11 Anubis decider — despite a standout individual performance from Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev on the losing side.
The August 9 series in Paris opened poorly for 100 Thieves. BC.Game took control early on their Inferno pick, converting an 8-4 halftime lead into a comfortable 13-7 map win and putting 100 Thieves in an immediate must-win position for the rest of the series.
An overtime swing on Nuke
100 Thieves’ response came on Nuke, where the series was decided in extra rounds. A 16-12 overtime win leveled the match at a map apiece and shifted momentum firmly back toward 100 Thieves heading into the decider — the kind of high-variance result that can define a qualifier run regardless of what happens afterward.
Gizmy’s late-round clutches close it out
The Anubis decider stayed close throughout, eventually resolving 13-11 in 100 Thieves’ favor. Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen was the standout of the map and the series overall, delivering two decisive clutch rounds late that directly swung the scoreline. His 1.23 series rating led 100 Thieves’ side of the box score.
On the other side, s1mple finished as the single highest-rated player across the entire series at 1.34, a reminder that individual brilliance doesn’t always translate into a series win when the surrounding structure comes up short in the moments that matter most. BC.Game’s EWC 2026 qualification bid ended with the loss, despite the roster’s clear individual talent.
100 Thieves lock their EWC spot
The win over BC.Game wasn’t the final step. 100 Thieves followed it up by beating 1win 2-0 in their subsequent qualification match, officially confirming their place in the 32-team Esports World Cup 2026 main event field alongside BIG, K27 and JiJieHao as the last teams through the Open Qualifier.
What it means going forward
The series is also notable for the roster context surrounding it: Gizmy’s clutch performance came just before he was handed the team’s in-game leader role following Havard “rain” Nygaard’s step-back from calling duties. A qualifier-clinching, multi-clutch showing is about as strong a start to that responsibility as 100 Thieves could have asked for heading into the main event in Paris.
A tough exit for BC.Game
For BC.Game, the loss ends a qualification bid that head coach Wiktor “TaZ” Wojtas has since framed as evidence of genuine progress despite the result. The series’ shape — a lost opening map, a fought-back overtime response, and a decider that stayed within two rounds — is exactly the kind of competitive series a rebuilding roster can point to even in defeat, particularly with s1mple individually outperforming the field.
Setting up 100 Thieves’ group stage
100 Thieves now turn their attention to the EWC 2026 group stage beginning August 12, entering as one of four teams that fought through the Open Qualifier rather than arriving on a direct Valve Regional Standings invitation. That path typically means less rest and less preparation time relative to VRS-seeded opponents, but it also means the roster arrives with recent high-pressure series reps that some higher-seeded teams won’t have. How that qualifier-tested form translates against EWC’s deeper field will be one of the tournament’s early storylines to track.