Alliance secured the final semifinal spot at XSE Pro League Guangzhou 2026 after defeating Nemesis 2-1 in a hard-fought quarterfinal series. Despite dropping Nuke, the Swedish squad responded with convincing wins on Inferno and Ancient to continue its impressive tournament run, while Nemesis saw its playoff campaign come to an end.
Road to the semifinals
Alliance continued one of the strongest campaigns in Guangzhou. The Swedish squad advanced through the Swiss Stage with victories over PARIVISION, Ninjas in Pyjamas, B8, and 9z, suffering only one defeat to B8. Their playoff run now continues into the semifinals.
Nemesis also impressed throughout the event despite the elimination. They defeated Luminosity, B8, and EYEBALLERS during the Swiss Stage before falling to BetBoom. Their win over EYEBALLERS in the deciding round secured a playoff berth, but their tournament ends in the quarterfinals with a 1-2 loss to Alliance.
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Alliance recover after slow start
The series began on Nemesis’ map pick, Nuke, where the underdogs controlled the pace and claimed a comfortable 13-8 victory. Sdaim and tex1y led the way as Nemesis capitalized on a strong CT side to take an early series lead.
Alliance answered immediately on Inferno. Their T side proved far more effective, allowing them to build an 8-4 halftime advantage before closing the map 13-7. The decider on Ancient followed a similar pattern, with Alliance taking control from the opening rounds and finishing the job with a convincing 13-7 victory to book a place in the semifinals.
bobeksde dominates the server
Jonatan “bobeksde” Persson delivered his best performance of the tournament and was the driving force behind Alliance’s comeback. Across the three maps, he finished with 65 kills, 106.8 ADR, and a 1.75 rating, consistently winning opening duels and taking over crucial rounds on both Inferno and Ancient.
For Nemesis, Danil “Sdaim” Tupov (1.14 rating) and Philipp “tex1y” Moskvitin (1.09 rating) were the brightest performers, but they received little support during the final two maps.
Community reaction
Alliance celebrated the comeback victory on social media, while Arvid “avid” Åberg praised his teammate after the match:
Won 2-1 vs @nmss_gg, close game but bobek the goat got us the W.
Nemesis thanked fans for their support despite the defeat, posting:
We’ll be back stronger. Thank you, China, see you next time.
VRS update
The victory also strengthened Alliance’s position in the Valve Regional Standings. The Swedish squad gained 24 VRS points, climbing from No. 21 to No. 20, while Nemesis lost 10 points and dropped from No. 28 to No. 29.
What’s next?
With the victory, Alliance advance to the XSE Pro League Guangzhou 2026 semifinals, where they will continue their pursuit of the championship. Nemesis leave the tournament after an impressive playoff appearance that included several upset victories and valuable VRS points despite the quarterfinal exit.
