CSGO pro sleeps through PGL Stockholm Major qualifier, forfeits

A professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player apparently needed a nap so badly that he couldn’t wait until after a major qualifying match, and his team has paid the price.

During IEM Fall 2021’s North American tournament, Evil Geniuses was handed a free win by Triumph as the team was forced to forfeit because one of its players slept through the match. Triumph in-game leader Danny “cxzi” Strzelczyk confirmed the news in a post on Twitter. It is currently unclear which member of the team slept through the match.

CSGO pros missing out on matches for silly reasons isn’t actually unheard of, and this isn’t the first time a player has slept through a significant match. During Winners League Season 3, Swole Patrol’s Matthew “Wardell” Yu slept through a grand finals match in the top North American division of the league.

Swole Patrol was later swept 2-0 by league champions INTZ eSports,with Wardell apologizing to his team via Twitter. He noted that he was actually awake in time to play the second map, but by then the lineups were locked in. While it was an embarrassing moment, Wardell took a big career leap from there by becoming a member of TSM’s Valorant roster.

IEM Fall 2021 forfeit has big PGL Stockholm Major implications

While Wardell napping through a match is embarrassing enough, this gaffe from Triumph came during a major qualifier in IEM Fall 2021. The event is a Regional Major Ranking event, and a first-place finish almost guarantees a spot in the PGL Stockholm Major.

Though Triumph faced long odds of winning the event, even a fifth-place finish could potentially earn the team a spot in the major. The first leg of IEM Fall 2021 involves a six-team group playing in a round-robin with best-of-ones, so there isn’t any margin for error. Never even mind an unforced error like a forfeit loss from a player sleeping through a game.

Making the loss even more ludicrous is the fact that the game with Evil Geniuses was set to take place at 7:30 p.m. ET, which meant the player was napping into the late afternoon or early evening depending on where they live. Hours earlier, Triumph member cxzi had discussed the significance of the match on Twitter.

Though the forfeit loss to Evil Geniuses is an ugly chapter for Triumph, the team bounced back a few hours later with a solid 16-11 victory over 00Nation. The final map of the group stage is Triumph vs. GODSENT, and it will determine whether Triumph advances despite the sleepy setback.