Mehmet "cNed" lpek of Natus Vincere prepares to compete at the VALORANT Champions Tour 2023: LOCK//IN Semifinals on March 3, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Red Bull Turkey teases cNed to FUT Esports

By George Geddes

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Oct 2, 2023

Reading time: 1 min

The Red Bull Turkey social media has teased the signing of former Natus Vincere player Mehmet “cNed” Yağız İpek to FUT Esports.

CNed has been linked with the Turkish team during the offseason following his removal from the CIS-based team Na’Vi. It was reported that cNed was trialing for the team last month and was being heavily considered by FUT, according to Esporkolik.

Fans may get to see cNed back in action soon with the Red Bull Home Ground #4 EMEA qualifier. The event, which is part of the VCT OFF//SEASON for this year, will take place in November while the EMEA qualifier is set to begin on Oct. 13.

FUT Esports is one of four teams set to compete in the qualifier alongside FOKUS, G2 Gozen, and Team Heretics. The winner of the qualifier will compete in the Red Bull Home Ground event in Tokyo, Japan.

Several top teams have been invited to the tournament with Cloud9, 100 Thieves, FENNEL, DRX, Fnatic, and more.

CNed to look for new opportunities in EMEA

CNed, previously known as the best player in the world, had a rocky season with Na’Vi this year.

He joined the team as a replacement for Ardis “ardiis” Svarenieks, who left the region to join NRG in North America.

But he didn’t achieve the heights he would’ve anticipated with a core that previously won VCT Masters Copenhagen in July 2022. Na’Vi had a disappointing showing at international events, especially VCT Masters Tokyo, where the team failed to win a match.

While the team qualified for Champions through the last chance qualifier, Na’Vi was unable to take down DRX or LOUD and was subsequently eliminated from the tournament.

But both Na’Vi and FUT will return next year for the VCT EMEA splits, where cNed may come up against his old team.

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