Magic Will Play Their Coach eksiver Against Vitality in Barcelona After Visa Issues Ruled Out AW
Vitality arrive at StarSeries Fall at full strength for the first time in months after mezii returned from paternity leave for the eight team event.
Magic will use their coach Danila "eksiver" Yurkov as a player at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 in Barcelona after visa issues stopped 20-year-old Russian rifler Andrey "AW" Anisimov from travelling, HLTV reported on 15 September 2026. Magic open their campaign against Vitality on 17 September.
The 25-year-old eksiver has very little experience as a player at this level. HLTV lists only six maps in his career, the last of them in March 2025. Esports News UK also reported the change, which Hotspawn said would badly hurt magic's chances of an upset despite the form of their star player tenzy.
The eight-team Counter-Strike 2 event runs from 17 to 20 September with a US$500,000 prize pool. MOUZ, Vitality, FURIA and Natus Vincere were invited, Aurora and magic came through the European qualifier, and MIBR and NRG qualified from South America and North America. All matches are best-of-three in a double-elimination bracket, with a best-of-five grand final.
Vitality will have William "mezii" Merriman back after paternity leave, ending a run in which Justinas "jL" Lekavicius stood in, according to Esports Insider. MOUZ arrive after two grand final appearances in a row and beat Vitality at BLAST Open Porto. The world's two top-ranked teams, Team Spirit and Team Falcons, are not taking part.
The other opening matches are MOUZ against NRG, Aurora against Natus Vincere and FURIA against MIBR. The winners will receive US$100,000 in player prize money and the same amount again as a club share, and the grand final is on 20 September.