9z at the PGL Singapore Major 2026
Cologne quarterfinalists and XSE Pro League champions in the summer, 9z arrive in Singapore on a bad autumn run but still as one of Stage 1's higher seeds.
9z reached the quarterfinals of the IEM Cologne Major in June, then won XSE Pro League 2026 in July. Since then the results have dried up. They start the PGL Singapore Major in Stage 1 as the eighth seed, ranked #24 in Valve's Regional Standings (VRS) of November 2, and their invite is confirmed.
Roster and invite
| Players | max, dgt, luchov, HUASOPEEK, history (stand-in) |
| Coach | BIT |
| Region | Americas |
| Valve ranking (Nov 2) | #24 global, 1490 points |
| Starts in | Stage 1 (November 24-27) |
| Invite | Confirmed (no declines before PGL's November 6 deadline) |
Late roster change. On November 7, five days after the invites were set, 9z benched AWPer meyern, who had been in the starting lineup since November 2025. Brazilian AWPer history, without a team since RED Canids benched him in March after the StarLadder Budapest Major, stands in for Singapore. HLTV reported no official reason; the team was on a seven-match losing streak at the time.
Model odds
9z are seed 8 of 16 in Stage 1 (November 24-27). Chances from our model:
| Outcome | Chance |
|---|---|
| 3-0 in Stage 1 | 15% |
| Advance from Stage 1 (3-0, 3-1 or 3-2) | 59% |
| 0-3 in Stage 1 | 7.0% |
| Reach the playoffs (top 8) | 3.9% |
| Win the Major | <1% |
The model plays the event 20,000 times with Valve's Swiss pairing rules; each map win chance comes only from VRS points (Valve's expected-score formula, softened), so it knows nothing about form, maps or roster news. It is not a betting tip. Calculated November 8, 2026. Play it out yourself in the Major simulator.
Form going into Singapore
- November 2026, IEM Beijing: lost 1-2 to BetBoom in the Group B upper bracket, then 0-2 to TYLOO in the lower bracket (5-13 Inferno, 13-16 Cache).
- October 2026, PGL Masters Bucharest: out of the Swiss stage at 0-3. Lost 0-2 to Vitality (Mirage 10-13, Cache 10-13), 0-2 to MOUZ (Dust2 5-13, Nuke 3-13) and 1-2 to TYLOO.
- October 2026, Thunderpick World Championship: beat Aurora 2-0 in Group A, then lost 1-2 to Falcons and 0-2 to Aurora in the decider.
- October 2026, ESL Pro League Season 24: beat BetBoom 2-0 and lost 0-2 to FURIA in the Swiss stage.
- August 2026, BLAST Open Porto: 13th-16th after 0-2 losses to MOUZ and Vitality. max said afterward: "We are not confident right now and we are not making good decisions."
- August 2026, Esports World Cup: missed the playoffs after a 1-2 loss to magic in the series for a playoff spot. The first map went 17-19 in double overtime.
- July 2026, XSE Pro League: champions, beating PARIVISION 3-0 in the final.
Strengths
- They have done it on the biggest stage this year. At the IEM Cologne Major in June 9z beat Vitality 2-1 in Stage 3, reached the playoffs and took the first map off FURIA (13-8 on Dust2) before losing the quarterfinal 1-2.
- An experienced core. max has been with 9z since 2020, and four of the five players who reached the Cologne playoffs are still in the lineup.
- They can still beat good teams in a Bo3: the 2-0 wins over BetBoom (ESL Pro League) and Aurora (Thunderpick World Championship) both came in October.
Weaknesses
- Form. Ensigame lists 9z at 2-8 in their last ten series and 5-16 over the last three months, with seven straight series losses going into the Major.
- Nuke has become a problem. In October they lost it 7-13 to FURIA, 9-13 to Falcons, 3-13 to MOUZ and 5-13 to TYLOO; the only Nuke win in that run was 13-1 over Aurora.
- A new AWPer less than three weeks before the event. history replaces meyern, the AWPer who starred in the Cologne run, and has had no stable team since March.
- Close games slip away. Three of their eight series losses since October went to a deciding map, and both maps against Vitality in Bucharest ended 10-13.
Pick'Em verdict
Leave 9z out of your Stage 1 picks. On ranking points alone our model has them at about 59% to advance and only about 7% to go 0-3, which makes them neither a safe advance pick nor a sensible 0-3 pick. The ranking still carries some of the summer results, while the last three months look like a team that is struggling. The model Pick'Em also leaves them out of its six Stage 1 advance picks, and if they do get through, it has them as a 0-3 pick in Stage 2. You can play out their bracket in the Major simulator, and the full schedule is on our Singapore Major hub.
Sources: HLTV: PGL Major Singapore invites set, HLTV: 9z bench meyern, add history as Major stand-in, Ensigame: 9z Team results, Strafe: 9z Team, CS2News: max after BLAST Porto, CS2News: MOUZ vs 9z in Porto, EsportNow: all 32 Singapore lineups, rdy.gg: magic upset 9z, Hotspawn: 9z win XSE Pro League 2026, Dust2.us: 9z upset Vitality at Cologne, Hotspawn: FURIA survive 9z. Updated November 8, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Who plays for 9z at the Singapore Major?
max, dgt, luchov, HUASOPEEK and stand-in history, coached by BIT. On November 7, 2026 9z benched AWPer meyern and added history, a Brazilian AWPer without a team since RED Canids benched him in March, as their Major stand-in.
What are 9z's chances at the Singapore Major?
Our model, which only uses Valve ranking points, gives 9z about a 59% chance to get out of Stage 1, about 15% to go 3-0 and about 7% to go 0-3. Their chance to reach the playoffs is about 4%.
Should I pick 9z in the Singapore Major Pick'Em?
Not in Stage 1. The model likes them slightly, but 9z won only 2 of their last 10 series before the Major. Leave them out and use your advance picks on steadier teams.