HUASOPEEK: “We’re close to being a tier-one team, but I don’t think we’re there yet”

9z delivered on their status as one of the top-ranked teams in attendance at XSE Pro League Guangzhou, taking down the likes of PARIVISION and TYLOO on their way to their first international LAN trophy.

The victory capped a fine run of form for the South American squad, who made the playoffs of PGL Astana and, more impressively, IEM Cologne Major ahead of their tournament campaign in Chinas.

“We felt we could win this tournament,” MVP award winner Matias “⁠HUASOPEEK⁠” Ibañez Hernandez told HLTV in the wake of his team’s event win. “We came in with good results, we made the playoffs at the Major and Astana, and that gave us a lot of confidence heading into this event.”

With a notable trophy finally under their belts, HUASOPEEK says his team are looking to establish themselves as a consistent force in the biggest events next season. “The team’s goal is to make playoffs at every tier S event and try to win a tournament.”

Congrats on winning XSE Pro League 2026 in Guangzhou and the MVP. What are your impressions? Did you expect you could win this event?

Yes, we felt we could win this tournament. We came in with good results, we made the playoffs at the Major and Astana, and that gave us a lot of confidence heading into this event. I think we were one of the favorites to win, and we did it. For me it’s amazing, my first tournament in China and also my first MVP.

How do you evaluate your run at this event? Did you feel confident throughout, or were there moments where you felt shaky?

Yeah, I felt confident throughout the whole event. In Cologne I learned a lot about my role, since I’m an entry, and in the last tournaments I felt I wasn’t doing good. At this tournament I came with a lot of confidence because I’m seeing a lot of new things. It was a good tournament.

You also had a very good result in Cologne, even putting up a fight in the quarterfinal. Did that help give you this confidence?

Yeah, of course the result in Cologne helped a lot. And also the win against Vitality, which for me is the best team in the history of CS, gave us a lot of confidence, both in Cologne and at this tournament.

A quarter-final finish in Cologne and now a victory here. What helped you achieve these results in such a short period of time?

I think it’s just work. I remember before Cologne we lost at Stake Ranked, I think we won one match and lost the rest. Any other team after that probably wouldn’t go into the next tournament with the same energy, but my team came and made the Major playoffs, and that’s because we keep working. And not only at CS, also on the mental side. Yeah, I think it’s only work.

Do you feel like a tier-one team now?

I think we’re close to being a tier-one team, but I don’t think we’re there yet, because… I don’t know, at this tournament we lost two matches, to EYEBALLERS and Alliance, and a tier-one team doesn’t lose such games. But we’re so close. I think if we continue the way we’re finishing this season, then in the second season we can be a tier-one team.

So now you’ve cemented yourself at the top of the VRS, do you have any goals in mind right?

Yeah, my goals — well, our goals, because I always think in terms of the team. The team’s goal is to make playoffs at every tier S event and try to win a tournament. But above all we want to qualify to fight for the Major in Argentina and win it. That’s it.

What did you think of the event in general: group stage tech issues, Chinese crowd, all of that?

Yeah, the event didn’t start well because we had a lot of technical issues. The crowd gave us a lot of energy to keep playing, I remember on the first or second day we had a four- or five-hour delay, and the people were still there, and that gave us a lot of energy that day. The crowd here in China is so crazy, and I don’t know, I like it so much.