Match expectations set for them prior to Worlds 2025, FNATIC has struggled on the international stage thus far. As the third seed of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), the boys in black and orange has yet to step up and now finds itself on the brink of potential elimination. In an exclusive interview, AD Carry Elias "Upset" Lipp sat down with Sheep Esports to discuss the team's disappointing results, what needs to change, and his time in China so far.

What do you think went wrong in your loss against CFO?

Elias "Upset" Lipp: “The early game was a little difficult for us. Our team comp kind of needed to hit level 6 and then make plays with Taliyah, Vi, and Nautilus on the Cait and the Ryze, but we didn’t really manage to find any windows. They had a lot of pressure in the game, and we had a few oopsies too—first game on stage, so a few solo kills. Then the game gets pretty tough when you play against a strong team. We just need to make sure we have a good idea of how we want to play, what we’re playing, and hopefully find better openings.

How has the team been handling the pressure of Worlds? Did you feel more stressed or relaxed today, and what are your expectations for the next few days?

Upset: I felt quite good, honestly. I’m not exactly sure about everyone’s feelings—it depends a lot from person to person—but we were quite optimistic overall. So yeah, I’m feeling good. I’m going to keep preparing. Obviously, it’s part of playing at Worlds that you also lose games, so we’ll just try to learn as much as possible and come back stronger tomorrow.

We heard that both G2 and MKOI arrived early to adjust to the time zone and bootcamp in Korea. How has Fnatic’s preparation been before Worlds?

Upset: We arrived about four days later than these two teams. We were shooting some content for Worlds, and then we mostly played solo queue for a lot of the days because a lot of the other teams were still in Korea. We weren’t really scrimming that much, but solo queue has been really great for me—I really enjoy playing here. But yeah, it would be nice to get a little bit more scrims, but obviously we’re coming in as the third seed, so we haven’t gotten to play against a lot of the Korean teams.

Is it harder to find scrim partners as a third seed?

Upset: Yeah, naturally they want to scrim the best opponents possible, and we’re obviously not quite there. So yeah, it’s not the easiest. We are scrimming some teams here, of course, but yeah.

What do you think Fnatic needs to improve to secure some wins in the next rounds?

Upset: We need to be a little bit more adaptive in-game. We need to see situations clearer and understand what we really need to do on the map as a team. It feels like we’re missing some beats in the game and starting objectives at the wrong times. We probably also need to look at our early game plan and try to get a bit more power early so we can actually play to contest.

Fnatic fans are obviously looking for some hope right now. It’s still best-of-one, so there will be a lot of overreactions—but should they stay hopeful for the upcoming matches?

Upset: Where there's delusion, there's hope. It's a great quote from a great mind of our time. There's not much to say—we just need to play and perform much better, but that’s easier said than done. We’re obviously trying our best. We're going to take today seriously, see what we can do better, and come up with a good plan for tomorrow. The fans have heard enough talk about hope and how the West will compete. We just have to put in the work and show it.

What does it mean for you to be at Worlds for the second time, and do you have high personal expectations for what you want to achieve here?

Upset: Every time you get to play one of these events, it’s really amazing. Obviously, I want to leave a very good impression. But for me, it’s mostly important that we become better as a team because that’s the only real way to achieve success in the sport. You need to be a very good team. That’s what I’m mainly focused on right now, instead of just looking good personally. But I’m always very grateful that I got to play in China this year—for sure, it’s a great experience.

How has your experience in China been? Have you had a chance to explore, or has it mostly been practice and work?

Upset: It’s 95% work, honestly. I haven’t seen much. The hotel we’re in is very nice, which is cool, but we’re not really seeing much else. We’re just seeing League of Legends.

How do you feel about your bot lane with Mihael "Mikyx" Mehle going up against international teams?

Upset: In a vacuum, we’ve been performing very well this bootcamp. Obviously, our stage performance was not optimal, but I don’t think there was much we could do given the game situation. So yeah, I feel pretty good with Mikyx. We’re doing quite well.

What do you think about the current level of European League of Legends?

Upset: If you just look at the results, it’s a factual situation—we’re struggling as a region. There’s not much to say, especially if this keeps happening every tournament. I think we’re just lacking good practice. I see solo queue here, I see playing against Asian teams, and it’s just not the same—the competition is a lot higher. That’s really what would help us improve, but we need to find a way to raise that level in Europe. There have been some good developments and great talents coming through, but it still needs a lot more.

If you could make one change to improve the region immediately, what would it be?

Upset: Find a way to play solo queue on the Korean server, maybe. Fix the internet so there’s no ping globally, and that we can play each other more, and get more stage games.

Do you have any personal wishes before the end of the event, like exchanging jerseys with a specific player?

Upset: Yeah, I really love watching Viper (Park Do-hyeon), Ruler (Park Jae-hyuk), or Gumayusi (Lee Min-hyeong). All of them are fantastic, so exchanging with any of these three would be really cool.

Do you have thoughts or expectations for your next Swiss Stage matchup?

Upset: No, in the end, even if we beat a weaker team or get a good draw, it doesn’t really mean that much. We just need to prove ourselves, take whatever opponent we get, and show a better performance.

Any message for Fnatic fans ahead of your upcoming matches?

Upset: Thank you for all your support. I’ve been working very hard this year to bring you my best self. Obviously, the results aren’t what we all would wish for, but I’m going to keep doing my best and hopefully things will get better.”