FNC Oscarinin: "The roster needs to be changed up. It’s clearly not working out. I cannot believe we are this boosted"

Fnatic are out of Worlds, scoring the organization's worst result since 2021. Exclusive interview with the toplaner.

Óscar "Oscarinin" Muñoz Jiménez, toplaner of Fnatic at Worlds 2025.

"It would be hard to make things work if we keep playing together"

There’s no sugarcoating it—FNATIC have been eliminated from the World Championship without winning a single series, the organization's worst placement since 2021. Despite making great strides in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), the boys in black and orange couldn’t bring the same firepower to Worlds 2025 and now return home defeated and disappointed. In an exclusive interview, Fnatic’s toplaner Óscar "Oscarinin" Muñoz Jiménez sat down with Sheep Esports to discuss the team’s struggles, what went wrong behind the scenes, and what the future holds.

What do you think happened today against MKOI, and why do you think Fnatic couldn’t adapt?

Óscar “Oscarinin” Muñoz Jiménez: “We were just in really bad form in general this tournament. We had so many issues in the team that we tried to fix in the middle of the tournament. Today we had way higher hopes than the other days because we were having better results in scrims after some talks within the team about how we wanted to play and how to resolve those issues. But yeah, it was not enough. I also think we didn’t play too well.

Do you think those issues were already present back in Madrid, or even earlier?

Oscarinin: Yeah, they were there for sure, but we didn’t know how to fix them. We had those issues, and we’ve probably had them for almost the whole year.

There have been many rumors about Fnatic’s internal state before and during Worlds. What was happening behind the scenes regarding mentality and team dynamics?

Oscarinin: There were mostly disagreements on how we should play the game. We didn’t see the game the same way, and it was really hard to change. We tried harder here at Worlds to fix those issues, because if we didn’t, then it would be too late. Things improved, but as I said, it was not enough. We didn’t have enough time. I don’t know. But yeah, it was hard to have all five players on the same page.

Oscarinin: I don’t think I should talk about this. The player himself should talk about it if he wants to. But we didn’t have personal issues between players. It isn’t that the environment was really bad or anything either.

Elias “Upset” Lipp mentioned it was difficult for Fnatic to get scrims at Worlds since top teams prefer stronger opponents. Do you think the lack of quality scrims held you back?

Oscarinin: For sure, we didn’t have good partners to scrim. We came in as the third seed, and we didn’t perform that well either. The best teams in the world didn’t really want to scrim us, so it made things harder. But well, it’s because we were just really fucking bad. It is what it is.

How are you feeling mentally right now, especially after such a difficult year and this early elimination? How has all of this affected you personally?

Oscarinin: I’m still processing what just happened, but honestly, we were not good in the tournament. It’s not a surprise, even though we believed until the end that we could win this game. If we kept improving and had the time, maybe we could have done something—but we didn’t. So right now, mentally, I’m very disappointed with this year. We could have done way more, and it’s just sad thinking about what we did. So yeah, I don’t really know what I’m thinking. I’m just in shock that we’re going to be out of Worlds. I cannot believe we are this boosted.

Is there anything positive you can take from 2025—something you’ve learned or can carry forward in your career despite everything that happened this year?

Oscarinin: There definitely are some good things to take. For example, I learned that I should talk more with people, that I should convey my ideas when I have issues. That was an issue in our team—just talking things through with everyone. It’s about saying what you think, even if it’s gonna hurt people.

Fnatic’s result this year is their worst in a long time. You’ve been with the team for three years, going from 2-3 to 1-3 to now 0-3. What do you think needs to change for Fnatic to do better next year?

Oscarinin: For sure, the roster needs to be changed up. It’s clearly not working out. FNATIC needs to change something. Just have a better plan for the roster next year, with personalities and everything.

Do you think it’s impossible for this current roster to stay together next year?

Oscarinin: I don’t know what’s gonna happen myself right now, but I think it would be hard to make things work if we keep playing together. I don’t see the full roster staying. I don’t know.

Do you have any message for the fans who have supported you and Fnatic throughout the year?

Oscarinin: I’m really thankful for the people who cheered for me and for Fnatic. I’ve had a pretty hard year with fans and social media and everything, so I really appreciate the people who were actually there for us and for me. So thank you a lot, and sorry for giving this end of year.”

Header Photo Credit: Liu YiCun/Riot Games