After two strong days of
Rocket League at the
2026 World Championship,
FUT Esports continued their hot form by defeating
FURIA in 3-0 sweep. They join fellow North American squads
NRG and
Virtus.pro at the top of their groups, guaranteeing a top-six finish at the event. They will begin their Playoff campaign on September 19 against NRG, gaining a day of well-earned rest while their group opponents FURIA and
Twisted Minds, enter the lower bracket of the Playoffs Stage.
Following their victory over FURIA, former Major Champion, Nicholas "Chronic" Iwanski, joined Sheep Esports in the media room. He reflected on the team’s exhausting summer, the confidence he had joining the team ahead of Split 2, and his development as a professional.
You had to win your game versus FURIA either 3-0 or 3-1 to top the group and you looked dominating. What was the preparation like going into that game?
Nicholas "Chronic" Iwanski: “We obviously knew we had to 3-1 or 3-0 top our group but we just tried to forget about that. In the end we wanted to play our best and win the series no matter what, even if it had to be a 3-2. We just wanted to put out a performance we’d be proud of.
Playing in two LCQs and multiple LANs in a 2-3 month span, does it get exhausting or does it feel like it's helping you coming into this World Championship?
Chronic: It gets exhausting to be honest. This is the most Rocket League I think I’ve ever played in the last 3-4 months. I’ve never been in the LCQ before, so it was truly exhausting. I do think it has helped me improve as a player and as a teammate too because we had to go through so much together. It’s helped us a lot.
You’ve basically played in every single LAN since RLCS 2022-23 and it's a huge gamble to have an entirely new team coming into Split 2. Now you’re at the World Championship and this team is top six. What were the confidence levels going into that Split?
Chronic: I was so confident in them. I would not have joined a team that was dropping all their points if I wasn’t. It was obviously nerve racking to go through all those LCQs, but I was truly confident in them.
Let's talk about North America. They are looking the best they have in a long time. Virtus.pro have topped their group, NRG will win their group with one win today and you’ve topped your group. How does it feel with North America’s resurgence at this World Championship?
Chronic: It feels great. It always sucks seeing North America do so poorly at every LAN. I want what's best for this region, I want players to keep improving and I want our region to compete for wins. It's been a while since we’ve done that outside of NRG, so it's great to have three teams in the top six.
How do you think your play has changed compared to earlier in your career, do you see the game differently?
Chronic: I’ve always been super proud and confident in my ability to read the game. I think that's my best aspect as a player. Earlier in my career I think I was a little bit more mechanical, but with how hard I’ve been grinding and the team has been grinding recently, I think I’ve been getting some of those mechanics back and improving a lot as a player.”
