After a decisive win against Man City Esports in his opening match of the
Rocket League 2026 World Championship Playoffs with Gentle Mates, Nassim "
nass" Bali was tasked with taking down the reigning 1v1 World Champion Hisham
"Nwpo" Alqadi in the last series of the day. The Moroccan who had beaten João "
diaz" Henrique in the semi-finals and Alexis "
zen" Bernier in the EU Open, was up to the task. Nass took down Nwpo in a convincing 4-2 victory, where he relished the stage and support of the crowd.
After the series, nass spoke to Sheep Esports to discuss the experience in full. He reflected on the crowd’s support, playing in a “bonus tournament”, and the potential expansion of the 1v1 event.
How did it feel having the crowd behind you today?
Nassim "nass" Bali: “It feels amazing. Whenever I scored a goal or even an open net they still went crazy. It's a funny thing, having the crowd on my side played a big part.
Does it feel daunting or lonely being up there alone on the stage?
Nass: The crowd definitely helped me and gave me more comfort but it was weird not playing with my teammates and sitting there alone. Even in the timeouts, I normally have Snaski talking a lot but this time I had to think for myself.
Obviously everyone comes to the World Championship to compete in 3v3. Did it feel strange having to double compete in two events at this LAN?
Nass: Coming into this, I thought it was just a bonus tournament. I didn’t really practice for it, I just warmed up for the games really. I know if I just play my game in 1v1, I know what to do and I know how to beat my opponents so I’ll just win. I didn’t really prepare for it.
You were able to get the win today in the 3v3, but Nwpo was unfortunately knocked out of the tournament. Did having the confidence and energy from that win today help you with the 1v1 as well?
Nass: I think if we lost today I’d be a lot more sad. I thought the loss that Nwpo took against Spacestation Gaming definitely made him play a bit worse. I’m just happy I won in both the 3v3 and 1v1 today.
Do you think the 1v1 Championship should be expanded at LAN?
Nass: I think it could be a bigger tournament because in Europe you have a lot of players who are better than the best SAM player. In MENA there are also some good people, so I think if they could make it a bit bigger beyond the semi-finals, that would be better.”
