Everything you need to know about SMASH Esports: Europe Closed Qualifier profile

Click here for all links to all sixteen of the team profiles for the Europe Closed Qualifier for ESL One Rio.

Rank (HLTV/ESL): #86/--

Invite or Qualifier: Open Qualifier #4

Lineup

• Kamen "bubble" Kostadinov
• Joakim "disco doplan" Gidetun
• Denis "grux" Gutaj
• Kristjan "FejtZ" Allsaar
• Sebastian "NEEX" Trela
• Anton "ToH1o" Georgiev (coach)

Most recent results

• FLASHPOINT Europe Closed Qualifier = 25-32nd (Online)
• Europe Minor Open Qualifier #4 = 1-2nd (Online)
• Europe Minor Open Qualifier #3 = 9-16th (Online)
• CMD368 Championship = 7-8th (Online)

Brief rundown

Seasoned CS:GO fans should recognise the majority of names on SMASH. The players have been present in their respective domestic scenes for some time but have not been able to reach or stay in the top tier in previous years.

NEEX is the AWPer for the squad and one of only two Polish players in attendence, a steep drop from the region's previous prominence. With Virtus.pro opting to return to its CIS roots by signing AVANGAR, the international route looks set to be the best future for rising Polish talent.

A few years ago, disco doplan was hailed as the next Swedish prospect but was unable to break through into the top tier long-term after three months on Fnatic from 2016 to 2017. Bulgarian in-game leader bubble will be hoping to burst out of the gate and lead the team to a strong initial showing but they will face the very same Swedish titans in the first match.

Having bested Complexity Gaming for their spot in the Closed Qualifier, a team that was able to stun many during their BLAST Premier Spring Season run with victories over Astralis and Team Vitality, anything could happen online.

Player to watch: FejtZ

The Estonian wanderer FejtZ’s adventures around the world as a stand-in have seen him play across more regions than most players manage in their entire careers. From North America to China, FejtZ now returns to Europe in the SMASH mix team.

The experience he gained can only be bolstered by an in-game leader like bubble and with an opportunity for the lineup to qualify for a LAN tournament, the entire roster will need to step up and put up numbers against teams that will not be expecting to lose to a team like SMASH.

GINX prediction

Going up against the fourth best team in the world for an initial best-of-three is a blessing and a curse for SMASH. Either the hardest match is out of the way and a battle through the lower bracket begins straight away or a huge upset for the lowest ranked team in the Closed Qualifier.

With only eight spots in the Europe Minor available, it would be a mammoth task for SMASH to take down teams with more experience and more raw talent on paper.