Astralis bench HooXi and jabbi after first LAN title

Why bench the in-game leader five days after Astralis' first LAN title since December 2019? On October 9, 2026, the organisation moved Rasmus "HooXi" Nielsen and Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard to the bench with immediate effect, and it has not named the players who will take their seats.

Astralis beat Nemiga 3-1 on October 4, 2026, to win Stake Ranked Episode 4 in Barcelona. HLTV's match page lists that grand final as a best-of-five on LAN. It was the organisation's first LAN trophy since December 2019. HLTV's benching report says the announcement came two days after it had written that Astralis were already looking for replacements.

A title on October 4, then a benching on October 9

HooXi had been the in-game leader (IGL) for the Barcelona run. HLTV's October 9, 2026 story, timestamped 19:48 on the page, also lists three other LAN grand finals he led that did not end in a title: PGL Astana 2025, FISSURE Playground 1 and PGL Bucharest 2026.

"As part of this move in a new direction, we have mutually decided that the Astralis journey from today onwards will continue without HooXi and jabbi, as their contracts expire at the end of the year," Jonas Gundersen, founder and chief executive of Fusion Esports, Astralis' parent, wrote in a statement posted on X and carried by HLTV. The next line thanks the pair for "their hard work and dedication to being part of the Astralis story, most recently helping secure our first LAN win since 2019."

Benching both before either replacement is named is a decision about the contract window, not a verdict on Barcelona.

One Dane left in the active trio

Still active on HLTV's list after the announcement are Love "phzy" Smidebrant, Victor "Staehr" Staehr and Gytis "ryu" Glušauskas. Filip "NEO" Kubski stays as coach. HooXi and jabbi are marked benched. Dust2.us, writing on October 9, 2026, prints the same six names and marks the two Danes inactive.

Staehr is the only Dane among the three still playing. phzy is Swedish. ryu is Lithuanian. Dust2 put the shift in one line: Astralis are down to just one Dane.

Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard joined from HEROIC in November 2023, alongside Martin "stavn" Lund. Dust2 calls him the second longest-standing member behind Staehr, after nearly three years. HooXi signed permanently in June 2025 after a stand-in spell, replacing Casper "cadiaN" Møller as IGL. July's Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) roster moves later covered HEROIC adding Brollan and Team Liquid signing Jorko.

• Confirmed on October 9, 2026: HooXi and jabbi benched, with immediate effect
• Still active, per HLTV: phzy, Staehr and ryu, with NEO as coach
• Only Dane left in that trio: Staehr
• Not announced: any deal for siuhy or cmtry
• Calendar only: Stake Pulse Beat III on October 12, 2026

Two reports, two contract endings

On the expiry, the sources disagree, so neither date gets treated as settled. HLTV's October 9 report quotes Gundersen saying the journey continues without the pair "as their contracts expire at the end of the year." The same piece says both are entering the final months of those deals.

Fragster, on October 10, 2026, splits them. It says HooXi's contract runs until the end of the year, while jabbi's deal expires in November. Fragster does not attach a filing to that split, and Astralis has not published the dates itself beyond Gundersen's line. "End of the year" is the organisation's wording. November is another outlet's.

siuhy and cmtry are not announced

Former Team Liquid IGL Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek and Nikita "cmtry" Samolotov, benched at FUT, are the names being linked. HLTV says they are understood to be close to joining. Dust2 calls that interest a rumour and describes cmtry as a benched FUT player on the AWP, the sniper rifle. Neither outlet reports a signing. Both names stay unconfirmed.

The rifle switch is a rumour too. HLTV says that if the deals happen, cmtry will give up the AWP and move to rifling, and Dust2 adds that phzy would stay on it. That condition is not a signing.

On the Singapore Major, HLTV wrote on October 9, 2026, that the Barcelona run had lifted Astralis into the top 10 of the global Valve Regional Standings (VRS) and left them "virtually certain" to qualify, on its projections that day.

HLTV and Dust2 both list Stake Pulse Beat III on October 12, 2026. That is a schedule line, not a lineup. Falcons' sweep of FURIA at IEM Cologne is a finished Major on this desk. Singapore is what that October 9 projection described.

"Sometimes you need to fully close a chapter in order to create space for something new to grow," Jonas Gundersen, founder and chief executive of Fusion Esports, Astralis' parent, wrote on X on October 9, 2026. (HLTV)

This article is informational analysis only and is not betting advice.

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