The Romanian team Nexus emerged victorious at the IESF World Championship 2024 held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In the final, Nexus defeated Portugal’s Rhyno 2-0 to claim the title and the largest portion of the $240,000 prize pool, totaling $100,000.
The tournament featured 24 national teams, including well-known rosters and single-nationality lineups, competing on LAN from November 13-17. Nexus navigated a demanding path that included five best-of-one matches and three series over the span of four days.
Nexus began their journey with a setback, losing to Kazakhstan’s team led by Sanzhar “neaLaN” Iskhakov. However, they rebounded strongly by defeating teams from Ukraine (kONO), Tunisia, Latvia, and the USA, advancing smoothly to the quarter-finals.
In the knockout rounds, Nexus delivered an impressive streak by overcoming three of the top five ranked teams at the event—ALTERNATE aTTaX, Metizport, and finally Rhyno—to claim the championship. Adrian “XELLOW” Guță played a pivotal role in Nexus’ success, showcasing consistent performances that earned him a 1.33 rating throughout the tournament, significantly higher than his next-best teammate’s 1.09. Their victory secured them a $100,000 first-place prize, matching the sum recently awarded to Natus Vincere for their win at IEM Rio.
