Coalesce expelled from United21; founder threatens legal action

Coalesce were removed from United21 Season 51 and barred from future United21 events after a manual administrative review, the organiser announced ahead of the season.

United21’s public notice said the review found “questionable decisions and gameplay patterns that appeared inconsistent with a genuine attempt to achieve the best possible result.” The organiser did not publish match examples or footage alongside the notice.

Sam “Omni” Nevin, co-founder of Coalesce, demanded that United21 produce the evidence behind the decision. He wrote that the organisation was not contacted before the announcement and called the action “an absolute joke.” Nevin added that United21 had “publicly dragged our reputation through the mud” and warned he would “be actively pursuing legal action against United 21 for this unless tangible, conclusive evidence is provided to us immediately.”

United21 has not released the specific evidence referenced in its review and has not announced further disciplinary steps beyond the team’s removal. Coalesce’s leadership says it will seek a public explanation and proof of the allegations before deciding its next steps.

A new women’s league, the Fragster Challenger EU Female Masters, was announced with a $5,000 prize pool. The league will run two divisions with promotion and relegation, is open to cisgender and transgender women based in Europe, plans open qualifiers in July and expects the first season to start in summer 2026, with two additional seasons planned for 2027.

IEM Kraków will use an eight-team playoff and four arena days, and organisers displayed a 360-degree stage setup, according to Marc Winther, Director of Esports for Counter-Strike at EFG, on social media. The event will take place in Poland and tickets are scheduled to go on sale July 2.

Several players — Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin, Shahar “flameZ” Shushan and Boris “magixx” Vorobiev — spoke with event staff about their preparations ahead of the Major playoffs.

United21’s publication and Coalesce’s response are on record; the organiser has not supplied the evidence Coalesce has requested. The Fragster league and IEM Kraków have published timelines for qualifiers and ticket sales.