Gentle Mates announced on August 7, 2026, that it was leaving Counter-Strike 2 and would no longer back its Spanish roster. The players are competing under the Iberian Soul name in the LAN open qualifier for a place at the Esports World Cup.
The organization took on the roster in 2025 after signing Iberian Soul as its first Counter-Strike 2 roster. The team pushed for a place at IEM Cologne through the tier-two circuit and reached a strong position in the VRS ranking early in the season, but a period without matches and poor results before the Major ended that run.
Iberian Soul is now looking for a new organization. In a post-match interview, Alejandro “alex” Masanet said the team was already in talks with some organizations, but the players had to cover their own expenses to attend the qualifier. He added that the situation was affecting their ability to focus on Counter-Strike. The players also had no say in Gentle Mates’ decision to leave the game.
Gentle Mates’ Counter-Strike results
During its time as M8s, the squad won IstanbuLAN. It also finished second at Radio Popular Roman Imperium Cup II, Roman Imperium Cup V, and LORGAR RANKINGS Season 1.
The roster reached the top four at Perfect World CS Challenge Series 2, StarLadder StarSeries Fall, and Roman Imperium Cup III. Its results were less convincing at larger events, where it exited in the group stage at PGL Astana, IEM Rio, ESL Pro League, and PGL Bucharest.
Antonio “MartinezSa” Martinez left for HEROIC during the offseason. Joey “CRUC1AL” Steusel is now standing in, while Daniel “djL” Narancic is coaching the team. Former skipper Eloy “deLonge” Suárez has also announced his free agency in a post on X.
Iberian Soul’s current lineup
- Alejandro “alex” Masanet
- Alejandro “mopoz” Fernández-Quejo Cano
- Pere “sausol” Solsona Saumell
- David “dav1g” Granado Bermudo
- Joey “CRUC1AL” Steusel — stand-in
- Daniel “djL” Narancic — coach
djL’s coaching position is official, but alex said CRUC1AL is expected to play only this event. The current lineup has had limited time to develop and is still trying to find the right balance.
Iberian Soul may need an international AWPer
MartinezSa’s departure also left Iberian Soul without a Spanish AWPer. Alex said the country has few available options, pointing to SunPayus and MartinezSa as the main Spanish players in that role, although both already have teams.
SunPayus could still be considered, but alex said he did not know the details of the player’s current situation and expected him to continue competing internationally. Iberian Soul may therefore need to move away from its preferred all-Spanish setup.
Iberian Soul’s Esports World Cup qualifier
The roster lost its opening qualifier series to 6666 before recovering with a 2-0 victory over FKOMAR without giving up a round. Iberian Soul is scheduled to face 6666 again on August 8 at 17:00.
With Gentle Mates no longer involved, the roster’s immediate focus is the Esports World Cup qualifier. Iberian Soul will need to win through the open LAN stage to secure its place in the tournament.
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