Always so close to victory, yet somehow so far away. Team Liquid’s story never fails to captivate. Since the earliest days of PUBG Esports, Team Liquid has consistently competed on the international stage, driven by a desire to claim an international championship perhaps stronger than any other team’s. With respectable results in international competitions and occasional victories in regional leagues, the team had long proven its competitive potential. For years, PUBG Esports fans have been waiting to see when Team Liquid would finally reach the top.
Over the years, Team Liquid went through countless roster changes and even stepped away from the esports scene for a time. Yet the team never stopped trying. After years of perseverance, Team Liquid has finally reached the summit. Today, we look back at the journey of a team that, after such a long wait, has finally lifted an international championship trophy.
Team Liquid made an impressive entrance at the 2017 Gamescom Invitational, widely regarded as the first international PUBG Esports tournament, finishing fourth overall. The team then made its name known around the world at PGI 2018, finishing as runners-up in both the First-Person Perspective (FPP) and Third-Person Perspective (TPP) competitions. Team Liquid also claimed titles at third-party tournaments such as StarSeries and the Europe-focused GLL. However, the team struggled to carry that success into subsequent international competitions. Even after PUBG Esports established a more structured global tournament circuit, Team Liquid continued to fall short of championship glory at events such as PGS and PGC.
Despite the disappointment of falling short internationally, Team Liquid’s history is filled with remarkable players. One of the most notable is ibiza, a key member of the roster that finished second at PGI 2018 and now a coach for Virtus.pro. The brothers Sambty and Jembty, famously known as the inseparable duo, also once represented Team Liquid. Jeemz and Vard, both regarded as some of Europe’s biggest stars, were also part of the organization. Looking at the caliber of players who wore the Team Liquid jersey, there was certainly no shortage of talent.
Yet even with such an impressive roster, an international championship remained out of reach. Eventually, in August 2022, Team Liquid officially announced its departure from competitive PUBG, bringing an end to a journey that had begun in 2017. Nearly three years later, in March 2025, Team Liquid returned with a fresh start, signing PurdyKurty, Luke12, aLOW, and sparkingg, who had previously competed under TSM in North America. The team showed promising signs by winning the PUBG Americas Series (PAS) that year, but international success remained elusive. Disappointing finishes near the bottom of the standings at both PGS and PGC made it clear that there was still work to be done.
Team Liquid subsequently strengthened its roster by signing cowboi from Al Qadsiah. Despite being born in 2005, cowboi had already accumulated valuable experience across multiple international tournaments, and his individual skill was nothing short of remarkable. At PGS 11, he recorded 18 kills, standing shoulder to shoulder with some of the world’s best players while also demonstrating impressive resilience and survival instincts. It would be no exaggeration to say that he has firmly established himself as the team’s new spearhead.
The team further reinforced its lineup with the last-minute signing of diyy, a former Gen.G player who had played a key role in winning PGS 9. cowboi and diyy had already developed strong chemistry during their time together at Al Qadsiah. When the two work together to isolate and eliminate opposing teams, their firepower and synergy are truly exceptional. At PGS 11, diyy recorded 18 knocks, the most of any player in the tournament, repeatedly initiating engagements at critical moments and creating opportunities for his teammates. His ability to maintain intense focus under pressure is particularly impressive and makes his future development even more exciting to watch.
Luke12 is another indispensable member of Team Liquid. A veteran who made his professional debut in 2018, he has consistently demonstrated his abilities over the years and brings extensive international experience. He is also one of only three players to have participated in every PUBG Nations Cup held to date, a rare distinction even across the entire history of PUBG Esports. Of course, his international tournament results have not always reflected the length of his career. Nevertheless, having played alongside PurdyKurty longer than anyone else on the team, Luke12 understands exactly what his IGL needs from him and can execute his role with precision. His consistency, low error rate, and accurate shooting are among his greatest strengths.
Meanwhile, in a competitive environment increasingly filled with young players possessing exceptional mechanical skills, being born in 1993 can undoubtedly present its challenges. Realistically, it is an age when many professional players might begin considering a transition into coaching or management rather than continuing their playing careers. Simply listing the organizations PurdyKurty has represented—Dignitas, Shoot To Kill, Lazarus, TSM, and Luminosity Gaming—is enough to illustrate just how long he has been competing. Several of those teams no longer exist. Through countless roster changes and repeated setbacks, however, PurdyKurty never stopped pursuing his goal.
For this battle-hardened veteran, who has competed in countless tournaments since his debut in 2018, what he needed most was a group of teammates who believed in his leadership and were willing to follow his calls. Throughout his career, Purdy has been surrounded by talented players. Among them was aLow, his longtime teammate and trusted right-hand man, as well as sparkingg, one of South America’s most formidable fraggers, who helped lead Brazil to victory at PNC 2026.
Yet despite playing alongside such exceptional talent, PurdyKurty continued to fall just short of an international championship. Eventually, the teammates who had stood beside him for so long began to depart one by one, and disappointing results in the first half of 2026 only added to the frustration. It would have been understandable if Purdy had begun to lose hope.
But he refused to give up. Leaving the disappointments of the first half behind, Purdy led Team Liquid to a runner-up finish at PGS 10. Many fans were once again left wondering whether he would ever overcome that final hurdle, but their disappointment would not last long. Drawing on the experience accumulated over countless matches, Purdy demonstrated masterful in-game leadership, outmaneuvering and neutralizing rival teams with the composure of a seasoned veteran.
On October 25, 2026, at PGS 11, PurdyKurty finally stood before the championship trophy as a winner. Nine years after beginning his professional career, he had finally claimed his first international title. Team Liquid, too, had secured its first international championship trophy nine years after its founding. Of course, they had not walked this entire journey together from the beginning. Countless players had contributed to Team Liquid’s history, but in the end, it was those who endured and refused to give up who finally achieved the dream. And at long last, they had done it. Perhaps what Team Liquid needed all along was simply the determination to never give up. Congratulations to Team Liquid on a truly well-deserved championship.
- Jisooboy