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Astralis Announce cmtry's Replacement for Singapore Major 2026
Astralis have signed Anton "Anlelele" Huynh on loan from Sashi for the PGL Major Singapore 2026 in Counter-Strike 2, the organization announced on Saturday, November 7. The Vietnamese player will step in for Mykyta "cmtry" Samolotov, who is ineligible to represent the Danish team at the tournament.
With the Major just weeks away, the change addresses a roster eligibility problem stemming from Valve's ranking rules. Although Astralis signed cmtry in October, they were unable to register him for the event.
In their social media announcement, Astralis confirmed Anlelele's arrival, thanked Sashi for helping arrange the last-minute deal, and said the team had already begun preparations with their new addition.
Why Can't cmtry Play for Astralis at the Singapore Major?
The issue comes down to the Valve Regional Standings (VRS), the ranking system used to determine Major invitations. Despite leaving FUT to join Astralis, cmtry remained on his former team's roster under the VRS rules.
That's because FUT played only four matches with Álvaro "SunPayus" García, who was brought in to replace cmtry. Under the VRS rules, a new player must have appeared in at least five of a team's last ten matches to count toward its ranking roster.
FUT's quarterfinal elimination from PGL Masters Bucharest on October 29 effectively settled the matter ahead of the Major invitation cutoff. With no further matches scheduled before November 2, FUT could not get SunPayus to the required five-match threshold.
As a result, cmtry remained on FUT's VRS roster and could not be registered by Astralis for the Major. The Danish organization had already tried to avoid complications with its invitation by temporarily bringing back Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard for Stake Ranked Episode 5 in late October.
Signing Anlelele now gives Astralis a way to compete in Singapore without cmtry. FUT, meanwhile, can still field SunPayus as a substitute, although the Spanish player will not receive his own Major sticker because of his roster registration status.
Astralis' Expected Lineup for the Singapore Major
With Anlelele joining on loan, Astralis are expected to field the following five players at the Major:
- Love "phzy" Smidebrant
- Victor "Staehr" Staehr
- Gytis "ryu" Glušauskas
- Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek
- Anton "Anlelele" Huynh (on loan from Sashi)
Filip "NEO" Kubski remains the team's coach. Meanwhile, jabbi, who briefly returned to Astralis' playing lineup in October, is still listed on their VRS roster but is not expected to compete at the Major, according to sources who spoke to HLTV.
For Anlelele, the move offers an opportunity to play at his first Major with an organization that has been forced to make a late roster change. The deal is specifically a loan for the tournament, with no permanent transfer announced.
When Does Astralis Play at PGL Major Singapore 2026?
Astralis will begin their Singapore Major campaign directly in Stage 2 on November 28, having secured a place that allows them to skip the opening stage.
According to PGL's schedule, the Major will run from November 24 to December 13, featuring 32 teams. The tournament will have three stages before the playoffs, which are scheduled for December 10-13 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The event will feature a US$1.25 million prize pool and conclude with a best-of-five (BO5) grand final. It will be the first Counter-Strike 2 Major held in Southeast Asia.
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Featured image credit: EWC
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