Valve Makes an Exception for BC.Game — s1mple Is Almost Certain to Play at PGL Major Singapore 2026

Valve has allowed BC.Game, with Oleksandr s1mple Kostyliev, to qualify for PGL Major Singapore 2026 through the Asian ranking, granting a separate exception to its new VRS regional distribution rule. After Valve’s decision, the team is once again in a position where its spot at the Major is considered virtually guaranteed.

The decision is already recorded in Valve’s official list of exceptions. It explicitly states that the roster of asap, Magisk, mzinho, s1mple and Senzu belongs to the Asian region and is entitled to receive an invitation to the Major.

The exception appeared just a day after Valve tightened its regional transfer rules. According to the current Major Supplemental Rulebook, a roster can only receive a regional assignment if it has not been present in another region’s VRS during the previous three calendar months.

BC.Game did not meet that requirement: after signing Australian Tyson “asap” Paterson, the team moved from the European ranking to the Asian one shortly before the deadline.

Valve initially all but knocked the team out of the race

When the new rule took effect, Valve told HLTV that it would already apply to the Singapore Major. As a result, BC.Game and several other rosters temporarily lost the ability to qualify through their new region.

BC.Game CEO Ali “Ako” Muhanned then proposed a radical compromise to Valve: reset the team’s ranking points entirely and let it earn them back with a new roster over the remaining weeks.

In the end, Valve chose a far softer option for BC.Game. The company did not require a ranking reset and officially allowed the team to remain in the Asian region.

No formal invitation yet

It is too early to say that s1mple has officially qualified for the Major. The final list of participants will be determined by VRS on the cutoff date, so the invitation has not been sent yet.

However, BC.Game’s position is now so favorable that HLTV calls its spot “almost confirmed.” In the PGL Major Singapore invitation simulator, the team is back in the Asian race and marked as having all but secured its slot.

For BC.Game to miss out on an invitation, an extremely unlikely combination of results from its rivals would be needed before the ranking is locked in.

For s1mple, this will be another return to Counter-Strike’s biggest tournament. The Ukrainian last played a Major with FaZe at BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, where the team reached the quarterfinals. Over his career, he has also won PGL Major Stockholm 2021.

PGL Major Singapore 2026 will run from November 24 to December 13. The tournament will feature 32 teams, and the prize pool will be $1.25 million.