RLCS Boston Major Finals crowns a new prince of Rocket League as Gentle Mates crowned champions with Nass MVP

A fairytale run for another flock of high-flying European starlets has decorated the RLCS Boston Major Finals in pink, as Gentle Mates and MVP Nassim “Nass” Bali not only stole the trophy, but the hearts of a crowd yearning for flair, fun, and entertainment.

On a stage filled with stalwarts that have a collective trophy cabinet that could rival the Boston Red Sox, the opening dance of the RLCS 2025-26 threw up a team that no one expected would ever hoist silverware on their opening visit to LAN.

Often outsiders to European royalty discussions, Archie “Archie” Pickthall and Oskar “Oski” Gozdowski have finally found a winning formula after years of international pain, complemented by a new sweet prince of the scene who appeared born to play with a smile on his face.

Now, for the first time since 2022, a trio of unseasoned, uncrowned Rocket League stars has won a LAN title, as Gentle Mates wins the RLCS Boston Major Finals with one of the most deserved performances of all time.

RLCS Boston Major Finals – a new prince steals the throne

Championship Sunday always delivers in Rocket League esports, and the Boston Major was no different. Dominance, defiance, durability, and endurance, the RLCS 2026 season has already showcased why it’s dubbed to be one of the most competitive yet.

But it started with a dagger to the heart of the home crowd.

Nicknamed ‘EU Open 4’ after the sheer overwhelming prowess of the European rosters, showing the gulf of class between them and North America, the Grand Finals quickly faltered on the main stage. The opening quarterfinal saw Shopify Rebellion stand up from their chairs quicker than the crowd could say yee-haw, as Team Falcons put the sword to them with a 4-0 demolition job.

It’s a worrying sight for NA as the highly-rated duo of Jason ‘Firstkiller’ Corral and Logan ‘Lj’ Wilt have failed to win a knockout game since combining forces. The brutal 16-game loss streak means the two have crashed out in the first round of knockouts by 4-0 losses, having only managed to score 11 goals in these games. The roster has showcased a high ceiling that could challenge any team in the world, but a mental block on the main stage is clear.

But it wasn’t a long wait before the crowd was back on their feet, as NRG and Karmine Corp put up one of the best and most intense games that we’ve ever seen. Tipped to be the pre-tournament favorites, both of these rosters came in with very contrasting playstyles and delivered on all fronts.

Barely separable by more than a goal either way, Karmine Corp rallied behind the clutch factor of lead artist Axel “Vatira” Touret, who crashed over to take first blood. But from then on, it was NRG’s playground.

The home darlings went toe-to-toe with the EU top seed and showcased why they are reigning world champions. With a habit of getting a one-goal lead with phenomenal wide passing plays, the roster has the American grit and steel that allows no one to penetrate its defense and shut out their opponents to win four out of the next five games.

With the quality so evenly spread, it took seventeen minutes of overtime to separate the two teams (spread across two games, one of which became the third-longest OT of RLCS history), but NRG sent Karmine Corp home from the Boston Major with their tail between their legs. A well-needed punch back from NA.

THIS IS ROCKET LEAGUE. pic.twitter.com/47jSacNUTR

— Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) February 22, 2026

Up to the semi-finals, the script continued to throw up anomalies. So many times at Majors, we see teams come out of the lower bracket with momentum on their side, having already played earlier in the day with the adrenaline flowing and warm hands.

But Team Vitality doesn’t need warming up, as that would melt the ice in their veins. Bolstered by a new young-gun roster that boasts leader Alexis ‘zen’ Bernier and rising star Gaspar ‘Stizzy’ Andres, Vitality looked determined to keep the crown that they had earned in Boston back in 2023.

With Falcons as their first hurdle, defensive brilliance and individual pop-off moments saw Vitality out-skill the fabled Saudi roster. Although the 4-2 scoreline draws a picture of a comfortable win in the Frenchmen’s favor, each game was swung by only a single goal, but Vitality found the small margins where they needed to and continued their unbeaten run at the RLCS Boston Major Finals so far.

The European tropes were rife after that, as Gentle Mates came out of their side of the Winner’s bracket to face the on-fire NRG. But in the same pattern as the entire tournament had set, it was the boys in pink who had the last wink.

NRG baked in the momentum that they had gained early on, winning the first game with a dominant 4-1 scoreline, and went on to take two of the next three games to put them on Match point. But whether it was fatigue on the Americans’ side or just the fact that Gentle Mates had accustomed to the stage with a do-or-die attitude, the European roster made no mistake in finding the back of the net.

From 3-1 down, Gentle Mates silenced Boston with a 3-4 win and booked themselves a place in an all-European Grand Final. For NRG, though, the roster might have fallen short, but the roster followed through on its promises to stay at the top of the game, and the unparalleled chemistry on display proves they’ll be back.

The Grand Final was poised. As Tyler “TBates” Bates eloquently said in the preview, “It’s three new major winners or the era of zen is back.”

Straight off the bat, the RLCS Boston Major Finals script made sure we were in for a thrilling series, as Gentle Mates’ Nass scored twice against the best defense in the world within just 18 seconds. On the ground that announced the arrival of zen back in 2023, a new prodigy stepped up to the table. In the first to games alone, Nass scored all six goals for Gentle Mates to establish a 2-0 round win over the bees, as EU’s second seed showcased why they were one step ahead of Vitality.

bro actually has aura pic.twitter.com/WG8mfIcHn6

— Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) February 22, 2026

The pendulem swings hard, and it took just a short timeout for Vitality to find an answer and level up the scores with some solid defense and aggressive demolition bump plays.

But just as it swung in the bee’s favor, nobody was stopping Nass from announcing himself as the new rookie superstar. Setting the record for the highest number of goals in a Grand Final, ever, the 19-year-old smiling sensation completely took over and outmanouvred the stubborn Vitality defence in ways that countless players couldn’t have dreamed of.

Where zen was crowned king, the silverware has now been passed to a new prince of Rocket League, as Nass announced his arrival to the world stage with the best performance we’ve seen since we last visited Boston.