Media: Astralis poised to sign phzy from 9INE

According to a report by HLTV, Astralis are set to announce Swedish AWPer Love "⁠phzy⁠" Smidebrant after his buyout clause was triggered at 9INE today. The signing would see the AWPer jump to Astralis as their first international player after parting ways with Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz at the end of 2025.

The move represents a change in tact for Astralis as their pivot away from a Danish scene that has defined the organization's brand and prospects since 2016;

phzy would be set to join Astralis after less than a month into his third stint with Swedish organization 9INE. phzy returned to 9INE after a rocky end to 2025 with Wildcard that saw phzy benched, loaned out to 9INE, and recalled before being benched once again and then bought by 9INE once again. Despite the chaos, phzy maintained a 1.13 rating over 167 maps across 2025, making him a tempting prospect in the new year.

The situation is, however, somewhat awkward for 9INE as they now head into the new year once again looking to replace phzy after just locking down the Swede in December.

Should phzy join Astralis, they would consist of:

• Victor "Staehr" Staehr

• Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard

• Rasmus "HooXi" Nielsen

• Love "⁠phzy⁠" Smidebrant

• Casper "ruggah" Due (Coach)