Just days into 2026, FC Pro returned with another intense evening of competition. Matchday 5 of the FC Pro Open 26 saw the very first player qualifying for the FC Pro World Championship and three players securing their place in the Open Finals from Group A.
Record-breaking Vejrgang Returning to World Stage
Reigning FC Pro Open Champion Anders Vejrgang started Matchday 5 at the top of Group A. The World no.1 continued his fine form. The 2024 World Champion won another 12 points over five matches, only missing out on winning all of his group games after being defeated 10-7 by Lukas.
Despite the defeat, Vejrgang made history by getting 27 points in the group stage, the most any player has achieved in a single FC Pro Open group. His reward for finishing top was qualification to the FC Pro World Championship and a place in the FC Pro Open Finals.
Yaskow and Tuga Survive Scares to Qualify
With Vejrgang cruising to the finals, the remaining two qualification places were up for grabs. At the start of Matchday 5, Yaskow and Tuga occupied the 2nd and 3rd spots. However, not everything was plain sailing for them.
Yaskow had a difficult time throughout the night. winning one of his five matches. Suffering defeats to Vejrgang, Tuga and LJR Peixoto before getting a crucial win against Tekkz. And then was narrowly beaten by Lukas. Despite only winning three points, Yaskow managed to hold onto second place and qualify to the Finals.
Meanwhile, Tuga’s night was far from simple. Before the action had even begun, Tuga was backing himself publicly to beat both Vejrgang and Tekkz. But when it came to game time, the Portuguese player was unable to cause an upset, losing both. In his other matches, he beat Lukas and Yaskow, but lost to LJR, gaining six points on the night and securing 3rd.
LJR Shocks The World (Almost)
On Matchday 1, LJR Peixoto had an evening to forget, losing all five of his matches. Leaving last season’s FC Pro Open semi-finalist at the bottom of Group A.
Heading into Matchweek 5, qualification expectations for the Frenchman were low. But as long as there was still a chance LJR knew he had the quality to do the unthinkable.
In his first match, he edged past Tekkz, winning 7-6 in a match that set the tone for LJR’s night. He followed up with a huge 12-5 victory over Lukas and then a strong 6-3 win against Yaskow. It was at this point where everyone within the competition and event studio was starting to question whether LJR could achieve an unlikely qualification.
With this run of wins, LJR was starting to influence potential outcomes for qualification and with a 8-4 win against Tuga, LJR needed to win his final game to make it to the finals.
However, there was still one more test LJR had to face - a match against World no.1 Anders Vejrgang. Beating Anders would have given LJR 3rd spot, thanks to Tuga losing his final match to Tekkz, and LJR having a superior goal difference. Unfortunately for LJR, he was unable to overcome Vejrgang, losing 10-5.
Bitterly disappointed to miss out, but having impressed the FC Pro world, LJR Peixoto reminded everyone that he is one of the top FC Pro Players.
This how the Group A table finished
The confirmed scores from Matchday 5
FC Pro Open returns on January 12th with the conclusion of Group B. All the action will be live on Twitch and YouTube. To stay up to date with all breaking news and updates in the world of FC Pro, follow us on X, Instagram and TikTok.
