Ian Nepomniachtchi suffered a crushing defeat against Hans Niemann at the Esports World Cup 2026 after a fatal misclick in a decisive Armageddon match. The error led to an incorrect move, resulting in a 1:2 series loss for Nepomniachtchi.

Following the mistake, Nepomniachtchi reacted emotionally, hitting the table and leaving the gaming scene. The loss sent him to the lower bracket, where he will face a knockout match against another Russian, Andrey Esipenko.