Team Liquid drops Overwatch pro after using a racial slur: “A horrendous mistake”

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As a big fan of both Team Liquid and the USA Overwatch World Cup team, I was really disappointed to hear about Rupal using a racial slur. Both organizations have now said they’re separating themselves from him, which honestly, feels like the right thing to do. It’s a tough situation, but they’re making it clear they don’t support that kind of behavior.

Overwatch professional Rupal Zaman, 23, has been removed from Team Liquid and is no longer eligible for USA Overwatch World Cup trials. This follows his use of a racial slur during a livestreamed game while communicating with his team.

A Support player, who has earned over $350,000 in prize money throughout their career, was a contender to represent Team USA at the World Cup this year. Unfortunately, during a Twitch stream of the team’s tryouts on March 16, 2026, the player made a mistake that cost them the opportunity.

During a recent stream, a racist slur targeting Black people was used in the team chat. As a result, Rupal has been removed from the team trials, and his professional team, Team Liquid, has also been disbanded.

Overwatch pro Rupal dropped from Team Liquid and USA OWWC team

Following the recent event, the U.S. World Cup team announced that Rupal will not be included on the team for the 2026 tournament.

We have no tolerance for this kind of behavior. Our team is built on the principles of unity and equality, and we are dedicated to maintaining those standards.

— USA Overwatch World Cup 🇺🇸 (@USAOWWC) March 17, 2026

Shortly after, Team Liquid’s co-CEO, Steven Arhancet, announced that Rupal had also been removed from their professional Overwatch team.

During a practice match, one of our Overwatch players used a hateful, racist slur targeting Black people in the team chat. We strongly condemn this language and want to be clear that it has absolutely no place in our game, community, or organization.

We understand Rupal is a prominent figure in the North American Overwatch community, but he’s also young and made a significant public error in judgment. We hope this experience leads to real self-reflection and personal development for him, and that it marks a positive change rather than a final setback. We wish him all the best moving forward.

I started following Rupal back in 2020 when he first went pro. It was awesome to see him work his way up, and then finally make it to the Overwatch League with Florida Mayhem in 2022. He even won a world championship with them, which was incredible! After that, he played for Toronto Defiant, and most recently, he was with Team Liquid for over a year before… well, before this whole situation happened.

I have no justification for my actions. Growing up in a Bengali-American family, I’ve personally faced racism both in the US and abroad. Because of this, I understand how harmful and unacceptable offensive language is, and I shouldn’t have used it.

— Rupal (@RupalZaman) March 17, 2026

Shortly after the incident, Rupal posted on X (formerly Twitter), stating she wouldn’t offer any excuses. Having grown up in a Bengali-American household, she’s personally experienced racism both in the US and abroad. Because of this, she believes using offensive language is unacceptable and shouldn’t be done lightly.

Rupal said they made a “horrendous mistake” and will be stepping away from playing and streaming Overwatch. They apologized to their supporters, stating they don’t intend to be hateful.

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2026-03-17 06:19