The all-new Team Liquid Apex Legends team is getting ready to compete in the Apex Legends Global Series 2026 Championship in January 2026. Well, not just compete, obviously — they’re looking to win. This team has eyes on the title, and at the helm is head coach Winnie “tiltedwinnie” Long.

Winnie, who is 25 years old and hails from Australia, has experienced a meteoric rise to becoming one of the best Apex Legends coaches in the world. She used to compete, but in 2023 switched to coaching. Team Liquid announced a revamped Apex Legends roster in November by signing the ZZ roster (including Zer0, Sikezz, and Fuhhnq) and chose Winnie to take the lead.

The fact that Winnie is Team Liquid’s first female coach in any title is something that must be acknowledged. Women in esports have always carried what we call the burden of visibility, but the mere fact of womanhood shouldn’t define them. When we talk about a player like Zer0, we discuss his accolades and inspirations. Liquid’s welcome interview with Zer0 is about how he learned from ImperialHal earlier in his career, how he is now a legend himself and looks forward to beating Hal as part of Team Liquid.

What we don’t mention is his gender — or that of any other male esports professional. So Winnie may be Liquid’s first female coach, a milestone that’s well worth celebrating, but past that, it’s just one part of her wider journey in esports. When asked if it creates more pressure on her, she says yes, but doesn’t elaborate too much.

“It doesn’t affect me personally,” she said. “I just focus on my team, and that’s all you need to do.”

The road to becoming champions

On January 15, the 2026 ALGS Championship will take place in Sapporo, Japan, where Winnie and Team Liquid will go after her main goal: winning a LAN.

The biggest challenge ahead will be preparing for changing metas and map pool changes. Olympus especially is a tough nut to crack for the central trio. With daily scrims, they’re also constantly identifying both new problems and new tactics. 

Winnie’s main strength as a coach comes from her macro level understanding. When she first started coaching amateur teams, she focused mostly on the macro side of the game, such as the team’s broader strategies and rotations. However, as her players have evolved, so too has her role as a coach.

Players like Fuhhnq already have a keen understanding of the game and don’t benefit as much from being told the optimal strategies for certain scenarios. That’s where Winnie comes in. 

“There’s also a mental side to coaching, making sure the players are in their best mental state, motivating them to get there,” she said. “I’m always making sure they’re working together as a team.” 

Since she is around these players so much — around six hours every day — Winnie has gotten just as good at reading them as she can read the game. She can tell if they feel stuck, and helps them work through their issues by giving them positive reinforcement and approaching them as a friend.

"She's the best mind for the game I've had as a coach, ever," Zer0 said. "She's always positive. That's a huge part of it."

Mind over matter

Of course, nothing is ever so simple, especially in esports. Winnie is honored to be part of Team Liquid, but it comes with renewed pressure. It’s the biggest organization she’s ever been part of, and as a result she feels like she has more responsibility to her team, herself, and to everyone in the broader Liquid community.

“I have a job to do, I have a lot more passion,” she said. “We’re competing for a family rather than for ourselves. We’re part of something bigger.” 

Winnie started out as a competitive Apex Legends player on a small team that ended up scamming her and her teammates. It was a rough start, but she wasn’t the type to let setbacks get her down. In fact, it just pushed her to pursue the next challenge, something bigger: her first official coaching role with Guild Esports. She then moved over to NRG, and though they had an underwhelming showing at the ALGS 2025 Midseason Playoffs, Winnie was still proud of what she and the team accomplished. That mindset of just working on self-improvement is one she’s been imparting to the Team Liquid roster she now coaches.

“We’re trying our best to practice and prove ourselves, and be ready for the championship,” she said. “Compared to other teams, we don’t let what other people say get to us. We receive a lot of hate and get criticized for mistakes, but we’ve persevered over comments and rumors. Being able to just head forward helps us.” 

There are a lot of close-minded people in esports, she notes, but there are also many positive role models that encourage women and minorities to pursue their goals. Winnie herself has even become one of those role models. Women often come up to her and tell her she’s an inspiration, and she’s glad that she can be there for them.

It’s her ability to overcome challenges and keep looking ahead that has made Winnie one of the best coaches in Apex Legends. She and the team will be going for the gold at the ALGS Championship, but if they fail there, they’ll just get right back up and try again. Even if they aren’t the best just yet, they’ll keep going until they are.

“Anything I get into, I want to become really good at it, or one of the best,” she said. “No matter what. I try to always improve myself until I get there.”