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The Counter-Strike 2 world revolves around Major tournaments, typically one or two per year. Currently, European teams are battling for qualification in the upcoming Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, set to kick off on the last day of November. Teams from Asia-Pacific, the Americas, and the first European batch have already concluded their qualifiers.

One of the most captivating storylines has been that of Team Falcons. Winners of the Esports World Cup Club Championship (for combined organizational points) and recipients of the Esports Organization of the Year award at the Esports Awards 2024, the Falcons find themselves under increasing scrutiny. Many believe that the Esports World Cup 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was set up to be won by the Saudi Arabian organization.

Third Rebuild For Falcons

Falcons have been part of the Counter-Strike scene for at least the past three to four years but have yet to find significant success. Many teams struggle to make an impact in the competitive, fast-paced world of Counter-Strike, but Falcons' consistent investment of resources and capital has yet to yield the desired results.

In 2023, the organization recruited ENCE’s successful core—Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer, Álvaro “⁠SunPayus⁠” García, and Pavle “Maden” Bošković—as a solution for their ongoing struggles. To strengthen the team further, they signed Emil “Magisk” Reif, a seasoned veteran and multiple Major winner with Astralis, along with five-time Major-winning coach Danny “zonic” Sørensen. The roster was rounded out by Mohammad “BOROS” Malhas, who was already contracted to the organization.

Despite this star-studded lineup, results didn’t follow. After failing to qualify for the PGL Copenhagen Major, Falcons replaced BOROS with Peter “⁠dupreeh⁠” Rasmussen, another five-time Major winner. Unfortunately, this change failed to address the team’s underlying issues.

As a last resort, they brought in the Counter-Strike GOAT, Oleksandr “⁠s1mple⁠” Kostyliev, on loan to replace SunPayus, hoping to qualify for the Perfect World Major. However, in EU RMR A, they managed only a single victory against Dynamo Eclot, losing the next three matches to FaZe, SAW, and GamerLegion. Following this defeat, the organization benched the roster, leaving only Magisk and zonic on the team. This marks the second CS2 Major that s1mple will miss.

Falcons S1mple Perfect World Major

New Year, New Falcons

While it hasn’t been officially announced, reports suggest Nikola “NiKo” Kovač is set to join the Falcons in 2025 for yet another rebuild. Widely considered one of the best riflers in CS history, NiKo is expected to join the Saudi Arabian organization after the Perfect World Major, where he is currently competing with G2 Esports.

While the move creates excitement, it also brings a touch of controversy, as fans often find it bittersweet when players commit to a new team ahead of a major event.

Unfortunately for Falcons fans, s1mple has confirmed he will not continue with the team in 2025. This means the highly anticipated pairing of NiKo and s1mple—a dream lineup for many—will remain just that: a dream.

Falcons' struggles highlight the challenges of building a competitive roster in Counter-Strike. Whether NiKo’s arrival will finally change the organization’s fortunes remains to be seen.