Genc ‘gxx-’ Kolgeci, Flatron ‘juanflatroo’ Halimi, Sener ‘SENER1’ Mahuti, Dionis ‘sinnopsyy’ Budeci, and Rigon ‘rigoN’ Gashi surprised everyone when they became the first-ever team from the Albanian-Kosovar region to reach a Major qualifier (RMR) back in 2022, when they qualified for the PGL Antwerp Major. They’ve since competed at, and qualified for the Legends stage in, three Counter-Strike Majors in Antwerp, Rio, and Paris – earning prize winnings worth $96,000 in 2023 alone. 

What will now be known as the Guild Eagles team will be joined by a backroom staff of some of the most well-respected figures in the Counter-Strike community: head coach Jonatan ‘Devilwalk’ Lundberg (the only multi-Major winner as both a coach and a player), assistant coach Kevin ‘Krystal’ Amend, analyst Kieran ‘KayJay’ Playfair, and with James ‘BanKs’ Banks (the team’s manager) joining Guild as a consultant to support the org.

From humble origins in Kosovan net cafes to Paris’ Hall de la Pinède, this roster has experienced an incredible trajectory over the past three years since their competitive debut in 2020. They’ve gained a cult following in both their home region and the wider world with a combined Twitter, Twitch, and Instagram followings of over 112,000, 297,000, and 137,000 respectively, and their path to success and international renown has become a success story of modern Counter-Strike.

With the backing of holistic coaching partner Ground+Air, Guild Esports will support this ascension even further, as Counter-Strike esports takes a step into the future with the launch of Counter-Strike 2 (CS2).

Ground+Air is a performance and wellbeing consultancy that will be delivering a specialist coaching and education programme to Guild Esports’ CS2 roster, designing a tailored state-of-the-art ‘Elite Performance Programme’. Ground+Air has experience inside and outside   esports having built and delivered Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Performance Accelerator Programme for F1 Esports. Ground+Air brings years of experience and best practices in building programmes from other sectors; including elite professional football, motor racing, entertainment, banking, and technology to build a programme designed to augment in-game performance with out-of-game wellbeing.

Guild Esports intends to deploy this programme to both established and developmental teams under the Guild Esports banner. The programme will consist of a blend of one-to-one coaching and team development workshops, delivered by performance experts from across the worlds of education, elite sports, business, and esports.

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LNZ spent over two and a half years in the Swedish organization Ninjas in Pyjamas, mostly in their academy team Young Ninjas, before joining Sangal. His most notable success in his carreer is the IEM Fall 2021 championship with NiP.

Sangal Esports parted ways with Kory last month and ScrunK was moved to the bench, after being pushed outside of top 50 in team rankings. The team is currently ranked as #73.

With the transfer of the 20-year-old Swedish player, there is only 1 spot to left to be filled in the active roster. LNZ’s Sangal debut will be against Anonymo in the play-in stage of Thunderpick World Championship 2023 Europe Series 1, on July 28th.

The current roster of Sangal is as follows:

• Max “⁠PANIX⁠” Hangebruch
• Can “⁠kyuubii⁠” Ali
• Caner “⁠Soulfly⁠” Kesici
• Linus “⁠LNZ⁠” Holtäng
• Klesti “⁠stikle-⁠” Kola (Coach)
• Robin “⁠ScrunK⁠” Röpke (Benched)
• Love “⁠phzy⁠” Smidebrant (Benched)

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AZUWU, a 19-year-old player, was picked up by Endpoint after being released from Coalesce, leaving only the AWPer position open on the team.

This move signifies Endpoint‘s return to having a primarily British roster after their decision to go international in November 2021 when they replaced Thomas “Thomas” Utting with Guy “NertZ” Iluz. The organization decided to rebuild during the summer off-season of 2023 after a disappointing start to the year, which involved selling their Israeli star to ENCE and losing their hold on the ESL Premiership title.

AZUWU initially gained recognition in the British CS:GO scene in 2022 while competing for 1PIN. The British team achieved notable success in the lower levels of European Counter-Strike, winning SCL Season 6 and Kayzr League Fall 2022 before being acquired by Coalesce in January 2023.

AZUWU continued to play for Coalesce for the next six months, participating in the ESL Challenger circuit and various CCT events. In February, he and his team attended Intel epic38 and emerged as champions after a closely contested three-map series against Viperio in the final. However, Coalesce released its players in June after their contracts expired, bringing an end to this chapter.

Currently, AZUWU holds an average LAN rating of 1.11 over the past 12 months, which includes the last two editions of Intel epic and Insomnia69. In 2023, his overall rating stands at an impressive 1.13, accompanied by a notable impact score of 1.17.

Endpoint revealed that they had been keeping an eye on the 19-year-old player for several years.

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According to a report by Dust2.com.br, paiN is making significant structural changes and their latest move involves acquiring Kaue “kauez” Kaschuk from FURIA Academy.

The negotiations between paiN and FURIA have been taking place for several weeks. paiN has been interested in purchasing kauez, while FURIA initially preferred to loan him out due to his potential. However, it seems FURIA has eventually agreed to sell the player, respecting his wishes.

kauez was previously considered as a possible addition to FURIA‘s main team during their own restructuring. However, with the recent signings of Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo and Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes, that option is no longer available.

In the revamped lineup, kauez will join paiN Academy player Cássio “cass1n” Santos and Fluxo’s Lucas “lux” Meneghini. The team will now consist of only two remaining players from the previous roster, star player Felipe “skullz” Medeiros and in-game leader Rodrigo “biguzera” Bittencourt.

As for the other players, Romeu “zevy” Rocco might be joining Fluxo alongside the benched in-game leader Vinicios “PKL” Coelho. Additionally, Gabriel “NEKIZ” Schenato, who was recently benched alongside Wesley “hardzao” Lopes, is set to join 00NATION.

After signing kauez, paiN’s active roster will be:

• Felipe ”skullz“ Medeiros
• Rodrigo ”biguzera“ Bittencourt
• Cássio ”cass1n“ Santos
• Lucas ”lux“ Meneghini
• Kaue ”kauez“ Kaschuk
• Henrique ”rikz“ Waku (coach)
• Wesley ”hardzao“ Lopes (beched)

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siuhy‘s arrival comes after the removal of Christopher “dexter” Nong from the team on Friday.

This marks siuhy‘s second tenure with MOUZ, as he previously competed for the MOUZ NXT junior roster. Under his leadership, the junior team achieved great success by winning four consecutive WePlay Academy League titles from 2021 to 2022. siuhy, who is now 20 years old, played a crucial role in their victories.

siuhy will reunite with three former teammates from the successful academy squad, namely Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás, Dorian “xertioN” Berman, and coach Dennis “sycrone” Nielsen. These players were promoted to the main lineup in 2022, while siuhy himself transferred to GamerLegion.

During his time with GamerLegion, siuhy received significant praise for his contributions to the team’s impressive performance, including a second-place finish at the BLAST.tv Paris Major in May. As a result, siuhy has gained a reputation as an up-and-coming in-game leader, and many have anticipated his move to a higher-profile team.

Now, siuhy has been given the opportunity to rejoin MOUZ, an organization partnered with ESL and known for consistently competing in major tournaments. The team has maintained a position within the top 20 rankings for a significant portion of recent years.

MOUZ is expected to make at least one more change to the squad following the benching of Jon “JDC” de Castro. Rumors suggest that 16-year-old academy prospect Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo may be promoted to fill the gap. Additionally, there are speculations about the organization’s plans to replace torzsi.

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Speculations about this signing had been circulating for over a month, and now the organization has successfully secured FalleN‘s services just before their participation in IEM Cologne 2023.

On Sunday, FalleN officially ended his 17-month tenure with Imperial. He initially joined the team in February 2022 as part of the “Last Dance” project, alongside Lincoln “fnx” Lau and Fernando “fer” Alvarenga. With FalleN leading the team, Imperial managed to qualify for the PGL Antwerp and IEM Rio Majors in 2022.

As a two-time Major winner, FalleN brings his experience and skills to his new team. During his time with Imperial, he maintained an average rating of 1.09. FalleN will be taking over the AWP role from FURIA‘s previous AWP player, Rafael “saffee” Costa. Additionally, both saffee and academy player André “drop” Abreu departed from FURIA at the end of July, as they transferred to MIBR.

After leaving Imperial on Monday, Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes joined FURIA to fill the final spot on the team’s roster. This news comes following reports by GamerArena on Sunday, which indicated that chelo was in discussions for a potential move to FURIA.

The newly-formed FURIA roster is set to make its debut at IEM Cologne 2023. The team will participate in the Play-In stage, which is scheduled to take place from July 26 to July 28. FURIA will face tough competition from teams like Liquid, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and fnatic as they compete for one of the eight spots in the tournament’s group stage.

Here is the current roster of FURIA:

• Andrei “arT” Piovezan
• Yuri “yuurih” Santos
• Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato
• Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo
• Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes
• Nicholas “guerri” Nogueira (coach)

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The organization recently finalized their roster for the upcoming fall season by confirming the addition of FalleN and later revealing the complete roster through a leaked image displayed in an ad in New York’s Times Square.

chelo‘s arrival at FURIA comes after spending a year with Imperial, where he achieved an average rating of 1.09 on LAN (with a 1.16 impact). During his time with Imperial, he contributed to the team’s success in securing second place at ESL Challenger Melbourne, qualifying for the IEM Rio Major, and most recently reaching the semi-finals of the BLAST Spring Final.

With chelo‘s addition, FURIA‘s roster underwent a change, with André “drop” Abreu and Rafael “saffee” Costa being replaced by chelo and FalleN, respectively. This new Brazilian lineup will make their debut in the Play-in stage of IEM Cologne 2023, scheduled for July 26.

Here is the current roster of FURIA:

• Andrei “arT” Piovezan
• Yuri “yuurih” Santos
• Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato
• Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo
• Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes
• Nicholas “guerri” Nogueira (coach)

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The announcement was made on Twitter. This move comes after MIBR decided to bench Matheus “Tuurtle” Anhaia and Henrique “HEN1” Teles, with drop and saffee taking their spots in the active roster.

MIBR‘s head coach, Bruno “BIT” Fukuda Lima, expressed that signing drop and saffee was a great opportunity in the market that they couldn’t ignore. He believes that the duo will fulfill the team’s needs both in-game and outside of the game.

Saffee joins MIBR from FURIA following a disappointing 2023 season for the entire team. FURIA struggled to meet expectations and had a poor performance at the BLAST.tv Paris Major Legends Stage, finishing in last place. The tournament was particularly challenging for them, as they struggled on the T side and failed to reach double-digit scores on any map, highlighting their lackluster form.

Throughout 2023, saffee had a rating of 1.03, placing him in the middle of the pack among his team. Due to FURIA reportedly securing the signing of Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, the organization decided to let saffee go, and he will now be taking over the AWP role from HEN1 at MIBR.

Drop had a difficult 2023 season with FURIA, struggling to find his form and achieving the lowest average rating on the team at 0.89. Despite initially joining FURIA as a promising graduate from their academy in August 2021, drop was unable to consistently perform at the level required to secure his place in the roster. As FURIA began rebuilding their team, drop made way for new additions.

After the changes, MIBR now:

• Raphael “exit” Lacerda
• Breno “brnz4n” Poletto
• Felipe “insani” Yuji
• Rafael “saffee” Costa
• André “drop” Abreu
• Bruno “BIT” Fukuda Lima (coach)
• Matheus “Tuurtle” Anhaia (benched)
• Henrique “HEN1” Teles (benched)

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• Denislav “dennyslaw” Dimitrov
• Nikolay “niki1” Pantaleev
• Ivan “Patrick” Ivanov
• Hristiyan “REDSTAR” Pironkov
• Kalin “KalubeR” Erenditsov
• Denis “Grashog” Hristov (coach)
• Georgi “SHiPZ” Grigorov (benched)

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He has been associated with the Portuguese organization since January 2022, initially joining as an analyst. After Omar “arki” Chakkor’s departure, NABOWOW assumed the temporary coaching role.

During his time as the interim coach, NABOWOW achieved significant success for the team. He secured several titles at ESL Masters Spain, Master League Portugal, and CCT West Europe Series 4, showcasing his capabilities and ultimately leading to his permanent appointment as the team’s coach.

The upcoming fall season will kick off on July 14 for NABOWOW and his team. Their first crucial challenge will be the ESL Pro League Season 18 NC Europe Qualifier, where they aim to secure a spot in the forthcoming Pro League season.

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