Five Major CS2 Roster Moves Impacting the 2026 Season

After the **StarLadder Budapest Major** concluded in December 2025, numerous Counter-Strike 2 organizations decided to restructure their competitive lineups for the upcoming year, 2026.

The period between seasons witnessed significant players establishing fresh foundations for a robust beginning to the year, encompassing everything from emergent organizations recruiting experienced professionals to elite squads modifying their primary formations. Consequently, some entities will commence with a clean slate in the Valve Regional Standings, whereas others have integrated existing team cores to elevate their starting positions.

Prior to the full resumption of competitive play, Esports Insider has outlined five of the most impactful Counter-Strike 2 team changes that have transpired.

Subsequent to securing a top-four position at the Budapest Major, **Team Spirit** has revamped its lineup, aiming to maintain its competitive edge against formidable opponents such as **Team Vitality** at premier tournaments. Despite consistently strong performances against top-tier global teams, **Leonid ‘chopper’ Vishnyakov and Ivan ‘zweih’ Gogin** left the squad on December 19th, 2025.

Consequently, Myroslav ‘**zont1x**’ Plakhotia resumed his initial responsibilities on the team, having temporarily withdrawn in 2025 to resolve personal matters. In addition to zont1x, Boris ‘**magixx**’ Vorobyev has assumed the role of Team Spirit’s fresh in-game leader, following his prior transfer to the inactive player list in July 2025.

The duo of magixx and zont1x has a proven track record of achievement. Prior to their temporary removal from the active roster, Team Spirit secured victories at **BLAST Bounty Season 1 2025** and **PGL Astana 2025**, which aided their ascent in the worldwide rankings. Even with a respectable conclusion to the year – a top-four placement at the Budapest Major – the choice to reinstate this pair could provide the strategic direction and offensive prowess needed to propel Team Spirit to the pinnacle of Counter-Strike competition.

Team Spirit is slated to recommence competitive play in the **BLAST Bounty Season 1** closed qualifier, commencing on January 13th.

Notwithstanding their achievement of **leading the VRS in October 2025** following their triumph at the Esports World Cup, **The MongolZ** unexpectedly opted to sideline **Azbayar ‘Senzu’ Munkhbold** for the rest of the year. Due to the limited window for securing an appropriate substitute, Unudelger ‘**controlez**’ Baasanjargal stepped in, as the organization aimed to conclude the year successfully.

Following their top-eight performance at the Budapest Major, The MongolZ has brought in **Anarbileg ‘cobrazera’ Uuganbayar** to take controlez’s place. The 20-year-old distinguished himself in lower-tier Counter-Strike competitions, securing a win at the **ESN Fall Showdown 2025** in October, then concluding his tenure with **The Huns Esports** with a top-12 finish at DraculaN Season 4. This player has also participated in Tier 1 tournaments like BLAST Open Spring and the

The addition of Cobrazera, replacing Controlez, might be perceived as a bold tactical decision for The MongolZ, given their departure from Controlez’s veteran rifling skills. Controlez, in turn, has also **joined The Huns Esports**, finalizing this series of roster adjustments within the Mongolian scene.

The Mongolian squad opted not to accept their invitation to participate in BLAST Bounty Season 1, which signifies that cobrazera’s Tier 1 premiere will occur at **IEM Kraków 2026**.

The 2025 competitive year presented significant challenges for **Astralis**, a team that found it difficult to establish consistency, even with intermittent flashes of strong performance in matches. The Danish organization successfully secured qualification for its first Major in three years, though it just missed advancing to Stage 3.

Subsequent to the Major, **Emil ‘Magisk’ Reif** departed from the squad, joined by Nicolai ‘**dev1ce**’ Reedtz, compelling the four-time Major champions to seek a pair of fresh talents to complete their lineup for the forthcoming season.

Shifting to a multi-national team composition has yielded positive outcomes for various organizations, exemplified by **FURIA’s** ascent to the pinnacle of the VRS. For Astralis, diverging from an exclusively Danish lineup represents venturing into uncharted territory, yet it holds the potential to be advantageous in the long term.

In executing this international roster adjustment, Astralis secured the services of **Love ‘phzy’ Smidebrandt and Gytis ‘ryu’ Glušauskas** just four days prior to initiating their BLAST Bounty tournament participation. Presently holding the 15th position in the VRS, it will be compelling to observe if Astralis’ strategic shift translates into enhanced competitive results.

The year 2026 signifies **100 Thieves’ re-entry** into the Counter-Strike esports scene. After a four-year hiatus from maintaining a team, the North American organization completed its lineup in late 2025, prominently including former FaZe Clan star player **Håvard ‘rain’ Nygaard**.

On January 5th, 2026, the organization incorporated **Andre ‘Ag1l’ Gil and William ‘sirah’ Kjærsgaard** into its main lineup, opting for this approach rather than obtaining an existing team’s core to leverage a higher VRS standing.

Rather than securing a team core already holding a prominent global ranking, 100 Thieves has chosen to concentrate on constructing its roster by participating in open LAN competitions and significant online qualification events, with the objective of solidifying its presence on the worldwide circuit.

The primary roster is rounded out by **Danish AWPer dev1ce**, who reunites with his erstwhile colleague Lukas ‘**gla1ve**’ Rossander, now fulfilling the role of the team’s Head Coach. Featuring a balanced combination of emerging talent and veteran expertise, 100 Thieves plans to engage in Tier 2 events and open qualifiers, striving to ascend the rankings and potentially earn berths in prestigious competitions.

Ever since securing the signing of Counter-Strike icon **Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev** in July 2025, **BC.Game** has encountered difficulties in making a significant impression on the global stage, exemplified by their inability to qualify for **ESL Pro League Season 23** following a defeat to **Parivision** in the regional championship match.

Consequently, the team supported by the online casino platform has brought in **the previous SAW core**, consisting of Cristopher ‘**MuTiRis**’ Fernandes, Antonia ‘**aragornN**’ Barbosa, and Adones ‘**krazy**’ Nobre, which has positioned BC.Game at 22nd in **January’s VRS**. Towards the end of 2025, SAW achieved a third-place standing at **PGL Masters Bucharest** and concluded their season with a runner-up spot at the **Roman Imperium Cup III**.

Unlike 100 Thieves, BC.Game has secured a seasoned trio possessing a demonstrated history of strong performances in prominent competitions. This acquisition practically assures their participation in Tier 1 events at the commencement of 2026, thereby allowing the squad to consistently face off against the elite contenders.

Due to the recruitment of this three-player group, BC.Game will kick off its 2026 campaign with a Tier 1 engagement at IEM Kraków, where they will have the chance to contend with Counter-Strike’s top teams.

During the off-season period, various teams implemented modifications to their current lineups, aiming to enhance their performance compared to the previous year. Although these adjustments might not have garnered widespread attention, they possess the potential to rejuvenate teams that have occasionally faced difficulties in major competitions.

Entering the Budapest Major immediately after their **win at PGL Masters Bucharest**, a considerable number of observers viewed **Aurora Gaming** as a prospective contender for the playoffs. Subsequent to an unexpected exit in Stage 2, the Serbian organization transitioned Samet ‘**jottAAA**’ Köklü to a substitute role.

Caner ‘**soulfly**’ Kesici is stepping in for jottAAA, arriving after a four-month period playing for **Fire Flux Esports** in Tier 2 and Tier 3 tournaments.

**NRG** continues to be recognized as a prominent North American lineup, consistently participating in Tier 1 events with aspirations of challenging elite European teams. A disappointing performance at the Budapest Major led to the team’s separation from **Zechrie ‘XotiC’ Elshani**, thereby creating an opportunity for **Joshua ‘oSee’ Ohm** to rejoin after a five-month period on the inactive roster.

This alteration has already demonstrated positive outcomes, with the squad achieving a win at **Fragadelphia’s Frag Miami 2 tournament**. Due to the event’s Tier 2 classification, NRG secured an invitation to IEM Kraków, positioning them as the second North American team to be present.