Team Falcons star NiKo placed 18th in HLTV’s Top 20 Players of 2025, marking his worst career ranking but extending his decade-long streak among Counter-Strike’s elite.

Romanian rifler Mihai “iM” Ivan has claimed 19th place in the HLTV Top 20 Players of 2025 ranking.

Ukrainian CS2 player Valerii “b1t” Vakhovskyi has secured 20th place in the prestigious HLTV Top 20 Players of 2025 ranking.

XotiC departs NRG after a five-month stint, while oSee steps into the active roster as the North American team prepares for a new season and key qualifiers.

M80 officially announce the signing of young American player Joshua “JBa” Barutt as a replacement for HexT in their CS lineup.

Swedish organization NIP Impact have announced that they are parting ways with their roster after the conclusion of the ESL Impact circuit.

North American organization M80 have officially announced the departure of Jadan “HexT” Postma, as the 24-year-old rifler’s contract has expired and will not be extended.

European esports organization GamerLegion has officially announced the signing of Polish Counter-Strike legend Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski.

IEM Rio 2026 will be held in April in Rio de Janeiro with 16 teams competing for a $300,000 prize pool, with ticket sales starting on December 15.

Valve has introduced a significant update to its tournament regulations, officially banning the promotion of skin-gambling platforms, case-opening services, and similar websites across all

ashhh temporarily leaves his GamerLegion coaching role after revealing serious emotional burnout caused by nonstop workload, travel and declining health.

PGL has officially revealed that it will host the second Counter-Strike Major of 2026 in Singapore. The event is scheduled for November 25–December 13 and will feature a $1,250,000 prize pool.

Four-time Major champion gla1ve has ended his professional CS career, revealing his retirement in a statement posted to his official X account.

Updated FACEIT verification aims to boost match integrity in Season 7, elevating Premium/Veteran match quality and streamlining the reporting system for fair, enjoyable play.

Legendary CS player Håvard “rain” Nygaard joins 100 Thieves as the first member of their renewed CS2 lineup, marking a major step in the team’s competitive rebuild.

Casper “cadiaN” Møller officially signs with OG, bringing his experience and leadership to the team after a quiet stint in Astralis.