Following the conclusion of the StarLadder Budapest Major in December 2025, several Counter-Strike 2 teams have opted to overhaul their rosters for 2026.
Ranging from new organisations signing seasoned veterans to top teams adjusting starting line-ups, the off-season saw notable names lay down foundations for a strong start to the year. As a result, this means starting from zero in the Valve Regional Standings for some organisations, while others have acquired cores to boost their initial rankings.
Before the teams fully return to action, Esports Insider has detailed five of the biggest CS2 roster moves that have taken place.
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Zont1x and Magixx Return to Team Spirit
Following a top-four finish at the Budapest Major, Team Spirit has overhauled its roster as it looks to continue giving the likes of Team Vitality a run for its money on the big stages. On December 19th, 2025, Leonid ‘chopper’ Vishnyakov and Ivan ‘zweih’ Gogin departed despite continuing to perform well against the world’s best teams.
As a result, Myroslav ‘zont1x’ Plakhotia returned to his original role within the roster after stepping away to address personal issues in 2025. Alongside zont1x, Boris ‘magixx’ Vorobyev has become Team Spirit’s new in-game leader after being moved to the inactive roster in July 2025.
The pairing of magixx and zont1x is no stranger to success. Before their benching, Team Spirit won BLAST Bounty Season 1 2025 and PGL Astana 2025, contributing to its climb towards the top of the global standings. Despite a decent end to the year — finishing the Budapest Major in the top four — the decision to bring the pair back has the potential to introduce leadership and firepower capable of taking Team Spirit towards the very top of Counter-Strike.
Team Spirit returns to action in the BLAST Bounty Season 1 closed qualifier beginning on January 13th.
Cobrazera to The MongolZ
Despite topping the VRS in October 2025 thanks to its victory at the Esports World Cup, The MongolZ made the surprise decision to move Azbayar ‘Senzu’ Munkhbold to the bench for the remainder of the year. With little time to find a suitable replacement, Unudelger ‘controlez’ Baasanjargal filled in as the organisation looked to end the year on a high note.
After a top-eight finish at the Budapest Major, The MongolZ has recruited Anarbileg ‘cobrazera’ Uuganbayar to fill controlez’s shoes. The 20-year-old impressed in the lower tiers of Counter-Strike esports, winning the ESN Fall Showdown 2025 in October before ending his time with The Huns Esports with a top-12 placement at DraculaN Season 4. The player has also compete in Tier 1 events such as BLAST Open Spring and the
Cobrazera’s arrival in place of Controlez could be seen as a risky strategy for The MongolZ, having moved away from the latter’s experienced rifling. Controlez also joins The Huns Esports to complete the Mongolian shuffle.
The Mongolian side declined its invitation to compete in BLAST Bounty Season 1, meaning cobrazera will make his Tier 1 debut at IEM Kraków 2026.
Phzy and Ryu to Astralis
The 2025 season proved turbulent for an Astralis side that struggled to find its footing despite occasionally displaying glimpses of brilliance on the server. The Danish organisation managed to qualify for its first Major in three years, narrowly missing out on a place in Stage 3.
Following the Major, Emil ‘Magisk’ Reif left the team alongside Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz, leaving the four-time Major winners looking for two new recruits to finalise the roster for the upcoming season.
The move to an international team has proven successful for several organisations, with FURIA climbing to the top of the VRS. Moving away from an all-Danish line-up is a step into the unknown for Astralis, but one that could prove fruitful in the long run.
For its international move, Astralis has signed Love ‘phzy’ Smidebrandt and Gytis ‘ryu’ Glušauskas four days before beginning its BLAST Bounty campaign. Currently ranked 15th in the VRS, it will be interesting to see whether Astralis’ move results in improved performances.
The Return of 100 Thieves
2026 marks the return of 100 Thieves to Counter-Strike esports. Four years since fielding a roster, the North American organisation finalised its roster in late 2025 and features former FaZe Clan talisman Håvard ‘rain’ Nygaard.
On January 5th, 2026, the organisation added Andre ‘Ag1l’ Gil and William ‘sirah’ Kjærsgaard to the starting line-up, pivoting away from acquiring a core from another team to benefit from VRS position.
Instead of acquiring a core with superior positioning in the global standings, 100 Thieves has opted to focus on building a roster through competing in open LAN tournaments and high-profile online qualifiers as it aims to establish itself on the international stage.
Danish AWPer dev1ce completes the starting line-up, who joins forces with former teammate Lukas ‘gla1ve’ Rossander, who serves as the team’s Head Coach. With a healthy mix of youth and experience on the roster, 100 Thieves is set to compete in Tier 2 events and open qualifiers to climb the standings and potentially secure places at high-profile tournaments.
The SAW Core Join BC.Game
Since signing Counter-Strike legend Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev in July 2025, BC.Game has struggled to make an impact on the international scene, with failure to qualify for ESL Pro League Season 23 after losing to Parivision in the regional finals.
As a result, the online casino platform-backed team has signed the former SAW core of Cristopher ‘MuTiRis’ Fernandes, Antonia ‘aragornN’ Barbosa, and Adones ‘krazy’ Nobre, resulting in BC.Game taking 22nd place in January’s VRS. In the latter stages of 2025, SAW scored a third-place finish at PGL Masters Bucharest before ending the season with second place Roman Imperium Cup III.
In contrast to 100 Thieves, BC.Game has acquired an established trio with a proven track record of performing well in high-profile tournaments. As a result, it all but guarantees its place at Tier 1 events at the start of 2026, enabling the team to compete against the very best on a regular basis.
Thanks to acquiring the trio, BC.Game begins its 2026 season with a Tier 1 appearance at IEM Kraków, where it has the opportunity to compete against Counter-Strike’s very best.
Honourable Mentions
Throughout the off-season, several teams made changes to their existing rosters in the hopes of improving on last year’s performances. While these moves may not have grabbed the headlines, the changes could spark a return to form for teams that have sometimes struggled on the big stages.
Heading into the Budapest Major fresh from victory at PGL Masters Bucharest, many considered Aurora Gaming as a potential playoff contender. Following a surprise Stage 2 elimination, the Serbian organisation moved Samet ‘jottAAA’ Köklü to the bench.
Taking jottAAA’s place is Caner ‘soulfly’ Kesici, who joins after a four-month tenure representing Fire Flux Esports in Tier 2 and Tier 3 competitions.
NRG remains one of North America’s standout rosters, frequently appearing in Tier 1 events and hoping to contend against the top European sides. A lacklustre showing at the Budapest Major saw the team part ways with Zechrie ‘XotiC’ Elshani, leaving the door open for Joshua ‘oSee’ Ohm to return after five months on the bench.
The change has already yielded success, with the team taking victory at Fragadelphia’s Frag Miami 2 event. Thanks to the event’s Tier 2 status, NRG grabbed an invitation to IEM Kraków, becoming the second North American team in attendance
Source: https://esportsinsider.com/2026/01/cs2-5-major-esports-roster-moves-2026
