Team Falcons rose as the new kings of Dota 2 after outlasting Xtreme Gaming 3-2 in a fierce Grand Final at The International (TI) 2025 in Hamburg, Germany. The win not only secured the $1.15 million first-place prize from the $2.7 million pool, but also marked coach Kurtis 'Aui_2000' Ling as the first to claim the Aegis of Champions three times.

Aui_2000’s journey spans ten years of excellence. He first held the Aegis with Evil Geniuses in 2015, then as coach of Tundra Esports in 2022, before his third victory with Falcons. This record run seals him as one of the most famed names in Dota 2’s history.

The Falcons�?path to glory was far from smooth. They opened the playoffs with a 2-0 win over Team Tidebound before pulling off bold reverse sweeps against BetBoom Team and PARIVISION. In the Grand Final, down 2-1, they rallied to take the last two games, drawing a peak of 1.77 million viewers, making it the third-highest in TI history.

The win also gave Oliver 'skiter' Lepko and Jingjun 'Sneyking' Wu their second title, while also casting light on the key work of the Falcons�?full support crew.

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Team Spirit crushed Team Falcons 3-0 in the Grand Final to win the Dota 2 crown at the Esports World Cup 2025. The win marks Team Spirit’s first EWC title, and they did it in full force, not dropping a single game from the playoffs to the final.

The CIS squad went near-perfect all tourney. They drew 1-1 with Xtreme Gaming in the group stage but bounced back hard. They beat Talon Esports and Navus Vincere 2-0, then swept Gaimin Gladiators and PARIVISION in the next rounds. Yaroslav 'Miposhka' Naidenov, team captain, said, 'There is not really much emotions as the Grand Final was not that hard.'

Magomed 'Collapse' Khalilov stood out as the MVP and took home an extra $10,000. The team won $1 million and 1,000 Club Championship points. Aleksandr 'rue' Filin said, 'It feels amazing of course, I’m very happy.�?With full trust in their skill, Illya 'Yatoro' Mulyarchuk claimed, 'I truly think we are the greatest Dota 2 team of all time.'

Team Falcons, though cheered by the home crowd, had no answer for Spirit’s pace.

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Speculations over another buyout by Team Falcons began swirling again in June 2025. The catalyst was the recent signing of Maksim ‘Kyousuke�?Lukin, replacing Emil ‘Magisk�?Reif as rifler. There is no official disclosure of how much the Saudi Arabian team has spent, but it is speculated to be up to $2 million, which the Falcons deny. 

Signs of buyout that started the rumour in 2024

What prompted the rumours to start swirling in the first place? Most CS2 esports fans attribute it to the team’s past actions, particularly in the previous buyout spree. The most controversial was Nikola ‘NiKo�?Kovač for around $1 million in January this year. This time, Kyousuke is the centre of attention because his signing shows similar signs to NiKo’s case.

Those signs include sudden roster shakeups and increased organisational expenses. Kyousuke’s transfer is a big surprise, especially when the team has fresh arrivals along with NiKo, René ‘TeSeS�?Madsen, Damjan ‘kyxsan�?Stoikovski, and Ilya ‘m0NESY�?Osipov. This move put Falcons�?veteran Magisk on the bench. 

The other sign is major investments as an organisation. Team Falcons has increased expenses across its esports franchises, including the aforementioned CS2 roster shakeup. Another notable investment was signing the former Team BDS roster in Rainbow Six Siege (R6) esports in March 2025. 

Elaborate: What does ‘buyout�?mean in this context?

A ‘buyout�?is the payment a team makes to terminate a pro player’s existing contract so the player can join a different team. It’s a standard practice in professional sports and esports, but it can leave a negative impression depending on the context. 

For example, Kyousuke’s signing is rumoured to be a controversial buyout because he showed no prior plans of transferring out, but suddenly he joined a new team. CS2 fans speculated that he was paid a hefty sum of up to $2 million, which Team Falcons denied. 

A buyout can be seen negatively if the organisation is known to have a large budget and uses it to aggressively acquire top talent from other teams. For example, getting Kyousuke is seen by some as a harmful buyout because it significantly affects Team Spirit Academy’s popularity with the Chinese fanbase. Losing Kyousuke’s star power can hurt their viewership in future matches. 

Team Falcons buyout: Fact or mere speculation?

Team Falcons denies all claims of a big-budget buyout. Chairman Musaed ‘Msdossary�?Al-Dossary stated that the cost was big, but not close to the rumoured $2 million. Kyousuke’s contract figures are still kept private. If true, the 17-year-old’s contract could carry one of the highest price tags in esports.

There are no formal confirmations, and if the rumours are true, Team Falcons is still unlikely to have breached any rules. Their aggressive market behaviour is under scrutiny, but it could simply be a sign of strong competitive ambition in esports. The CS2 community is closely watching this news, demonstrating their commitment to fair play in professional esports. 

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Team Liquid dominated the Esports World Cup group stage with a perfect 4-0 record. They beat strong teams like Shopify Rebellion and PARIVISION in intense matches that ended in under 30 minutes. Their offlane Venomancer plan worked well and stopped even the toughest opponents.

Meanwhile, Virtus.pro started poorly, losing all four of their games. The Russian team couldn’t beat Yandex or Tundra Esports. Their early losses drop them in the rankings, sending them to the elimination phase.

Team Falcons also struggled on their home ground. They finished with a 1-3 record. Poor planning and weak play left Saudi fans disappointed as they fell short against Execration and BetBoom Team. With more matches ahead, they must sharpen their game to stay in the race.

The tournament promises tough matchups and a huge cash prize. Fans can expect more surprises as the group stage ends this week.

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After securing four Counter-Strike 2 esports titles this year, Team Vitality brings home another one as they are crowned the champions of the recently concluded BLAST Rivals Spring 2025 by defeating Team Falcons.

The winning team earned $125,000 (£94,516) in prize money and secured two Tokens from the BLAST-created Frequent Flyers Program (FFP), a revenue-sharing scheme featuring an extra $2 million (£1,506,704) prize pool that is divided among the teams. 

According to Esports Charts, the Grand Final drew over one million viewers, making it the second most-watched BLAST event to date. The BLAST Paris Major is still on top.

How the final fight went down

The faceoff started with Team Falcons�?victory as they took the map Inferno and scored 13-9. This ended Team Vitality’s 16-game win streak on the map. However, Vitality retaliated and took the win on two maps: Dust2 and Train. 

The champions almost had Mirage due to their 12-3 lead, but Team Falcons�?m0NESY clutched a one versus two after the overtime. 

After a series of decisive battles, two players came out on top: Robin ‘ropz�?Kool and Mathieu ‘ZywOo�?Herbaut. The duo racked 44 total kills on Nuke, leading to ZywOo becoming the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and their team winning.

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After months of talks and rumours, Ilya ‘m0NESY�?Osipov has officially left G2 Esports and joined Team Falcons. This transfer is said to be ‘the biggest transfer�?in Counter-Strike history. The 19-year-old Russian AWPer will play his first match with Team Falcons at the BLAST.tv Austin Major in June.

‘Sorry, that’s it. Thank you to everyone who supported G2 and me all this time. This was a chapter that made me stronger. People who will stay in my memory forever�? m0NESY stated. 

m0NESY was originally under contract with G2 until December, but the organisation released him early, citing a growing disconnect between the player and the team due to personal circumstances. G2 CEO Alban ‘Stilgar�?Dechelotte also noted that holding serious discussions with potential new talents is challenging without clarity on m0NESY’s future with the team.

Meanwhile, m0NESY will reunite with his old G2 teammate, Nikola ‘NiKo�?Kovač, who recently helped Team Falcons win at PGL Bucharest 2025 and will take the spot of Abdulkhalik ‘degster�?Gasano. G2 hasn’t picked a new player yet, but reports say that the team is planning to loan Aleksander ‘hades�?Miśkiewicz from Monte.

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G2 Esports suffered two losses this year in their CS2 squad: top-notch rifler Nikola ‘NiKo�?Kovač and the eagle-eyed Ilya ‘m0NESY�?Osipov. Both players are considered elites due to their impressive performances. With both of them under Team Falcon’s wings, what will happen to G2 Esports now? 

More losses and low morale

Losing two of their core players could lead to a string of losses for G2. Despite the skill of their remaining players like Nemanja 'huNter-' Kovač and Janusz 'Snax' Pogorzelski, they would still struggle. The team can also lose morale knowing that huNter- is NiKo’s cousin. 

However, this might not last long as G2 Esports will hire additional players. So far, the team has not released any statement about players they look forward to working with, but this can change. 

Fighting Team Falcons will likely result in a loss

If the two elite teams ever meet on the battlefield, the more likely winner is Team Falcons. Although G2 Esports won’t be beaten easily, the edge is on Team Falcons. NiKo has already formed a good relationship with his current team, and adding m0NESY will further improve their performance. 

Although it lacks two members, G2 Esports can still put up a good fight. Their new player is possibly the same level as m0NESY, but nobody can tell who will replace the ‘baby GOAT.�?nbsp;

Better preparations

To be ready for the upcoming BLAST.tv Austin Major, G2 Esports needs to train harder and prepare more. Their new player must adapt quickly to the current team and vice versa. With their latest standing in the Blast Open Spring 2025, they might take on an opponent with the same skill level as them. 

Since they lost m0NESY, they should look for a sniper of the same calibre—or better. Their riflers are competitive and display good game sense, but a good sniper will always be crucial to the team. 

New trump cards for the CS2 squad

Despite no announcement on the replacement player, G2 Esports is a top-tier team that wouldn’t settle for anyone. Their new player can be their trump card for the upcoming esports tournament, but only they know who it will be. 

However, talks of Aleksander ‘hades�?Miśkiewicz replacing the sniper are brewing. The primary AWPer hades is a top sniper from the esports group Monte. His display of accurate flicks and weapon mastery earned the respect of both his previous and current teams. 

Stay informed about G2 Esports�?next moves

G2 Esports�?CS2 squad is currently not in its best condition, so it might suffer a few losses, but nothing too heavy. By getting a good replacement for its lost players, it will uphold its reputation as a leading esports group. 

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