FaZe Clan could miss CS2 Major as poor form continues in 2026

CS2 Writer

Publish Date: March 21, 2026

One of the most popular and infamous Counter-Strike organizations, FaZe Clan, is in the middle of a major slump. Another early tournament exit spells trouble for the international squad.

Despite being one of the best CS2 teams at the StarLadder Budapest Major, there is a high probability that they will not even attend IEM Cologne 2026.

Can Finn “karrigan” Andersen and co. turn it around before the Major cut-off?

FaZe leave Rotterdam winless

No NEO, still no results. Image credit: © StarLadder

Coming into BLAST Open Rotterdam, FaZe had to get at least some LAN wins to ensure Major qualification. It was always going to be difficult with a strong field in attendance, but they were not set up perfectly for success before the event either.

The organization recently cut their coach, Filip “NEO” Kubski, from the team without a replacement lined up. The team’s analyst has taken up the role of interim head coach in the meantime.

FaZe’s first opponents were Aurora, which was set to be a difficult game. Even though FaZe eventually lost out to the Turks, it was a competitive series throughout, which showed what their players are capable of on a good day.

Unfortunately, it’s rare that they have a good day. That fact was evident in their elimination match against TYLOO. While TYLOO aren’t an awful squad, a team of FaZe’s calibre should simply outclass them, which didn’t turn out to be the case.

All three maps of the series were competitive once again, but FaZe failed to get over the line, even with their leader and one of the best CS2 IGLs, karrigan, putting on an excellent individual performance.

Despite their fighting spirit being on show in Rotterdam, FaZe were eliminated in last place, losing 11 out of 14 games in 2026.

All hope is on DraculaN

FaZe karrigan at StarLadder Budapest Major Semis

karrigan could miss his first Major since IEM Katowice 2019. Image credit: © StarLadder

After the disappointment of BLAST Rotterdam, FaZe are out of the European Major qualification spots in the VRS ranking. There aren’t many upcoming CS2 events left to boost their ranking, apart from DraculaN Season 6.

On paper, FaZe will be one of the highest-ranked teams in attendance at the Romanian event. However, the CS2 odds are likely to favor Aurora, who just defeated FaZe, to take home the title.

Even though FaZe have much higher name value than their future opponents, they rarely show it on the server. There’s no doubt that no game will be a locked-in victory for FaZe. Especially with the way some of their players have been performing recently.

While Jakub “jcobb” Pietruszewski and Helvjis “broky” Saukants have been criticized a plenty, Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken’s performances have taken a massive downturn as of late.

The Canadian magician was a force to be reckoned with last year, both on Liquid and FaZe, but his 2026 form has been poor to say the least. His teammates will need him to show up in Romania if they are to challenge for the win.

What if FaZe don’t make the Major?

If FaZe don’t make the Major, frozen could be straight outta there. Image credit: Sebastian Pandelache | © PGL

Most fans would be extremely disappointed with this result, but it is becoming increasingly likely that we won’t see FaZe at the IEM Cologne 2026 Major. So what would happen next in that scenario?

Firstly, it’s almost a given that the team would blow up. There could be as few as two players staying on the roster for the remainder of the year, but no one could say who those two players would even be.

One of the players most likely to depart is David “frozen” Cernansky. He has been a shining light within FaZe’s lineup, putting up great numbers in spite of team struggles. frozen is easily one of the best CS2 players, and he will certainly have plenty of offers to choose from in the off-season.

Another unfortunate result of FaZe not making the Major could be karrigan’s retirement. While the Dane keeps saying in interviews that he will never stop fighting, it might be out of his hands.

If FaZe choose to remove him from their roster, it’s uncertain whether he would want to continue his career with another project. karrigan is a great personality and presence within the scene, so it would be sad to see him hang up his mouse.