The IEM Kraków 2026 playoffs are just around the corner, with some of the best CS2 teams ready to take each other on inside the packed out Tauron Arena.
On media day, we had the chance to talk to Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo ahead of FURIA’s quarter-final matchup against Aurora.
Bruno: Hello FalleN, congrats on making it to the playoffs. You’ve had a lot of close matches this event.
FalleN: I’m feeling good. I think we had to battle ourselves out during the group stage. We were able to win three good matches: Aurora, NAVI and The MongolZ. So three difficult matchups. And I think we went up stronger.
So going down to the lower bracket sucks, but if you’re able to go out of it, you feel like you achieved something good.
Bruno: Yeah, and you made it to the semis at Blast Bounty.
FalleN: We lost to the winners there, lost to PARIVISION. They played super well that tournament. It was a very difficult matchup. It’s a team that you normally do not have much practice against. The style, they play very methodical, very passive. They are very smart with their utility. And normally when you’re practicing, let’s just say that people are trying out stuff every time. So you kind of don’t see the same encounters. You kind of need to be better planned out for those games. So I think we took from that tournament that if you’re going to play someone with that specific style, you’ve got to come prepared differently. And yeah, that’s pretty much what I get from that tournament.
Bruno: Obviously you had a great second season last year, second part of the year, but then the major loss in the quarterfinals.
FalleN: Well, honestly, the break from December to January is the only time of the year where we have some time to actually not think about CS. So for me personally, it was staying with my family. I went out to Brazil. I went out to Nicaragua as well with my wife just to spend some time. So actually taking care of my health and focusing on the goals for next year and kind of recharging the battery, I would say. So no focus on CS during the break whatsoever.
Bruno: Last year you were one of the best teams on Train.
Credit: © PGL
FalleN: Yeah, losing Train is a bit tough. I really love the map. I think we started very strong on Train last season. In the end, we’re not so great on it compared to the very beginning, but it’s still a very strong map for us. So it felt weird losing Train at this moment. But at the same time, Anubis comes in fresh. We already got two wins on the map, and we’re looking forward to play it more.
Bruno: You played in the Tauron Arena almost nine years ago at the PGL Kraków Major.
FalleN: I was trying to remember if that was the specific stadium I played in 2017. If I’m not wrong, at that time, I had my Brazilian friends from Immortals getting to the Major finals. And I think I went only to the quarterfinals against Astralis. We lost there. And, yeah, it’s amazing to be back here. I think when I’m getting to the games, I’m going to have some vibes from the past, because right now I don’t really remember exactly how it went like. So I think as I’m getting to the stage and going for the games, I’m going to remember more of what I lived before.
Bruno: Obviously, you won almost everything, but you never won Katowice as an event.
FalleN: It does add a lot of extra motivation, yes. It’s definitely one of the things I can still be pursuing in my career.
So lifting the trophy here would be special because it’s going to be one more big event under my belt.
So, yeah, it adds a little bit more excitement to be able to try to win this again.
Bruno: Thank you, FalleN, and good luck in the playoffs.
FalleN: Thank you.
Feature image credit: © BLAST
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