On Dec. 14, 2025, Team Vitality lifted the coveted StarLadder Budapest Major trophy after smashing FaZe Clan 3-1. The dramatic conclusion of the second Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Major Championship of the year marked the end of the season, and the annual “rostermania” got underway.
Compared to its younger cousin VALORANT, the offseason wasn’t quite as turbulent. But there were still several significant roster moves among pro CS2 teams that esports fans and bettors should note, as lineup changes can affect a team’s chances of success. Let’s jump in and discuss the 10 biggest CS2 roster moves during the offseason.
Zont1x & Magixx Return To Team Spirit
Shortly following the Budapest Major, on Dec. 18, 2025, the biggest roster move of the offseason occurred. Team Spirit announced that in-game leader (IGL) Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov was moved to the reserves, and Ivan “zweih” Gogin joined PARIVISION.
In their place, Spirit welcomed back Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia and Boris “magixx” Vorobyov, with the latter assuming the role of IGL. The massive CS2 roster move should make Danil “donk” Kryshkovets especially happy because he’s been reunited with his friend magixx.
Team Spirit roster:
- Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
- Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov
- Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia
- Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich
- Boris “magixx” Vorobyev (IGL)
- Sergey “hally” Shavayev (Coach)
BC.Game Adds Portuguese Trio
BC.Game’s CS2 roster has reached its final form, at least for now. Keep in mind that they already added the GOAT of CS:GO, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, in a prolific roster move earlier in 2025, and his long-time ex-NAVI teammate, Denis “electroNic” Sharipov.
On Jan. 3, 2026, BC.Game announced the signing of SAW’s core trio: Portuguese players Christopher “MUTiRiS” Fernandes, Adones “krazy” Nobre, and António “aragornN” Barbosa. BC.Game went on to complete their lineup by adding ex-G2 Esports coach, Wiktor “TaZ” Wojtas.
BC.Game roster:
- Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
- Denis “electroNic” Sharipov
- Christopher “MUTiRiS” Fernandes
- Adones “krazy” Nobre
- António “aragornN” Barbosa
- Wiktor “TaZ” Wojtas (Coach)
The MongolZ Welcome Cobrazera
The MongolZ, who won the Thunderpick World Championship (TWC) 2024 and Esports World Cup 2025, shocked the esports world this past October when they made the difficult decision to bench star player, Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold.
After competing at StarLadder Budapest Major with Unudelger “controlez” Baasanjargal as a stand-in, The MongolZ were ready to announce Senzu’s official replacement. On Dec. 31, 2025, the all-Mongolian side welcomed young rifler Anarbileg “cobrazera” Uuganbayar, proclaiming that their roster is now locked in.
The MongolZ roster:
- Sodbayar “Techno4K” Munkhbold
- Usukhbayar “910” Banzragch
- Ayush “mzinho” Batbold
- Anarbileg “cobrazera” Uuganbayar
- Garidmagnai “bLitz” Byambasuren (IGL)
- Erdenedalai “maaRaa” Bayanbat (Coach)
Soulfly Joins Aurora Gaming
On Dec. 27, 2025, Samet “jottAAA” Köklü stepped down from the active Aurora Gaming roster. The Turkish powerhouse squad announced his replacement as Caner “soulfly” Kesici (previously from Fire Flux Esports) on the same day, showing that this move wasn’t unexpected.
It was the final notable CS2 roster move in the offseason from a top-10 team on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) as of Jan. 15, 2026.
Aurora Gaming roster:
- İsmailсan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş
- Ali “Wicadia” Haydar
- Özgür “woxic” Eker
- Caner “soulfly” Kesici
- Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli (IGL)
- Sezgin “Fabre” Kalaycı (Coach)
100 Thieves Enters CS2 With New Roster
Back in 2020, famed esports organization 100 Thieves departed the CS:GO scene. Six years later, 100 Thieves is back and building a CS2 roster through a series of offseason announcements.
The organization first announced Håvard “rain” Nygaard as the IGL, and that Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander would be in his first coaching role. They then picked up a rifling trio, consisting of Alex “poiii” Nyholm Sundgren from Alliance, William “sirah” Kjærsgaard from ECSTATIC, and André “Ag1l” Gil from SAW.
100 Thieves also reunited legendary ex-Astralis Danish AWPer, Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz, with gla1ve, to complete the roster on Jan. 6, 2026.
100 Thieves roster:
- Alex “poiii” Nyholm Sundgren
- William “sirah” Kjærsgaard
- André “Ag1l” Gil
- Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz
- Håvard “rain” Nygaard (IGL)
- Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander (Coach)
BlameF & FaveN Join BIG
After over three years on the BIG roster, German rifler Karim “Krimbo” Moussa was removed from the active lineup on Oct. 12, 2025.
Fast-forward three months, and BIG announced the completion of their new roster, signing Josef “faveN” Baumann (previously from 9INE) and Danish legend Benjamin “blameF” Bremer (previously from Fnatic) to lead the squad.
BIG roster:
- Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz
- Jon “JDC” de Castro
- Gleb “gr1ks” Gazin
- Josef “faveN” Baumann
- Benjamin “blameF” Bremer (IGL)
- Sebastian “xenn” Hoch (Coach)
Fnatic Adds Entry Fragger Maden
After Benjamin “blameF” Bremer moved to BIG as their new IGL, the critically important role of an entry fragger needed to be filled by Fnatic.
Setting their sights on qualifying for top-tier events in 2026, Fnatic revealed the addition of Pavle “maden” Bošković on Jan. 9, 2026. The organization explained the need for a “proactive entry-focused and aggressive rifler approach” in the announcement.
Fnatic roster:
- Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson
- Dmytro “jambo” Semera
- Mykyta “jackasmo” Skyba
- Pavle “maden” Bošković
- Rodyon “fear” Smyk (IGL)
- Miks “Independent” Siliņš (Coach)
Note: At the time of writing, Mykyta “jackasmo” Skyba is on loan from Passion UA.
Astralis Goes International
The Astralis roster has always been filled to the brim with Danish players. That changed on Jan. 9, 2026, when the organization made its first international signings.
Swedish player Love “phzy” Smidebrant joins from 9INE, and Lithuanian player Gytis “ryu” Glušauskas joins from Monte, marking a strategic shift for the Danish organization. The move follows the earlier departure of Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz.
Astralis roster:
- Victor “Staehr” Staehr
- Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard
- Love “phzy” Smidebrant
- Gytis “ryu” Glušauskas
- Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen (IGL)
- Casper “ruggah” Due (Coach)
HEROIC Picks Up Chr1zN & Susp
On Nov. 28, 2025, HEROIC announced the signing of young Danish IGL, Christoffer “Chr1zN” Storgaard (previously from OG). The organization went on to bench Simon “yxngstxr” Boije on Jan. 6, 2026.
To fill the gap, HEROIC added ex-Wildcard player and talented young rifler Tim “susp” Ångström. And for those wondering, yes, he is the twin brother of OG’s Adam “adamb” Ångström.
HEROIC roster:
- Yasin “xfl0ud” Koç
- Linus “nilo” Bergman
- Älımjan “Alkaren” Bıtımbai
- Tim “susp” Ångström
- Christoffer “Chr1zN” Storgaard (IGL)
- Tobias “TOBIZ” Theo (Coach)
Note: At the time of writing, Älımjan “Alkaren” Bıtımbai is on loan from Team Spirit Academy.
Zweih Joins PARIVISION
At the start of this article, we explained how Team Spirit brought back zont1x and magixx. In the wake of this huge CS2 roster change, young rifler Ivan “zweih” Gogin got picked up by PARIVISION.
In the announcement, the organization committed to fully supporting the talented youngster, who they believe will strengthen the team. The all-Russian side of PARIVISION, led by veteran IGL and AWPer Dzhami “Jame” Ali, could become a stronger contender in the 2026 season, with zweih adding serious firepower.
PARIVISION roster:
- Andrey “BELCHONOKK” Yasinskiy
- Emil “nota” Moskvitin
- Vladislav “xiELO” Lysov
- Ivan “zweih” Gogin
- Dzhami “Jame” Ali (IGL)
- Dastan “dastan” Aqbaev (Coach)
Note: On Jan. 1, 2026, Aleksei “Qikert” Golubev returned to the PARIVISION bench after a loan period at MIBR concluded.
A Thrilling CS2 Esports Season At Thunderpick
The biggest CS2 roster moves after the StarLadder Budapest Major add another layer of excitement to the start of the 2026 season. We cannot wait to see how everything shakes out at this year’s events, particularly the Thunderpick World Championship 2026.
Always practice Responsible Gambling and check out our latest promo offers and boosts. T&Cs apply. 18+ to play.