FURIA secured their spot in the Grand Final of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 following a decisive 2-0 victory against Aurora in the Semi-Final. The Brazilian squad showed total control throughout the series, displaying a particularly dominant performance on Nuke to close out the match.
Following the victory, FURIA’s head coach Sidnei “sidde” Macedo spoke about the team’s current form and the mentality that pushed them past their opponents.
Confidence and preparation on the server
During the match against Aurora, FURIA appeared fully prepared for their opponent’s strategies, looking one step ahead on Dust2 and entirely in control on Nuke. According to sidde, the team reached a peak level of performance on the server.
It felt like the best FURIA that we’ve ever seen,” sidde said. “Like the same we saw in last year honestly just entered the server today and we did a very good job with the preparation, everything, and everyone was so confident. It was beautiful to see.
The team’s communication during the high-stakes match was noticeably calm and collected. The coach confirmed that this atmosphere translated directly into their gameplay.
“I think we played very confident and believe in each other in our moments. I mean, that’s how we should be going every time,” sidde explained.
Praising yuurih and his dedication
Yuri “yuurih” Santos has been a standout player for FURIA throughout the tournament in Cologne. When asked about his player’s exceptional form, sidde pointed directly to his work ethic and his ability to block out external pressure.
It’s just a reward for the amount of work he puts in. He’s a guy who is very dedicated,” sidde stated. “He doesn’t actually get affected by what the community sometimes say about him. People have bad comments sometimes, but he deals with it very well and he just sits down and works.
A historic run for FalleN
The victory in the Semi-Final holds additional weight for the Brazilian roster, as it marks a deep Major run in Cologne for the veteran in-game leader Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo. For sidde and the rest of the team, helping FalleN achieve this milestone carries significant meaning.
It’s historic. It’s not only us or the organization. It’s an entire nation. It’s the history of Counter-Strike,” sidde said. “We are happy to help him get there. We’re going to try our best. We’re going to fight with all we have.
You can see the full interview with FURIA’s coach down below.
