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November 4, 2026 | Anders Frost

Falcons put their whole academy roster on the market

Falcons Force lasted 14 months, and their only route into the main team was a visa problem.

Falcons Force lasted 14 months, and their only route into the main team was a visa problem.

Team Falcons have placed their entire academy team, Falcons Force, on the open market. The organisation said in a statement on X on that it is giving the five players and coach NaToSaphiX “the space to explore their options”, and that all roster and contract enquiries should go to Falcons directly.

The statement thanks the players for “representing our colours” but does not say whether Falcons will build a new academy team. The announcement came a few hours after Falcons knocked FaZe out of IEM Beijing 2026, and the main team have kept going since: on Wednesday morning they beat HEROIC 2-0 and now face NAVI at for a quarter-final place.

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Who is now available

Falcons announced NaToSaphiX as coach in July 2025 and the lineup on 15 September 2025. Olaie started as captain but was benched in February, when Norwegian IGL Tapewaare came in from Copenhagen Wolves.

The Falcons Force roster that Falcons have put on the market.
PlayerNameJoined
Flag of Norway Tapewaare (IGL)Sindre Ellefsen5 February 2026
Flag of North Macedonia NucleonZMatej Trajkoski15 September 2025
Flag of Denmark clockziOskar Blæsbjerg15 September 2025
Flag of Serbia VENOVladimir Stankovic15 September 2025
Flag of Romania grecuAndrei Grecu15 September 2025
Flag of Denmark NaToSaphiX (coach)Niels Sillassen6 July 2025

NaToSaphiX picked the players himself after a long trial process, Dust2.dk reports. He came to Falcons straight from coaching NIP Impact, and the Dane played for HEROIC in 2019 before that.

Two calls to the main team, both for kyousuke

NucleonZ was the only Falcons Force player to step up to the main team, and both times it was because kyousuke could not travel. Falcons brought him in for the BLAST Bounty playoffs in January when the Russian rifler had visa problems, and he ended up in a final. With him in the lineup, Falcons beat Liquid and Vitality before PARIVISION swept them 3-0 in the final, where the Macedonian went 29-53. In March, visa issues kept kyousuke away again on the first day of BLAST Open Spring 2026 in Rotterdam, and NucleonZ filled in once more.

After the January final, kyxsan, then in the Falcons lineup, said it had been hard for the academy player to understand his job at such short notice, but added: “He has potential and a bright future.”

Fourth place as the high point

On their own, Falcons Force played mostly online C-tier events and open qualifiers, and their two B-tier appearances ended in 23rd to 24th place at CCT Europe Series #2 and ninth to 16th at Thunderpick World Championship European Series #2.

Falcons Force’s best results.
EventPlaceLast series
Parken Challenger Championship #3 (LAN)4th1-2 vs B8
Kaysan x Betya Showdown3rd to 4th8-13 vs G2 Ares
ESEA Season 58 Advanced, Europe1st to 2nd2-0 vs NAVI Jr.
ESEA Season 58 European Finals5th to 8th1-2 vs Y.TigeRES

Fourth place in Copenhagen in April, where B8 knocked them out 2-1, was their best finish at a LAN. Across 14 months, their prize money adds up to just over $7,000.

The end came quickly. On Monday Falcons Force lost 2-0 to megoshort in a CCT Europe play-in, and on Tuesday, hours before the statement, they went out of the European Pro League Series 10 play-in with a 2-1 defeat to MAYBE.

Author

Anders Frost

A lifelong gamer with 21 years on Steam, first introduced to Counter-Strike in 1.6 but truly hooked by CS:GO. Loves the idea of playing AWP - just not quite skilled enough to pull it off. Outside the server, a journalist with 14 years of experience covering both traditional sports and esports.

Read more about me

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