Team Falcons claimed the IEM Cologne 2026 Major trophy following a one-sided Grand Final victory against FURIA. Prior to the final match, the team survived grueling series against NAVI, Vitality, and Spirit. Following the tournament conclusion, we caught up with in-game leader Finn “karrigan” Andersen, who evaluated his turbulent year and the ultimate championship victory.
A career at a crossroads
The 2026 season started with optimism after the Budapest Major but quickly deteriorated for karrigan and his previous FaZe Clan project. Early exits at the BLAST Open Bounty and the Major qualifier forced the veteran to evaluate his future in Counter-Strike.
Losing to BIG in the major qualifier, realizing that is it time for myself to step down? Am I done?” karrigan stated during the interview. “To a few hours later getting a phone call that Falcons wants me. And at that point that’s what I needed. I needed something new. I have given everything I could to FaZe for five years.
Historically low individual rating
Despite securing the trophy in Germany, karrigan openly addressed his statistical struggles throughout the Cologne event. He framed the championship win as an indicator of the roster’s high performance ceiling.
It’s an insane year. Playing my worst CS on top of that and then managed to win with the worst rating ever,” he explained. “I think I make history today individually and we win. So imagine if I get 10 to 15 percent better. That should supposed to be my normal level. So yeah, super proud.”
The ambulance meme and arena support
Leaving FaZe Clan after a five-year tenure brought uncertainty regarding fan reception in the LANXESS arena. However, the in-game leader felt the backing of the crowd throughout the playoff stage.
I wasn’t sure how everyone is going to react to my switch from FaZe to Falcons because FaZe obviously we have built a lot of history in the different arenas, different teams, different players. To get that support in the arena means a lot,” karrigan said.
The audience also continued a community tradition of mimicking an ambulance siren when karrigan secured eliminations.
Individually of course when I kill people and hear ‘wee woo’ it is a little bit funny that a meme that I did to a team that shouted at me became an ambulance,” the in-game leader noted. “Now this is part of my legacy and I just embrace it.
Preparing for future challengers
Team Falcons reached their ultimate goal earlier than anticipated. While the team plans to take a brief vacation, the squad anticipates a strong response from the top-ranked teams they eliminated.
We are ahead of our travel time I would say to find a destination but obviously we have to go now take a break,” karrigan said. “Starting a new season after a tournament like this is always tough. So we have to get back to work. Nothing is granted. There is a Vitality and a Spirit that’s really upset about what we did and NAVI as well. So they’re going to come for us and we need to prepare. But right now I’ll enjoy what we achieved and in a few days I go work again.
You can see the interview with karrigan in the video below.
