Nikola “NiKo” Kovač is finally a Major champion. Falcons beat FURIA in the CS2 Major grand final to end one of the most talked-about trophy droughts in Counter-Strike history.
The Bosnian rifler had been chasing the title for roughly 12 years and 17 Major appearances. He came close more than once, but the trophy always slipped away. Not this time.
For most of his career, NiKo wore the unofficial crown of “best player to never win a Major.” With double-digit HLTV Top 20 finishes and titles like IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne already on his shelf, the Major was the only big gap left on his résumé. That gap is now closed.
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Falcons didn’t get an easy bracket. Their playoff run took them through several of the world’s strongest teams, including Team Spirit, Vitality, and Na’Vi, before they reached FURIA in the final.
Going in as the fourth-ranked team in the world, they reportedly knocked out the #1, #2, #3, and #5 squads on their way to the title. Many fans felt the semifinals and quarterfinals were more dramatic than the final itself, with the Vitality and Spirit series stealing the spotlight.
By the time Falcons hit the grand final stage, the heaviest lifting was already done. FURIA, who had taken an easier path through their side of the bracket, struggled to match the level Falcons had been playing at all event.
The Boston 2018 callback
The win carried massive emotional weight thanks to one teammate in particular: Finn “karrigan” Andersen.
Eight years ago, NiKo and karrigan were on the FaZe Clan superteam that lost the ELEAGUE Boston 2018 Major final to Cloud9. The deciding map was Inferno, and the loss became one of the most replayed heartbreaks in CS history.
This time, on Inferno once again, the result flipped. The full-circle moment was hard to miss, especially with Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer, another member of that 2018 FaZe lineup, handling the trophy presentation.
NiKo’s near-misses didn’t stop in Boston either. In 2021, he reached the PGL Stockholm Major final with G2 only to lose 2-0 to a peak Na’Vi led by s1mple, a series remembered for his infamous missed Deagle shot on Nuke. All of that is now in the rearview mirror.
Heartbreak for FURIA and FalleN
For FURIA, the loss stung. A win would have given Brazilian icon Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo a fairytale third Major late in his career, and Brazilian Counter-Strike its biggest moment in years.
Falcons, the Saudi-backed organization that built its CS roster around NiKo and karrigan, now has the trophy that the project was designed to win. The “best player to never win a Major” debate moves on without NiKo’s name attached.
