FalleN on the IEM Cologne Major 2026 final: “It’s certainly sad, but at the same time, I’m happy for NiKo.”
FURIA’s CS2 captain Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo shared his thoughts in an interview at the IEM Cologne Major 2026 following the team’s loss in the championship grand final, congratulated Nikola “NiKo” Kovac on winning the long-awaited trophy, and spoke about the atmosphere at the tournament.
On his feelings after the loss in the final
Our opponents deserve credit for winning this match; they played very well today. The match turned out to be incredibly tough. Looking back on it without going into too much detail, I can say there were many crucial moments where we were missing that one little detail.
On NiKo
It’s certainly sad, but at the same time, I’m happy for NiKo. It’s just like when Messi won the World Cup. He’s incredibly good at CS, and this is the trophy he wanted most of all. He managed to win it in such a spectacular way—what more is there to say? They beat everyone they possibly could to win, so they deserve it. I sincerely congratulate Team Falcons. I’m sorry we didn’t manage to win, but I’m happy for NiKo and the rest of the guys no matter what.
On the tournament atmosphere
Playing here was simply amazing. A huge number of fans came from Brazil and all over the rest of the world to watch us play. It feels incredible—completely different from anywhere else. The emotions are different, and the pressure is completely different, too. Even if I play for another twenty years, stepping onto this stage in front of a crowd like this will always feel unique. We’re still living our dream. Even despite today’s loss, we’ve won just as much. We managed to bring our club back to the top by securing this second-place finish, which was no easy feat. A bright future lies ahead; we’re playing excellent CS, and it’s very likely that together we’ll win many more trophies. A huge thank you to everyone for your support!
In the grand final of the IEM Cologne Major 2026, FURIA lost to Team Falcons in a best-of-5 series. On the first map, Mirage, Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo’s team lost 8–13, after which Anubis and Inferno both ended in favor of the “Falcons” with identical scores. As a result, the Brazilian club finished in 2nd place and earned $170,000 in prize money.
