karrigan and molodoy shared their thoughts ahead of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 grand final

karrigan: It’s funny—we have two guys who’ve played in Major finals before and are looking to avenge their losses, and then there are two young guys for whom this will be their first time. And, of course, there’s me—I’ve been in this situation, let’s say, a couple of times in my career. We’re in good spirits, and everyone’s fired up to win. We know that FURIA is an excellent team, so we’re fully prepared for the match. From the very beginning of my time with the Falcons, I didn’t set out to play perfect CS; I needed to find a way to win. Yes, sometimes that requires flawless play, and sometimes victory comes from the chaos we create on the server. <…> Throughout the entire championship, we’ve faced the strongest teams, and today will be no exception. Final matches are always a fifty-fifty proposition, so it doesn’t matter how we played yesterday or any other day before that—the only thing that matters is what we do today. I need my guys to stop overthinking things—to stop worrying about future rounds or maps—and instead stay in the moment, keep their emotions in check, and trust their teammates. I’m ready; I’m sure our opponent is also taking this seriously, and I hope the fans will enjoy this battle.

molodoy: A lot of people say I’m still too young, but personally, I don’t think so. Maybe making it to the Major Grand Final really is crazy, since I’ve only been competing on the Tier 1 scene for a year. Did I expect this to happen when I joined FURIA? Probably not, but I definitely believed it was possible because it’s my dream. To win today, we need to play our game and give it our all. It’s time to fight—what else is there to say?