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Finn “karrigan” Andersen is reportedly set to leave FaZe and join Falcons ahead of the IEM Cologne Major, according to French insider Sebastien “KRL” Perez. The report has been corroborated by HLTV’s own sources, with the move expected to go through after Falcons wrap up their run at IEM Rio.

The Danish veteran is expected to replace current Falcons in-game leader Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski, ending a tenure that stretched over a year and a half. If the move goes ahead as reported, it would mark Falcons’ first roster change since the team brought in Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin back in June 2025.

FaZe’s Major Drought Forced karrigan’s Hand

The timing of this move is no coincidence. Just over a week ago, FaZe failed to qualify for the IEM Cologne Major after a string of poor results at tier-one events. The international roster fell short in both DraculaN Season 6 and HLC Belgrade PRO, leaving them just outside the ranking cutoff needed to secure a spot at the Major.

Speaking after FaZe’s elimination from PGL Bucharest, karrigan was candid about the situation. He acknowledged the results were far below what he accepts as a leader and revealed he had already told FaZe he was willing to step down if it meant getting the organisation back on track. At the time, there was no public indication he had another destination lined up, let alone a team of Falcons’ calibre.

Falcons Looking For A Leadership Upgrade

For all the firepower on Falcons’ roster, trophies have been hard to come by. Since the kyousuke signing, the team’s best results have been runner-up finishes at ESL Pro League Season 22, BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 2, and BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1. That is a lot of deep runs without a title for a squad featuring m0NESY and NiKo, and the community has been vocal about the need for a leadership change to unlock the roster’s potential.

karrigan fits that bill better than almost anyone in the scene. His track record of elevating star-studded rosters is well documented, and bringing him in to captain a team with this much individual talent is exactly the kind of move Falcons needed to make if they want to convert those runner-up finishes into championships.

Reuniting With NiKo And zonic

The move would see karrigan reunite with Nikola “NiKo” Kovač for the first time in over seven years. The pair famously played together on FaZe during 2017 and 2018, a period that included multiple tournament wins and a grand final appearance at the ELEAGUE Boston Major. karrigan would also be working alongside coach Danny “zonic” Sørensen again, having previously been part of the Astralis lineup together in 2016.

What It Means For Both Rosters

Falcons still have IEM Rio to play before any change is expected to take effect. After that, the team has PGL Astana and the CS Asia Championships scheduled for May, giving karrigan time to settle in ahead of the Cologne Major.

With this change, the projected Falcons lineup would be:

  • Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
  • René “TeSeS” Madsen
  • Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov
  • Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin
  • Finn “karrigan” Andersen
  • Danny “zonic” Sørensen (coach)

On the FaZe side, the situation looks bleak. Missing the Major for the first time since the organisation entered Counter-Strike over a decade ago was already a crisis, and losing karrigan only deepens it. FaZe have just over two weeks to assemble a starting five before BLAST Rivals 2026 Season 1 kicks off on April 29, and finding a replacement for a player of karrigan’s experience and leadership will be no small task.