Brazilian organisation Imperial Esports has officially unveiled its brand-new European Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) academy roster in partnership with long-time sponsor Gamdom. The move marks another major step in Imperial’s global expansion and a clear signal that the org wants to nurture the next generation of CS2 talent.

We are proud to announce the Gamdom Imperial EU Academy 🇪🇺💚

Young talents ready to represent and build the future of Counter-Strike:

🇷🇺 @Aliotcs – Nikita Kovalev, 20y (Russia)
🇺🇦 @ta9zqq – Maksym Hrytsai, 16y (Ukraine)
🇺🇦 @oNESTLYOFF – Artem Kobziev, 17y (Ukraine)
🇩🇰… pic.twitter.com/xshFyYx7xC

— Gamdom Imperial (@imperialesports) August 26, 2025

The new squad, named the Gamdom Imperial Academy, brings together some of Europe’s most promising young players:

• Nikita “Aliot” Kovalev, 20 (Russia)
• Maksym “ta9zqq” Hrytsai, 16 (Ukraine)
• Artem “oNESTLY” Kobziev, 17 (Ukraine)
• Tristan “sh1Fu” Jensen, 16 (Denmark)
• Frederik “Kragh” Kragh, 18 (Denmark)

The academy will be led by Head Coach Hyskeee alongside Assistant Coach Bubble, two experienced figures tasked with building structure and discipline around the squad’s raw potential.

Imperial described the project as “more than just a team” in their announcement, calling it an investment in the future of esports. The vision is to blend Imperial’s established culture and winning mentality with Europe’s rising stars, creating an environment where young players can grow, learn, and eventually compete at the highest levels.

This is Imperial’s third active CS2 roster, joining their main team, which continues to compete in Tier 1 events, and their female squad, Imperial Fe, which made history earlier this year by becoming the first women’s team to qualify for IEM Katowice.

Image Credit: ESL FaceIt Group

Expanding into Europe

The launch of the Gamdom Imperial Academy is also a key move in strengthening the organisation’s international presence. Imperial has long been one of Brazil’s most recognisable names in CS, but 2025 has been all about branching out. Earlier this year, they replaced PaiN Gaming at BLAST Open London and also picked up silverware at Circuito FERJEE 2025 after defeating Legacy 2-0 in the finals.

Currently, Imperial sits 43rd in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS), just outside the top 32 needed to qualify for the StarLadder Budapest Major in November. While the main roster is chasing Tier 1 success, the academy roster is designed to provide a pipeline of talent that can keep Imperial competitive for years to come.

Imperial now joins the likes of BIG and The MongolZ, who have also invested in academy rosters to give aspiring players a platform on the CS2 stage. For fans, this means even more eyes will be on the European tier-two scene as new names fight to break through.

With Gamdom backing the project and a lineup filled with hungry youngsters, the Gamdom Imperial Academy looks set to play an exciting role in shaping the future of Counter-Strike esports.

The post Gamdom Imperial Launches European CS2 Academy Roster appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

French esports organisation Gentle Mates has officially entered the world of Counter-Strike 2, signing the rising Spanish roster Iberian Soul.

Bienvenue à notre premier roster CS2 #M8WIN

🇪🇸 @MartiinezSa
🇪🇸 @dav1gCS
🇪🇸 @AlejandroMopoz
🇪🇸 @sausolCSGO
🇪🇸 @alexitownzz

Coachs :
🇪🇸 @deLongeMVP
🇪🇸 @repk3ys pic.twitter.com/UuaDebbqGl

— Gentle Mates (@gentlemates) August 25, 2025

It’s a major addition for Gentle Mates, who first started out in VALORANT back in 2023 under the name SBG before rebranding. Founded by French esports and content icons Corentin “Gotaga” Houssein, Kevin “Brawks” Georges, and Lucas “Squeezie” Hauchard, the organisation already fields squads in League of Legends, Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and Fortnite. Now, CS2 is joining that list.

Iberian Soul Find Their Organisation

For Iberian Soul, this signing brings an end to a long search. The team had been without an organisation since January after parting ways with KOI, but they’ve stayed active and competitive in Europe’s tier-two scene over the past eight months.

The roster is made up of:

• Alejandro “alex” Masanet
• Alejandro “mopoz” Fernández-Quejo Cano
• Pere “sausol” Solsona Saumell
• David “dav1g” Granado Bermudo
• Antonio “MartinezSa” Martinez
• Eloy “deLonge” Suárez (Coach)
• Angel “repk3ys” Navarro (Assistant Coach)

Despite not having backing, they’ve had an impressive year. The team lifted trophies at epicLAN 45 (where Owen “smooya” Butterfield stood in), the OMEN Roman Imperium Cup I, Exort The Proving Grounds Season 2, and Galaxy Battle 2025 Phase 3. Those results pushed them up to 29th in the global VRS rankings and 20th in Europe as of August, with more chances to climb in September’s update.

They also have upcoming LAN appearances at DraculaN Season 1 in Bucharest and StarLadder StarSeries Fall in Budapest, both of which could put them even closer to a Major qualification spot.

MartinezSa, who reunited with his former Movistar Riders teammates earlier this year, has been a key piece of the puzzle. He described joining Gentle Mates as a “very happy moment,” while mopoz said that representing the organisation as a full Spanish lineup “fills us with joy.”

What’s Next

The Gentle Mates CS2 debut will be streamed live on Squeezie’s official Twitch channel this week. From there, all eyes will be on Budapest, where StarLadder StarSeries Fall could define whether Iberian Soul make the jump into Tier 1.

The roster already has a proven pedigree. Alex, dav1g, and mopoz were part of Movistar Riders’ breakthrough, winning ESL Challenger Valencia and reaching the semi-finals of IEM Cologne 2022. MartinezSa also has top-tier experience after helping his team reach the top four at IEM Dallas 2024.

With Gentle Mates’ backing and their track record, Iberian Soul might just be one of the strongest contenders to break through from Tier 2 to Tier 1 CS.

The post Gentle Mates Enter Counter-Strike 2 With Iberian Soul Roster appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The BLAST Open London is getting a last-minute shake-up after Brazilian side paiN Gaming were ruled ineligible to compete, but not without a storm of debate over whether the rule should’ve even applied.

BLAST announced that Imperial Esports will replace paiN for the event, which kicks off online on August 27. The decision comes down to Valve’s tournament rule 3.2.5(c), which blocks teams from playing in a tournament if they’ve previously declined an invitation to that same event.

According to BLAST, paiN initially turned down a direct invite to the South American Closed Qualifier for BLAST Open Season 2. That move made them ineligible for the Open itself, with Legacy now taking their direct invite and Imperial moving into the “Rising SA” slot.

paiN Gaming has been removed from participation in the BLAST Premier Open Season 2. This decision follows Valve’s official tournament rule 3.2.5(c), which states that teams who have previously declined an invitation to the same tournament are not eligible to compete.

paiN…

— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) August 12, 2025

The updated team list now includes Imperial alongside heavyweights like Vitality, FaZe, G2, and FURIA.

The controversy

While the rule sounds straightforward, some fans and community figures are questioning whether it should’ve been enforced at all. Graham “messioso” Pitt took to X (formerly Twitter) claiming the event “doesn’t even use a version of the TOR where that rule exists.”

Your event doesn’t even use a version of the TOR where that rule exists.

That rule was added on March 25th 2025. Since all tournaments use the TOR version based off the additional information deadline which for Tier 1 events is 10 months prior to your event, it’s impossible to… https://t.co/LR2uXhhzN8

— Graham Pitt (@messioso) August 12, 2025

He explained that the rule was only added on March 25 this year, but for Tier 1 tournaments like BLAST Open London, the rule set is locked in based on the “additional information deadline”, in this case, 10 months before the event. That means, according to him, it’s “impossible” for the new rule to apply.

The comments section quickly filled with frustration and cynicism. One fan said they appreciated Pitt “bringing light to all the shady stuff TOs do” but doubted anything would change, adding that Valve “sure as hell isn’t going to do” anything about it. Another noted that BLAST “didn’t respect a specific rule that didn’t exist in a former version” of the tournament regulations, calling the situation messy.

What’s next

For now, Imperial will prepare to compete in London while paiN sit this one out. Whether this incident pushes tournament organisers to revisit how and when rules are applied remains to be seen, but the conversation around transparency and consistency in esports is far from over.

The post paiN Gaming Removed From BLAST Open London Over “Wrong” Rule appeared first on Shane the Gamer.