Falcons change captain ahead of IEM Cologne Major: kyxsan benched, karrigan already joins lineup

Team Falcons have made a major roster change in their Counter-Strike 2 squad shortly before the IEM Cologne Major. The Saudi organization announced that Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski had been moved to the bench, and soon after officially confirmed the signing of former FaZe Clan captain Finn “karrigan” Andersen.

Initially, Falcons’ announcement about parting ways with the Macedonian player was accompanied by an error from the club’s social media team, as the post included an incorrect date. However, the organization quickly corrected the mistake. Kyxsan later commented on his removal from the active roster, saying the decision came as a surprise, especially so close to a major tournament in Cologne.

According to Stoilkovski, he regrets that the Falcons project was unable to fully realize its potential, even though the team had real chances to win several trophies in 2025. Despite that, the player described his time with the club as valuable experience and thanked his teammates and coaching staff for their work together.

Kyxsan had served as Team Falcons’ in-game leader since January 2025. During that period, the team managed to win only one tier-1 tournament - PGL Bucharest 2025. Following the latest changes, rumors have emerged that he may continue his career with FaZe Clan, where he could replace karrigan, who was moved to the bench on April 20.

Almost immediately after the news of kyxsan’s departure, Falcons announced the signing of karrigan himself. The 36-year-old Dane played for FaZe Clan from 2021 to 2026, and had previously represented the organization from 2016 to 2018. Over the course of his career, he helped the team win the PGL Major Antwerp, IEM Cologne 2022, and several other major tournaments.

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Updated Team Falcons CS2 lineup:

• Finn “karrigan” Andersen

• Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov

• Nikola “NiKo” Kovač

• Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin

• René “TeSeS” Madsen

• Danny “zonic” Sørensen (coach)

The club has not yet specified when exactly karrigan will make his debut for Falcons. Most likely, his first appearance will come in May at PGL Astana 2026.