Ahead of the start of IEM Cologne Major 2026, FUT coach coolio gave a major interview in which he honestly walked through the team’s path: from leaving NAVI Junior to painful decisions already inside the new project. This is not just a conversation about results, but about how FUT were built as a team.
What sounds strongest here are the direct quotes themselves. Through them, you can clearly see how coolio views coaching, roles within the roster, losing makazze, and the development of young players ahead of the Major in Cologne.
A defining year for FUT
The last year for FUT has not been a story of steady rise, but a series of difficult decisions, roster changes, and constant pressure. That is exactly why this interview is interesting not as a standard tournament preview, but as a look inside one of the most intriguing young rosters on the scene.
coolio speaks very directly: without polished phrasing, without trying to hide mistakes, and without presenting everything as an ideal process. And that is exactly why his assessments sound stronger.
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He could have stayed in NAVI, but chose his own path
After a strong period in NAVI Junior, coolio had the option not to leave for a separate project. He openly admitted that he could have stayed within the NAVI structure, but for himself he saw a different path forward.
For him, it was a choice between a comfortable role inside a strong system and the opportunity to lead a team himself. And he consciously chose the latter.
Yeah, if I wanted, I could have stayed as an analyst or assistant coach, however you call it.
This phrase clearly shows his ambition. coolio did not want to be the person “next to the process” — he wanted to build the team himself, make the decisions himself, and take responsibility for them.
Losing makazze exposed FUT’s main problem
One of the central storylines of the interview is the departure of makazze. coolio does not hide that it was a blow not only to the roster’s firepower, but to the team’s overall structure itself.
After that, FUT had to search not just for a strong fifth player, but for a very specific type of player. And this is where he formulates one of the main ideas of the entire conversation.
We need a guy who don’t feel fear.
This explains why misutaaa ultimately did not become the right solution for FUT. coolio admits that he could give the team value in certain phases of the game, but on the T side the system needed a different profile — a player without fear, ready to go in first and take on risk.
makazze’s success in NAVI did not surprise him
In the interview, coolio also explained why makazze was able to settle into NAVI’s main roster so quickly. In his view, it was not only about the player’s own talent, but also about the fact that he was understood properly there.
In other words, NAVI did not try to break his style — on the contrary, they adapted the system to his strengths.
B1ad3 is really good at understanding him also.
This quote matters for another reason too: there is no bitterness in it at all. coolio calmly acknowledges that if a strong player is read correctly and integrated properly, he will grow to a new level very quickly.
Before Krakow, the team consciously refused to practice
One of the strangest stories at first glance is FUT’s decision before IEM Krakow. After a series of difficult losses, coolio decided that the team did not need more practice, but a pause instead.
By the standard logic of top-tier CS, that sounds risky, but he saw that the roster was mentally overloaded.
We’re not going to practice a single day until Krakow.
coolio explained it simply: the players needed to feel again that they actually enjoy Counter-Strike. This decision shows his style very well — he works not only with tactics, but also with the team’s state of mind.
coolio’s boldest bet is his belief in dziugss
The main quote of the entire interview concerns dziugss. It became the central line in the promotion of the interview and best shows just how highly the coach rates his player’s potential.
It sounds like a very bold prediction, but in the context of the whole conversation it looks completely logical.
In 3 years, or less, dziugss will be one of the 5 best players in the world.
With these words, coolio is essentially making it clear that FUT do not see themselves as a temporary sensation, but as a team that wants to develop top-level players. And in that logic, dziugss is one of the project’s main assets.
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A team with an already formed identity
coolio’s interview turned out strong precisely because of its specificity. He directly explained why he did not stay in NAVI, why FUT struggled so much to survive losing makazze, why one of the replacements did not work, why the team took the risk of going without practice, and why there is so much belief inside the project in dziugss.
In short, this conversation shows FUT as a team with an already formed identity and a very clear vision. And coolio himself comes across as a coach who is not afraid of unpopular decisions or bold predictions.
