Ahead of IEM Cologne 2026, top teams are interesting not only because of their form, map pool, and playoff chances. Behind every roster there are also very different personal stories — from strange childhood episodes and failed tests to health issues, family bans, and decisions that could have completely changed a career.
This time, the focus is on PARIVISION, FURIA, and Falcons. One section per team, but inside each one there are several details that make it possible to look at these rosters not as a set of nicknames in the bracket, but as very different people heading into a major tournament.
An example of three very different teams
These kinds of facts work especially well before a major event. While everyone is talking about seeding, chances, and form, details like these give teams more human depth and make the tournament itself feel a bit more alive.
This is especially noticeable in the case of three completely different teams. PARIVISION have a lot of bizarre and harsh stories, FURIA have many very human details about the players’ paths, and Falcons feel like an almost ready-made series about great talent, principles, and strange career twists.
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PARIVISION: a newspaper side job, a failed test, and eye problems
PARIVISION may have the most contrasting set of facts. For example, Jame worked part-time as a newspaper delivery boy in childhood — and that fits amusingly with his current image as an extremely composed and calm captain. Then there is xiELO’s story, which has long felt like a full scene from an esports comedy: when he was 15, he had a trial with Virtus.pro, but when dastan asked him to name the capital of the United States, he answered “New York.” VP did not take him after that.
At the other end are much harsher details. BELCHONOKK underwent laser retinal coagulation in both eyes a month before the Major, and zweih received a “warm” wish from Jame on FACEIT back in 2024: “Good luck with your career, dude ran out through the smoke.” Add to that the fact that nota has never been on a date, and you probably get one of the most colorful teams in this selection.
FURIA: Gagarin, rejecting top teams, and the path through a computer club
With FURIA, the selection sounds much warmer and more human. yuurih was named after Yuri Gagarin, and KSCERATO turned down FaZe, Liquid, MOUZ, and other teams several times, which once again underlines how long he remained loyal to his current project. Against the backdrop of constant transfer rumors, that kind of stubbornness looks especially telling.
There are also very personal details. FalleN is color-blind, and molodoy’s story sounds like a separate plotline about the path into esports: his parents forbade him from playing on a computer, but the owner of a local club, Adil, helped him by letting the future player play there for free. Against that background, even the everyday detail about YEKINDAR, whose favorite dish is herring with cottage cheese from Latvian cuisine, is perceived as a light and almost cozy touch to the team.
Falcons: m0NESY’s path, NiKo’s principles, and karrigan’s master’s degree
The facts around Falcons are also very different, but together they create a strong image of a star roster. The easiest thing to remember is m0NESY’s timeline: he started playing CS at 5, reached Global at 10, got to 2000 ELO at 12, entered an academy at 14, and joined a pro team at just 16. It is almost a perfect “wonderkid legend,” just without the fiction.
Alongside that, NiKo’s story stands out well: back in 2014, he was already rejecting offers from top teams because he wanted to elevate a Serbian roster. TeSeS says that the best way to get over a tough loss is to drink a beer, and in 2015 karrigan completed a master’s degree at Copenhagen Business School in business administration and auditing. Separately, the fact about kyousuke is especially telling: he had already agreed with Spirit on a move to the main roster, but at the last moment he was effectively snatched away by m0NESY.
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IEM Cologne 2026
Ahead of IEM Cologne 2026, PARIVISION, FURIA, and Falcons enter the tournament not only with different form, but also with very different human backgrounds. For some, it is a path through a strange failed test; for others, through bans at home and a free computer club; and for others still, through an early genius start and principled decisions at the beginning of a career.
And that is the main value of facts like these. They do not change the balance of power in Cologne, but they are a very good reminder that behind every top team there are not just roles, statistics, and nicknames, but real, different, and often very unexpected stories.
