NiKo has not lost faith in the current Falcons roster and hopes that it will be at the Major in Cologne where the team can finally break its unpleasant “curse of second places.” The Bosnian says directly that this lineup is capable of big things, but to achieve that, it must overcome the main psychological barrier — losing in finals.
Falcons still believe in themselves
For NiKo, this topic has long stopped being just about one unsuccessful match. When a team goes deep again and again but stumbles on the very last step, it gradually turns into a separate kind of pressure — on the players and on the whole project. That is exactly why his words now sound not like another standard comment, but like an attempt to state publicly: Falcons still believe in their ceiling and are not going to break because of a string of second places.
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NiKo speaks directly about Falcons’ main challenge
In his comment, NiKo does not hide behind abstract wording. He openly admits that the key problem for Falcons right now is not a lack of potential, but the ability to survive and overcome losses in finals.
And this is probably the most important part of the whole statement. Because when a team leader openly names the main barrier, it means the problem is not being ignored inside the lineup and is not being masked with nice words about the “working process.”
He believes in the current roster
Despite all the pressure, NiKo separately emphasizes that he believes in this roster. In his view, it is with this current five-man lineup that Falcons can achieve very serious results.
This is an important signal both outwardly and inside the team. Especially against the backdrop of constant talk about who should be replaced, who is not good enough, and who is supposedly slowing the project’s development. From NiKo’s words, something else is clear: he is not writing off this lineup and is not presenting the current stage as a dead end.
Cologne looks like the perfect place to break this storyline
In this context, the Major in Cologne looks almost like a symbolic point. If you are going to break the narrative of always finishing second, then it makes sense to do it on the biggest stage, where any victory instantly changes the whole tone of the conversation around the team.
For Falcons, this is a chance not just to win a big tournament, but to completely rewrite the way people look at them. Because one thing is being a strong roster that “almost can,” and quite another is actually getting through the final barrier at the biggest event.
There is both belief and fatigue in NiKo’s words
NiKo’s quote sounds fairly calm, but you can clearly feel the accumulated weight of previous failures in it. The phrase about how sometimes hard work alone is not enough captures that state very well.
So this is no longer only about mechanics, map pool, or the form of individual players. It is more about that moment when a team does everything right, but for the next step it needs something more — character, a cold head in the key moment, or simply one tournament where you finally do not break in the last match.
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IEM Cologne Major 2026
NiKo is approaching IEM Cologne Major 2026 with a clear idea: Falcons have a roster that can win major titles, but to do that they must get through the most painful barrier — losses in finals.
And if Falcons really want to get rid of the label of a team that constantly stops one step short of the trophy, then Cologne looks like the perfect place to finally close this story.
