Brazilian Counter-Strike could be living a second golden age in CS2. For years, names like FalleN, coldzera, fer and fnx carried the flag. Now, a new wave of teams is turning raw passion into tier-one trophies: FURIA, Legacy, paiN and a revamped MIBR are all proving that Brazil is no longer a “one-team region”, but a stacked ecosystem capable of fighting for titles.
Legacy: from underdogs to CS Asia champions
If there’s a team that perfectly symbolizes this new era, its Legacy. Formed in 2023 when the old 00Nation Brazilian division split off and created its own brand, Legacy entered CS2 as a hungry, modern organization built around young talent like latto, dumau and later on adding n1ssim, lux and saadzin.
With a pretty good BLAST Austin Major run beating teams like Vitality, their crowning moment came in October 2025 at the CS Asia Championship in China. Facing a stacked field that included top-20 international teams, Legacy went all the way and defeated French side 3DMAX 3–2 in a dramatic best-of-five grand final to secure their first international LAN trophy in Counter-Strike.
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It wasn’t just “another” title. It was:
- Legacy’s first big LAN in CS2, proving they could close out a long, pressure-filled series.
- A huge payday and confidence boost, showing that a Brazilian team built around post-coldzera talent can win abroad without the old legends.
- A statement of playstyle: structured defaults, strong trading on T-side, and explosive mid-round calling that punished teams who underestimated them.
Legacy’s rise also changed the internal dynamic of Brazilian CS. For the first time in a while, FURIA wasn’t the only Brazilian banner lifting trophies. That creates rivalry, pushes practice quality higher, and gives Brazilian fans a second (and sometimes third) team to cheer for deep into international events.
FURIA: the panther finally closes out championships
While Legacy was lifting the CS Asia Championship, FURIA was busy writing one of the most iconic comebacks of the CS2 era. At the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 in Malta, FURIA fell 0–2 behind against NAVI in the grand final… and then reversed the series 3–2 to take the trophy.
Scoreline of the finals:
- Mirage: 6–13 (NAVI)
- Inferno: 9–13 (NAVI)
- Nuke: 13–8 (FURIA)
- Dust2: 13–5 (FURIA)
- Train: 13–1 (FURIA)
That reverse sweep was more than a highlight montage, it was the payoff for months of rebuilding. The roster, featuring FalleN, yuurih, KSCERATO and international additions YEKINDAR and molodoy, had already lifted a tier-one trophy at FISSURE Playground 2 earlier in the season and then followed Thunderpick with another huge title run at IEM Chengdu 2025.
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In practical terms, FURIA’s success means:
- Brazil has a stable top-five contender again. They’re not just “dangerous on a good day”; they’re consistently winning tier-one events.
- The team broke the “almost there” curse. For years, FURIA were known for deep runs without lifting trophies. Thunderpick and Chengdu flipped that narrative.
- They’re setting the tactical standard. Their proactive CT sides, aggressive space-taking riflers on YEKINDAR and a very proactive awper on molodoy who’s constantly searching for entries, together with a mixture of very strong fundamentals in their T side defaults combined with a few set pieces to catch teams off guard, everybody is keeping an eye and learning a thing or two from them.
paiN: the ever-present dark horse
If Legacy and FURIA are holding trophies, paiN is the team constantly lurking in the shadows, ready to ruin someone’s bracket.
With a roster of biguzera, nqz, snow, dav1deuS and dgt under long-time coach rikz, paiN has quietly become a model of Brazilian consistency. HLTV currently ranks them around the edge of the top 15 worldwide, and their 2024–2025 results show why: a top-8 finish at the BLAST.tv Austin Major, consistent appearances at IEM events and solid performances across multiple tier-one tournaments.
paiN’s impact on the “Brazilian rise” is less about winning the big trophy and more about infrastructure and identity:
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- They normalize Brazilian success at tier-one events. Making playoffs at a Major or winning elimination matches against top European teams is no longer a shock when paiN is involved.
- They embody the mixed-region model. Including players like dgt from Uruguay, paiN shows that Brazilian orgs are open to LATAM talent, increasing the region’s overall level.
- They are the “proving ground” for future stars. Players who explode on paiN become targets for bigger teams, which ultimately raises Brazilian CS across the board.
MIBR: rebuilding with kl1m and qikert
No story about Brazilian Counter-Strike is complete without MIBR. The brand that once contained coldzera’s era of dominance is now reinventing itself for CS2 with a bold, international-leaning approach. Two names define this rebuild: kl1m and qikert.
- Klimentii “kl1m” Krivosheev is a 20-year-old Russian AWPer currently playing for MIBR. Multiple databases list him as the team’s sniper and a key piece of their CS2 lineup, combining mechanical talent with a fearless, duel-heavy style.
- Aleksei “qikert” Golubev, a Major-winning rifler known from the Virtus.pro core, joined MIBR on loan from PARIVISION in September 2025, as confirmed by both HLTV and the organization’s own announcement.
By bringing in qikert, MIBR follows the same strategic path we’ve seen from FURIA and paiN: mixing Brazilian core pieces with international experience. The idea is simple:
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- Combine Brazilian firepower and passion with
- European mid-round structure and high-tier Major experience.
Even if MIBR hasn’t yet matched FURIA’s trophy haul or Legacy’s historic CS Asia Championship run, their roster direction matters a lot for the region. It shows that Brazilian organizations are no longer afraid to:
- Import proven talent rather than only relying on local reshuffles.
- Invest in young, non-Brazilian stars like kl1m, trusting that the fanbase will embrace them if the team plays good CS.
- Think long-term, building a lineup that can grow into a stable top-10 threat instead of chasing quick fixes.
Why this Brazilian rise matters for CS2
Put all of this together, Legacy’s CS Asia trophy, FURIA’s Thunderpick and Chengdu titles, paiN’s constant deep runs, MIBR’s ambitious rebuild and you get more than just a happy storyline for one region. You get structural change in CS2:
- Tournament diversity: Organizers are no longer forced to invite “the one Brazilian team” to get viewership; there are several elite options.
- Practice and scrim quality: When elite Brazilian teams scrim each other at home, everyone improves faster.
- Talent pipeline: Academy systems and mixed-region rosters open doors for Brazilian, LATAM, and even CIS players to grow inside Brazilian orgs.
Most importantly, for fans, it feels like the magic of the old days is back.. but in a modern form. Instead of one legendary lineup carrying all the hope, Brazil now has a generation of teams:
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- FURIA, finally converting big stages into trophies.
- Legacy, proving that “new orgs” can win tier-one events.
- paiN, the ever-dangerous dark horse.
- MIBR, rebuilding with kl1m and qikert to chase the top again.
Brazilian Counter-Strike is experiencing a renaissance. The CS2 era is giving both veterans and young stars a platform to shine, while organizations and infrastructure push the region toward new heights. With iconic fan support, a thriving competitive ecosystem, and a renewed burning desire to reclaim the throne, Brazil is not just rising,but could be preparing for a new golden era.
