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Fnatic CS2 Team Review

“Fnatic” is a derivative of “fanatic” for a reason – few esports teams can maintain such a strong performance on the global stage for over 20 years. In 2016, the Fnatic CSGO lineup held a well-deserved number one spot in the world – but even nine years later, the tag remains a formidable force.

The club previously dabbled in other games, creating Fnatic Dota 2 and other rosters – but its focus has always been on Counter-Strike. MelBet Pick’em recalls how Swedish players in a British club became enduring legends of the scene in this article.

Fnatic History

The Fnatic story began with a sold car. That’s the sacrifice the team’s founders, the Matthews family, made to fund their first team’s trip to a tournament. The first discipline would be CS, followed later by WoW, Dota, Rocket League, and others. Today, in 2025, the club has seven active squads (the others, like the Dota 2 squad, are already on hiatus).

Of all the games, it was CS that brought them fame: the team showed excellent results back in the 2000s, competing on equal terms with the world’s top teams. However, the true “golden era” occurred between 2013 and 2015, when the Fnatic CSGO unit was unrivaled – they were the only ones to win three Majors! And although the subsequent story has been more complicated, fnatic CS has forever etched its name among the top teams in the world.

Fnatic Founders

The founder, mastermind, and permanent leader of the club for all 21 years of its existence are the couple Sam “zr0” Mathews and Anne Mathews, originally from Australia. They founded their club in London in 2004, signing a Swedish team to form first Fnatic CSGO roster.

Mathews remains a co-owner and current CEO, with his wife serving as director. The club is owned by the British joint-stock company they founded. The management team also includes a former player, Patrik “cArn” Sättermon from Sweden, who has held the position of CGO for over 13 years.

Fnatic Initial Roster

The team’s start was marked by the signing of the former roster of Swedish club SSV Lehnitz. Thus, the first lineup (in June 2005) consisted of MegatoN, solido, Magix, diGitaL, and XeqtR (as a stand-in). However, in early 2006, Fnatic CSGO roster was completely revamped – and it was this lineup that would bring the London club its first glory:

All the players were from Sweden, and they weren’t newcomers at all – each had years of experience in the professional arena behind them. At the end of 2006, the Fnatic CS lineup won one of the most prestigious global S-tier tournaments of the time, CPL Winter 2006, and also took second place at ESWC 2006 and CPL Summer 2006.

These successes immediately elevated the lineup to the top of the global standings, especially since this result was subsequently cemented – in the following years, team Fnatic would also take first place twice at IEM II (2008) and III (2009) World Championships.

Fnatic Current Roster

Today, Fnatic esports management isn’t afraid of roster changes—in 2025 alone, there were five replacements. As of October 2025, СS2 fnatic roster consists of interesting and diverse players:

As of October 2025, club also loaned Ukrainian player Mykyta “jackasmo” Skiba from the Passion UA ​​team. As can be seen, Fnatic roster has become international (starting in 2021), rather than the previously Swedish-Danish one, and now includes players from various European nations.

The team is clearly built around KRIMZ, who has been playing for Fnatic CS for an incredible 11 years. Johansson’s importance cannot be overstated: he has 20 first-place tournament finishes, and that’s just at the S-tier level! He is surrounded by teammates recruited in the last two years – the experienced blameF (formerly of renowned CS2 teams such as Astralis, Heroic, and CompLexity) and two Ukrainian players, formerly of Passion UA. Since 2025, this squad has been coached by Miks “Independent” Siliņš, a Latvian esports manager who was promoted from assistant to head coach in 2025.

Fnatic Tournament Achievements

It would take more than one page to list all of Fnatic team glorious victories. The club’s most successful years were the mid-2010s, but they continue to show impressive results both before and after. Their greatest achievements throughout their history include:

Today, Fnatic CS2 unit continues to compete, albeit with less impressive results. Their most recent major achievement was bronze at the RES Regional Champions (A-tier) in October 2024, where they earned $25,000 in prize money.

Fnatic Legends

One can argue at length about who is responsible for the CS Fnatic unit’s peak, but one thing is certain: the team is still standing thanks to KRIMZ. An incredibly dedicated player, he has been with fnatic CS since 2014 – he was part of the roster that won three Majors. KRIMZ is quiet and reserved, but so skilled that many fans once accused him of cheating, simply not believing his incredible kills. A five-time HLTV MVP, Johansson continues to maintain the fnatic CS2 team’s top-notch play.

Fnatic Upcoming Tournaments

A high VRS Global rating will automatically qualify the Fnatic CS2 unit for PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, as well as the qualifiers for the world’s premier tournament, the StarLadder Budapest Major, in December 2025. However, given fnatic gaming team’s poor results at the last two Majors (they were eliminated at the Swiss Stage of BLAST.tv Austin 2025), it’s unlikely anything spectacular will happen. For now, it seems the British club is limited to winning European B-Tier tournaments CS2 – which, admittedly, they’re doing quite well.

FAQ

When was Fnatic founded?

The organisation was registered in 2004, but the club had no active roster for the first few months. It only emerged in the summer of 2005, when the first five Swedish players were signed. The Fnatic CSGO team would continue to favor exclusively Swedish gamers for over 15 years.

What is the current Fnatic СS2 roster?

As of October 2025, the Fnatic roster consists of Rodion “fear” Smyk, Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson, Benjamin “blameF” Bremer, and Dmytro “jambo” Semera. The fifth spot remains vacant.

What is Fnatic’s position in the global СS2 ranking?

Fnatic CS2 last entered the world’s top ten in 2023, and currently sits in the top tier of Tier 2. Their current HLTV ranking is 26th (86 points). Valve ranks the British team 21st globally and 16th in Europe, while the ESL World Ranking places Fnatic CS2 only 28th.

Who is the captain of Fnatic?

Since the beginning of 2025, the team has had a new IGL – Rodion “fear” Smyk from Ukraine, who rose through the ranks as a NAVI Junior player. He replaced former Fnatic CS2 captain, the Frenchman Alexandre “bodyy” Pianaro, who left for 3DMAX.

Who is the coach of Fnatic?

Latvian player Miks “Independent” Siliņš has currently held the position of Fnatic coach since 2025. He joined Fnatic CS2 in 2024 as an assistant, and previously worked as a coach for various Latvian Tier 3 teams.

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