Liquid CS2: From Grand Slam Champions to Today

What Is Team Liquid and Its CS2 Vision

Founded in 2000 in the Netherlands as a StarCraft II clan, the organization built its esports identity long before it ever touched Counter-Strike, expanding into Dota 2, League of Legends, and several other titles along the way. Its Counter-Strike division didn’t arrive until January 2015, when the organization acquired a North American roster and entered the scene that would eventually define its public reputation more than any of its other games.

Team Liquid CS2 today is the continuation of that original ambition: build a North American team capable of competing with Europe’s best on a consistent basis, not just in isolated runs. That goal hasn’t changed since 2015, even as the roster around it has been rebuilt several times over. The roster has changed several times since then, and recent rebuilds suggest the organization is no longer willing to wait years for results.

Team Liquid CS Journey

The team Liquid CSGO story really begins with the lineup that became the standard for North American Counter-Strike: NAF, EliGE, Twistzz, nitr0, and adreN. That core reached the grand final of ESL One Cologne 2016, becoming the first North American team to play in a CS:GO Major final, and went on to dominate the 2019 season with the Intel Grand Slam Season 2, winning across four tournaments in a record 63 days.

The transition into CS2 brought a rougher stretch. By December 2023, the roster had fully turned over to NAF, EliGE, Twistzz, ultimate, and jks, with cadiaN brought in briefly as IGL before being benched in mid-2024. EliGE left for FaZe Clan in September 2024, only to return exactly a year later in a swap that sent Twistzz the other direction – a trade that closed a loop on two of the franchise’s longest-tenured players crossing paths again.

Liquid CS2 underwent another rebuild in 2025, when NertZ joined in January and siuhy arrived from MOUZ in April, first on trial before signing permanently in June. flashie took over as head coach in July, completing a roster that the organization hoped would finally stabilize things after years of shuffling pieces in and out.

Team Liquid CS2 Roster 2026

The most recent shake-up came in March 2026, when Liquid traded NertZ to G2 Esports in exchange for Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa, an entry fragger who’d struggled to find consistent form at G2 following the departures of NiKo and m0NESY. The swap pushed Liquid back toward an Americas-based roster, a move the organization framed as a return to its regional identity.

The Team Liquid CS2 roster 2026 now stands as:

NAF remains the longest-serving player on the roster, having joined back in 2018, and his consistency has carried the team through several rebuilds since. The EliGE team Liquid story now spans multiple chapters of the organization’s history, including his return from FaZe in September 2025 – and anyone curious about the specifics behind his aim can find a full breakdown in his ELiGE settings page, which covers the sensitivity and crosshair setup he’s carried across three different rosters. siuhy has held the IGL role since mid-2025, while ultimate provides the AWP presence the roster has built around since 2024. malbsMd is the newest addition, brought in specifically to address the entry-fragging gap NertZ left behind, though his early results have drawn mixed reactions from the team’s own captain.

Today’s team Liquid CS roster reflects an organization still searching for the right balance between individual firepower and tactical cohesion, a search that has defined most of its CS2 era so far.

Team Liquid CS2 Results and Rankings

By HLTV’s count, Liquid CS currently sits at 25th in the world rankings, a number that captures a team treading water rather than building momentum. The malbsMd trade hasn’t yet translated into the results the organization was hoping for: Liquid exited IEM Atlanta 2026 in the group stage after consecutive losses to Astralis and GamerLegion, a result that prompted siuhy to publicly describe the roster’s situation as “a very tough moment.”

Players and staff have repeatedly pointed to the difference between scrim results and official matches as one of the team’s biggest issues in 2026. siuhy has noted that scrims often look promising heading into events, but that composure tends to slip once matches move to the official stage.

Historically, CS2 Liquid has been judged against a much higher bar: 19 first-place finishes across roughly 175 tournaments, a runner-up finish at the BLAST Premier World Final 2022, and the Intel Grand Slam title that still defines the organization’s peak. 

FAQ

What is Team Liquid’s current CS2 roster? NAF, EliGE, siuhy, ultimate, and malbsMd, with flashie as head coach.

When did Team Liquid enter Counter-Strike? The organization’s CS division began in January 2015, after Team Liquid acquired a North American roster.

What is Team Liquid’s biggest CS2 achievement? Their 2019 Intel Grand Slam Season 2 title remains the franchise’s signature achievement, won across four tournaments in 63 days.

What is Team Liquid’s current world ranking? As of mid-2026, Team Liquid sits 25th in the HLTV world rankings.

Who is Team Liquid’s in-game leader? Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek has served as IGL since signing permanently in June 2025.