Astralis names NEO head coach of Counter-Strike team

Astralis has appointed Filip “NEO” Kubski as head coach of its Counter-Strike team, replacing Casper “ruggah” Due. The organisation announced the coaching change as it looks to stabilise performance after mixed results this season.

NEO, 39, joins after leaving FaZe in March following nearly three years with that roster. His record includes four tournament wins with FaZe, notably IEM Sydney 2023 and IEM Chengdu 2024, and appearances in Major finals at Copenhagen, Shanghai and Budapest.

Astralis recorded a runner-up finish at PGL Bucharest in April but failed to progress at IEM Cologne Stage 2, finishing with a 1-3 record and losses to 9z, TYLOO and paiN. Casper “ruggah” Due was dismissed by the club in June ahead of the new hire.

The coaching staff will include Urszula “Xirreth” Klimczak as performance coach. Xirreth spent nearly three years with Natus Vincere working across Counter-Strike and VALORANT rosters and previously worked with CLG and ENCE. She was part of NAVI’s support staff during their Copenhagen Major title run.

Astralis chief executive Jonas Gundersen described the appointment as “an investment in the future,” stating the organisation plans to build a consistent performance culture and to prioritise steady improvement over immediate results.

NEO wrote in a statement that Astralis remains a “legendary” brand in Counter-Strike and that working with an international roster presents a challenging and interesting task. He also noted the opportunity to work with Xirreth as a factor in accepting the role.

The current Astralis player roster lists Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen, Love “phzy” Smidebrant, Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard, Victor “Staehr” Staehr and Gytis “ryu” Glušauskas, with NEO joining as coach.

Astralis will make its first appearance with NEO at Stage 1 of BLAST Bounty Season 2 later this month. The online stage features 32 teams competing for eight spots at the LAN finals.