Fnatic benches KRIMZ as Ukrainian core takes shape

Fnatic has benched longtime rifler Freddy ‘KRIMZ’ Johansson after the team failed to qualify for the IEM Cologne Major. He remains under contract but will not play in the active lineup.

The change follows a drop in results in 2026. Fnatic began the year near the top-30 but fell to 80th in the Valve Regional Standings as of June 5 and did not reach the Cologne Major.

The organisation has been adding Ukrainian players since late 2025. Nikita ‘jackasmo’ Skyba joined at the end of 2025, Rodion ‘fEAR’ Smyk and Dmytro ‘jambo’ Semera arrived from Passion UA, and Viktor ‘Br4tkO’ Kondratets was added in March. Fnatic did not give public reasons for KRIMZ’s removal or name a direct replacement.

KRIMZ’s active tenure with fnatic lasted 3,511 days, the longest current tenure with a single organisation and the second-longest overall, 28 days shorter than Håvard ‘rain’ Nygaard’s tenure with FaZe. Including an earlier 2014–2016 stint, his total time at fnatic amounts to 4,288 days.

During his time at fnatic, KRIMZ won 22 notable events, including back-to-back Major titles at ESL One Katowice and ESL One Cologne in 2015, and he earned Most Valuable Player honors at five events.

On X, KRIMZ thanked fnatic and wrote: “A massive thank you to Fnatic for believing in me, supporting my growth, and making my childhood dream a reality. Going from watching my idols as a kid to actually sharing the jersey with them is more than I ever could have imagined. For the past 12 years, you’ve been my home, my family, and my life.”

Fnatic’s listed active roster now includes Rodion ‘fEAR’ Smyk, Dmytro ‘jambo’ Semera, Nikita ‘jackasmo’ Skyba and Viktor ‘Br4tkO’ Kondratets, with Miks ‘Independent’ Siliņš as coach. The organisation moved away from an all-Swedish lineup in 2021, and KRIMZ had been the last active member of the Major-winning era until his benching.