Gaimin Gladiators bench Counter-Strike trio after Major changes

Gaimin Gladiators has benched the remainder of its Counter-Strike roster following a strategic review of the program. The club moved Gabriel “NEKIZ” Schenato, Henrique “HEN1” Teles and Luca “Luken” Nadotti to the bench, citing recent changes to the Major ecosystem and revenue structure.

The decision came after the team finished the Cologne Major with a 0-3 record and a 23.5 percent round win rate. The squad also qualified as the oldest team at the event. Under Valve’s revised revenue model for Majors, the team that places last receives about 0.72 percent of sticker revenue and overall sticker payouts have been reduced compared with previous events. Gaimin Gladiators referenced those adjustments when explaining the roster review.

The organization confirmed the current roster moves and recent departures. Gabriel “NEKIZ” Schenato, Henrique “HEN1” Teles and Luca “Luken” Nadotti were moved to the bench. Fernando “fer” Alvarenga, who had been a stand-in after a prior contract termination, was released to free agency. Head coach João “horvy” Horvath and player Jhonatan “JOTA” Willian were also released, and João “felps” Vasconcellos left the team earlier when his contract was terminated.

Gaimin Gladiators framed the actions as part of a longer-term plan for its Counter-Strike 2 program. The club wrote that it is “committed to building a competitive and sustainable future” and that it is considering “next steps” for the lineup and finances. No timeline was provided for rehiring or permanent roster changes, and the benched players remain under contract unless otherwise reported.

No immediate replacement roster was announced and the organization has not scheduled a public update on the CS program.

Previously, we reported that Cache will return to Active Duty map pool, replacing Overpass, after the Premier season ends.