NiKo wins first Major after 11 years competing

Nikola “NiKo” Kovač won his first Major title after Falcons defeated FURIA 3-0 in the tournament grand final. Falcons reached the decider after beating several of the world’s top-ranked teams en route to the match.

NiKo delivered strong performances across all three maps and finished the final with a tournament-high 1.43 rating. He lifted the trophy alongside his teammates after the straight-sets result.

NiKo reflected on his approach to the event: “For some reason, I was very confident for this Major from the beginning to the end.” He said the confidence came with a sense of trust among teammates during the tournament.

He pointed to lessons from earlier final defeats and a changed approach to pressure. “A lot of these losses were lessons… I could just feel the team all the time and I could feel the trust that they had in me and I had in them,” he added.

On handling past defeats, NiKo explained he shifted focus away from losing and toward practical solutions: “I just decided not to care about losing. I constantly focused on winning, on the solutions, on how I can be there for the team no matter if I play good or bad. Just happy I could get over this edge because it has been haunting me for a long time. I’m just having huge relief right now.”

He described the title as a personal milestone after competing for 11 years and playing for 20. “I dedicated almost my whole life to this… It definitely feels like a huge milestone achieved, but I truly hope this is just the beginning,” he added.

Before this victory, NiKo had appeared in multiple Major finals without winning. The 3-0 final result ended that run of near-misses.