2025 has not been a successful year for the Team Liquid CS roster. Crushing losses have accentuated months of disappointing performances, and they do not seem able to recover.
However, Team Liquid has finally managed to qualify for a Counter-Strike LAN. Their performance in the BLAST Bounty Fall Closed Qualifier has landed them a Playoffs slot, where they will play on LAN at the BLAST Arena Studios. Signs of life may be emerging, but the roster is far from proper recovery.
What went wrong with the Team Liquid CS roster?
Team Liquid has not experienced Counter-Strike success for a long time. Their last tournament win was technically in a qualifier, and they haven’t placed higher than 3rd-5th since November 2024.
This is a stark contrast to teams at the top of the VRS (Valve Regional Standings) in 2025. Team Vitality, for example, has cemented itself as a consistent favourite on Counter-Strike betting sites thanks to numerous title wins.
More recently, the Team Liquid CS roster suffered a humiliating defeat to an academy team.
In response to their 1-2 defeat to Virtus.pro Academy, players expressed the need to re-evaluate their playstyle and approach to competition.
In an interview with Pley.gg, the Team Liquid coach, Viktor ‘flashie’ Tamás Bea admitted that he could see that the roster was suffering from “a lack of system and a lack of fundamentals.”
Why is BLAST Bounty not an assured sign of recovery?
Some might interpret the Team Liquid CS roster’s qualification for the BLAST Bounty Fall Playoffs as a sign that they are on the mend. However, it is an unreliable measure for recovery.
The BLAST Bounty format is incredibly unique. Lower-ranked teams select higher-ranked opponents to claim their “bounty.” Defeating high VRS teams increases the amount of money the low-ranked teams can claim.
Teams qualify for the LAN Playoffs via the Closed Qualifier. This qualifier only has two single-elimination rounds. Therefore, Team Liquid only had to defeat two teams to make the Playoffs.
These two teams were BIG and FURIA. BIG has also seen little significant success in the 2025 season so far, and is a team that Team Liquid should easily defeat on paper.
FURIA, however, is a more impressive win for the Team Liquid CS roster.
Across the 2025 season, FURIA has contributed to some high-profile eliminations. In fact, the Brazilian team sent home both Team Falcons and G2 during IEM Cologne’s Group Stage.
Nevertheless, one hard-earned best-of-three victory is not enough to demonstrate full recovery.
Team Liquid is in the BLAST Bounty Fall LAN Playoffs with Team Vitality, MOUZ, Team Spirit, The MongolZ, Aurora Gaming, Virtus.pro, and Astralis.
Demonstrating that their win over FURIA wasn’t a fluke will be an uphill battle.
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.
