Berlin International Gaming | BIG

I want to share some thoughts about my weekend in Belgrade! Our BIG EQUIPA team has been awarded Women’s Team of the Year at the HLTV.org #Awards, and our In-Game leader, Mayline-Joy “ASTRA” Champliaud, was named Women’s Player of the Year (2025). 🏆🏆 I’m genuinely proud, not only because HLTV.org is the biggest stage for recognition in one of the most prestigious esport titles, but because there are years of work behind this that people don’t always see: the daily routine, tough decisions, setbacks, getting back up, and continuing to push. What matters even more to me: #BIG has been part of #ESLImpact since Season #1. We stayed in, we kept building, and we ended up winning the final season #8 in Stockholm. Our women's team has become the best team in the world. And I'm happy that the CS community, and especially HLTV.org, recognised their exceptional performance. The BIG EQUIPA players who formed the Women’s Team of the Year: 🇵🇱 Hania “Hanka” Pudlis (Team Captain) 🇵🇱 Wiktoria “vicu” Janicka 🇫🇷 Mayline-Joy “ASTRA” Champliaud (IGL) 🇸🇪 Emma “Emmsan” Mattsson 🇺🇦 Alexandra “kyossa” Tykhonska Huge respect to the players and everyone working behind the scenes, and thank you to our partners for enabling this journey. Now, ESL Impact has ended, and a number of top organisations have stepped away from the women’s scene. That’s simply the reality the women's scene is in. Despite that, our decision is clear: We plan to stay for now, and I want to encourage others to enter again and contribute to this important part of our industry. Not because it’s “easy”, but because we believe women’s esports needs committed support, especially right now. Our current commitment only works if partners and tournament organisers continue to back it, and if more organisations are willing to take responsibility. So I want to put this out there: To other clubs: If you’re considering building (or returning to) a women’s CS2 project, I’d genuinely love to see more of you make that step. The talent is real, the level is real; what’s needed now is long-term belief, not just headlines. To tournament operators: If you’re working on women’s CS2 formats for 2026 and beyond, or even just exploring what could be sustainable, please reach out. We’re open to collaborating on solutions that make competitive and business sense. But today, it’s important to recognise what this moment is: a big day for #BIGEQUIPA, and a signal that this scene deserves a real place in Counter-Strike or as Hanja "Hanka" Pudlis pointed it out: "Right now, the future of the women’s scene is really unknown, but this means we deserve to be here, too" Mayline-Joy “ASTRA” Champliaud, Women's Player Of the Year, added: "And even though 2026 is uncertain, we want to keep fighting and we want to be represented." I couldn't find better words. #WomenInEsports #CounterStrike #GOBIG #CS2 #Esports BLAST ESL FACEIT Group - EFG PGL #gaming #esport #HLTVAwards #sponsorship #sportbusiness

If we want a strong and sustainable esports ecosystem in the DACH region, we have to invest in talent, not only in today’s stars, but in the next generation! 🏆 With BIG #SELECTA, we have built a programme that does precisely that for Fortnite, which has become a central game for #BIG. Together with Philips #OneBlade, we invested so much time into this year’s scouting cycle. From the first runs on the Body Royale map at gamescom, to online competition, to a full evaluation bootcamp and 1v1s at the BIG HQ in #Berlin. This was a fun activation for the community, but it was also a serious, months-long casting process. At the end of this journey, we are now welcoming Diego “Kr4t4y” Scheiben as our new #SELECTA talent. He brings consistent results, strong mechanics and, most importantly, the mindset we are looking for. Over the following months, he will receive close support from our Fortnite team and the entire BIG organisation, and who knows, maybe this is the start of his full-time professional career. Our Head of Fortnite, Christian “Fray” Hennig, summed it up correctly when he said that Diego “understands the game on a very high level and shows impressive progress every year”. That’s exactly the type of player we want to build around. Huge thanks to Philips #OneBlade for sharing this mission with us, and to OMG FUSE for their extremely professional work behind the scenes. And of course to Roman Reinhardt and Christian “Fray” Hennig for leading the Fortnite and talent side at #BIGFortnite. I’m genuinely grateful that Philips OneBlade shares this long-term view on youth development with us. This is where you see the real value of a partnership: when both sides are willing to invest time, budget and energy into developing tomorrow’s esport talent! 💪 Thanks to everyone involved! Tomke Weber, Ariadna Helena, Damla Saricoban, Daniela Löhr, Yvonne Lukas, Imke Pichl, Lennart Braatz, Alexander Körner, Dennis Lind (Hallthorr), Aleksandar Kovacevic, Jonas Stry, Richard Kettner, Haakon Gropp, Finn Luca Wettern, Dominic Hirsch, Justin Kekesi and many more for the energy you brought into this project. 😇 I am looking forward to 2026! 🤩 #GOBIG Berlin International Gaming | BIG #esports #talentdevelopment #DACH #PhilipsOneBlade #BodyRoyale #BIG #Academy #sport

Yesterday, our women's CS2 team, #BIGEQUIPA, wrote esport history & is now the official World Champion. 🏆 With a total prize pool of $223k, winning #ESLImpact Season 8 title is an exceptional achievement for our female division, and seeing them lift the trophy in front of our fans is a moment I won’t forget. It was anything but an easy run: after a loss in our opening match against Sakura, the team fought their way back through the lower bracket, eliminating FlyQuest & LHC before winning the playoff series against Ninjas in Pyjamas Impact & MIBR.fe in the grand final. With this title, FURIA and BIG, are now the only clubs worldwide that have held the #1 spot in both male and female CS rankings since 2020. The following BIG EQUIPA roster earned their spot as world champions, with hard work, dedication & their immense ambition to win: 🇫🇷 Mayline-Joy "ASTRA" Champliaud 🇵🇱 Wiktoria "vicu" Janicka 🇵🇱 Hania "Hanka" Pudlis (Team Captain) 🇺🇦 Alexandra "kyossa" Tykhonska 🇸🇪 Emma "Emmsan" Mattsson They showed consistency, mental strength and exceptional team play throughout an intense season & a high-pressure #LAN environment in #Stockholm. As an organisation, we could not be prouder. A special acknowledgement goes to our team manager, Dominic Hirsch, who has looked after the team tirelessly in recent weeks & ensured that everything around the players ran smoothly. His work behind the scenes has been a key factor. The same applies to Roman Reinhardt, who built this lineup together with captain Hanka and believed in its potential from day one. But without our partners, all this wouldn’t have been possible. Therefore, I would also like to sincerely thank Backforce, BWI GmbH, Acer, SkinBaron GmbH, Logitech G, MERKUR GROUP, and LevlUp for their support of our CS2 division. I want to highlight the significant support from our partners Four 20 Pharma GmbH, Tino Haack, Alexander Flocke, and Torsten Greif, who played a key role in enabling the Roaring Bears fan trip to Stockholm and in cheering for BIG EQUIPA on site. In addition, my sincere thanks go to GreenMedical, Sebastian Aab, and Robin Grund, whose contributions were instrumental in making this fan trip a reality. 💪 With their contribution, our fans created a fantastic atmosphere from the first to the last round & pushed the team in crucial situations. Moments like these show how closely players, staff, partners & community are connected at BIG.  Last but not least, a big thank you to the wider BIG staff and everyone involved in this success: Leon, Richard, Max, Roman, Christian, Finn Luca, Marc Hesse & Andreas. Marc Staperfeld, as BIG partner & major shareholder, travelled together with Marvin Rohmann from maze GmbH | Esport Factory to stand behind the team on site. In the end, this trophy is the result of a BIG team effort. That is what makes me most proud. Thanks to everyone who has been part of our journey to win the world championship. 🏆 #GOBIG ESL FACEIT Group - EFG

Their words say it best. After the announcement from ESL FACEIT Group - EFG regarding the #ESLImpact program, we published a short piece with our women #BIGEQUIPA players, who are a very important part of #BIG and the whole esport ecosystem. Last month, EFG announced it would end the ESL Impact circuit after Season 8. ESL Impact lifted the women’s scene since 2022, but the decision leaves a gap that the community clearly wants to keep filled. Across teams, players, and fans, the signal is consistent: women’s CS must continue, and we’ll help make sure it does. On a sporting note, we’ve qualified for the final #ESLImpact playoffs at the end of November with a clean 5:0 group stage. We’re proud of the #BIGEQUIPA legacy and look also forward to meet NIP Group in #Stockholm. BIG EQUIPA has competed in every Impact season. And we’ll keep pushing to be part of a sustainable women’s esports ecosystem. Our BIG EQUIPA lineup for 🇸🇪 Stockholm: 🇫🇷 Mayline-Joy “ASTRA” Champliaud 🇵🇱 Wiktoria “vicu” Janicka 🇵🇱 Hanna “Hanka” Pudlis 🇺🇦 Alexandra “kyossa” Tykhonska 🇸🇪 Emma “Emmsan” Mattsson Thank you to every partner who stands with the women’s scene. And soon we'll have some cool news to share about our trip to Stockholm!!! We’re already in touch with tournament operators who want to support female esports next year. If you care about this space and women's esports, reach out. #GOBIG Just tagging TO's for awareness. #CS2 #Sports #WomensEsports BLAST StarLadder PGL Berlin International Gaming | BIG