BIG parts ways with kyuubii

Jonno Nicholson
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Image of Counter-Strike player Kyuubii competing for BIG at IEM Katowice 2025
Image credit: ESL

Berlin International Gaming (BIG) has announced it has parted ways with Counter-Strike 2 player Can ‘kyuubii‘ Ali following a 12-month stint competing across the organisation’s main and academy rosters.

During his time on the main roster, the 20-year old competed in several Tier 1 events, including IEM Katowice 2025 and PGL Astana 2025.

kyuubii joined the German esports organisation in January 2025 after spending seven months on Fnatic‘s inactive roster. Despite struggling to compete against the world’s best in high-profile tournaments, BIG found success in Tier 2 events, scoring second-place finishes at YaLLa Compass Winter 2025 and MESA Nomadic Masters Spring 2025.

In August, BIG demoted kyuubii to its academy roster, where he continued to compete in Tier 3 tournaments. In November, BIG Academy placed third at DACH CS Masters Season 4 before rounding off the year with a top-four finish at United21 Season 41.

“Thank you guys for making me feel like I was home. Unfortunately, things didn’t go the way we wanted to,” kyuubii wrote on X (Twitter). “We wanted to achieve great things together, but not everything clicked within the roster we had, and I am truly sad about that. This chapter ends here and a new one begins.”

As a result of kyuubii’s departure from BIG Academy, the organisation is looking to finalise its lineup before it begins competing in the first quarter of 2026.

BIG’s CS2 Teams at a Glance

BIG’s main CS2 roster is currently ranked 45th in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS), while its academy roster has yet to break into the top 250. The organisation hasn’t announced a replacement for kyuubii, who is also seeking a new team to represent.

Outside of its main and academy lineups, BIG EQUIPA has cemented itself among the top women’s CS2 rosters in the world. In December 2025, the roster became the final champion of ESL Impact, defeating MIBR Female 2-1 in the Grand Final.

Jonno Nicholson

Writer
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Jonno is a writer for Esports Insider and has been part of the team since 2019. Over the past ten years, he's written for several outlets including Gfinity, GGRecon, and Radio Times. As an avid sim racer, he aims to provide insight on one of the fastest growing sectors in esports.
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