FURIA’s bold move to go international has delivered big time, as they stormed into the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 playoffs with a perfect 3-0 record in Stage 3, held from June 12 to June 15. The Brazilian squad, now featuring Latvian star Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis and Kazakh sniper Danil "molodoy" Golubenko, crushed The MongolZ, Aurora, and Virtus.pro to secure their first Major playoff spot since IEM Rio 2022. With standout performances from molodoy, YEKINDAR, and veteran Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo, who switched from AWP to rifle, FURIA’s aggressive, high-octane style has proven unstoppable. 

Stage 3 dominance

FURIA’s Stage 3 run was flawless, earning them a top-8 spot with three commanding wins:

• vs. The MongolZ (June 12, 13-11): A tight Bo1 on Anubis saw YEKINDAR’s 24 kills edge out Asia’s best.
• vs. Aurora (June 12, 13-7): FURIA dismantled Aurora on Dust2, with molodoy’s AWP racking up 22 kills.
• vs. Virtus.pro (June 13, 2-0): In a Bo3 playoff decider, FURIA crushed VP 13-3 on Mirage and 13-5 on Train, leaving VP just 8 rounds total.

Every player was on point, but the two new players – molodoy and YEKINDAR – were the stars. Molodoy took over the AWP role from FalleN and is doing a fantastic job. He’s aggressive, confident, and finds impact kills consistently. Meanwhile, YEKINDAR looks like his old self again, full of energy and smart plays.

The international gamble

FURIA’s roster overhaul in April 2025, adding YEKINDAR and molodoy while benching Marcelo "chelo" Cespedes and Felipe "skullz" Medeiros, was a risky shift from their Brazilian core. Critics doubted YEKINDAR, written off after a quiet 2024 with Liquid, and molodoy, a rookie from AMKAL with no Tier-1 experience under IGL FalleN, the gamble paid off:

• YEKINDAR’s revival: The Latvian entry fragger returned to form, posting a 6.9 rating at Austin Major. His aggressive style fits FURIA’s chaos and he finally looked comfortable.
• Molodoy’s AWP: The 19-year-old Kazakh sniper, with a 7.0 rating, dominates on Dust2. Unlike a support AWPer, molodoy hunts kills, justifying FalleN’s switch to rifle.
• FalleN’s rifle role: At 34, FalleN dropped the AWP for molodoy but remains solid as a rifler, with a 5.9 rating.

Core players Yuri "yuurih" Boian (6.8 rating) and Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato (6.3 rating) provide stability. YEKINDAR credited the “immaculate vibe” to this balanced lineup. The international mix – Brazil, Latvia, Kazakhstan – has clicked, proving FURIA’s vision.

Map pool strengths

They don’t have a deep map pool, but they have some strong maps where they dominate. Right now, FURIA might be the best team in the world on Train. Their win rate on Train is 85.7% – they’ve won 6 out of 7 games. They’re also strong on Dust2 and Anubis, with 4 wins on each. Their only weak spot is Mirage, where they’ve struggled with just 2 wins in 7 matches.

Beyond the Major: 2025 results

This Major is FURIA’s first playoff appearance since IEM Rio 2022, over two and a half years ago. It’s a big step forward. But this isn’t their only strong result recently – they also made the top four at PGL Astana 2025. While IEM Dallas wasn’t great (9–12th), that can be explained by travel issues after the Astana event. Once they got to bootcamp and had time to prepare, everything started to click.

Their only loss at this Major came in Stage 2 against paiN in a close Best of 1 on Dust2 – a map they could’ve won. Still, FURIA bounced back strong. This roster might stay the same for now. They look solid. FalleN switching to rifle seems to work well – he’s not dragging the team down. In fact, he’s shooting better than expected.

Conclusion

FURIA has already proven that their roster gamble worked, but the job isn’t done yet. Heading into the playoffs, they look sharp, confident, and dangerous. With key players in top form and their map pool clicking, FURIA could be a real problem for any team they face. Don’t be surprised if they go even deeper into the tournament.