Counter-Strike is a team game. And as in any other team game, every lineup needs to work like a well-drilled and functional organism, with all its organs and muscles performing their respective functions. From the brain and mouth of the team—the in-game leader and the coach—through the explosive fists that are the aggressive riflers, and the legs and stability that the support and anchor players provide—every piece of the team has its role. But what part of that body would suit the AWPer metaphor? For the author of this article, the one handling the most expensive gun—the gun that could change the fate of a game with a single click of the mouse—it’s a couple of them. The AWPer is the lungs that help the team take a breath when suffocated by pressure, the spine and back muscles that help you pull yourself back, and lastly—the heart that pumps fresh blood through the team’s circulatory system.
But what happens when you don’t have someone reliable, someone to simultaneously be the pillar and the X factor of your team? Well, you look abroad.
One of the biggest issues for regions outside of Europe has been creating stable in-game leaders—but even more so, AWPers. Sometimes, regions like North America, Asia, and Australia are the ones giving European snipers the stage and resources to develop their potential more than they ever would in the much more competitive and ferocious European scene, dominated by the breathtaking CIS AWP hegemony—especially below the Tier 1 events.
Going back in time, picking up AWPers from “the Old Continent” has always been a preferred option for NA IGLs. From Oscar “mixwell” Cañellas on OpTiC Gaming (2016–2018), Tsvetelin “CeRq” Dimitrov on NRG & EG (2017–2023), and even Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev himself on Liquid in 2016, the North American region has often relied on EU AWPers to fill the gap and accelerate their development. And with the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 right around the corner, it’s worth looking into the youngest and most exciting European AWPers who will be representing not only their own flags, but also those of North American and South American countries—as well as that of Australia.
Danil “molodoy” Golubenko (FURIA)
Having joined FURIA in what was an ambitious and brave decision to transition to international Counter-Strike from the Brazilian organization, the 20-year-old Kazakh AWPer suddenly got a lot of eyes on him. But for the many who had been fortunate enough to witness the youngster’s first steps in Tier 2 on the European circuit, a move like this—albeit surprising—was still on the horizon, if not now, then sometime in the foreseeable future.
Unlike many of his peers, molodoy didn’t need to spend years fighting his way through the echelons of online CS to get his shot—not because he was lucky, but because he was special. In fact, he made his HLTV debut just around one year ago, on May 12, 2024, as part of the Kazakh lineup of ALLINNERS. But even then, “The FACEIT demon” looked promising. In just seven months, molodoy found himself on DMS, whose lineup got transferred over to AMKAL at the end of the year. Having played 10 events, including qualifiers, and 67 maps with AMKAL in 2025, the Kazakh averaged a 1.26 rating and 1.29 impact—but the stats don’t fully tell the story of what he was doing. For an AWPer who had played merely 148 maps before joining FURIA, molodoy already looked like a complete player: intelligent, able to navigate around his aggressive riflers, supportive yet capable of taking initiative. An AWPer still so young, adaptable, and moldable to the team’s needs.
Alongside molodoy, FURIA signed ex-Liquid and VP player—and experienced rifler—YEKINDAR, to sharpen the team and make molodoy’s introduction even smoother. With a player like YEKINDAR and assistant coach KrizzeN (also Kazakh), the cultural gap could be easier to bridge. And if that wasn’t enough, molodoy has the privilege of being teammates with one of the most intelligent and successful AWPers in the game’s history—Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo. Someone who, despite no longer being the player he once was, holds the experience of tens—no, hundreds—of players within his brain.
Whether an international FURIA will work, only time will tell. But one thing is for sure: after solid performances at both PGL Astana and, especially, IEM Dallas 2025, molodoy keeps convincing everyone that he is a quick study. Finding himself on the big stages just one year after his professional debut is no coincidence.
Iulian “regali” Harjău (FlyQuest)
Unlike molodoy, this 22-year-old has had to endure serious tremors to finally make it to the Major scene—albeit also as a debutant. Regali’s story has always stubbornly piqued my interest. Starting his career in 2020 on the Romanian lineup of GameAgents, regali is one of the few Romanian talents who never went through “The BTN Academy”—in other words, was never part of Nexus. After just one year on GA, the ultra-aggressive AWPer was quickly approached by Fnatic’s academy project—Fnatic Rising—leading the team to three Top 5 finishes at the WePlay Academy League and cementing his reputation as an undeniable talent expected to eventually earn a spot on the main team. And he did, in a way.
One month and just four maps of open qualifiers—an opportunity that, on paper, arrived, but was never truly there for the taking. That “trial” marked the start of a series of dysfunctional stints for the young Romanian. First came Copenhagen Flames, where—while speaking Danish and being the only non-Danish player—regali had to fight through cultural and age differences. Regardless of still looking sharp, he ended up being the first to go when results faltered, after just seven months. Then came OG—the supposed way forward and the opportunity to finally cement himself as a Major player—but it didn’t work out.
OG was different in the longevity of regali’s stay. The AWPer spent nearly eight months and played 19 events on the international lineup, but with changing leadership and lack of consistency, he was once again in a position of good individual form without team success. The same happened with Entropiq—just one month before the organization left Counter-Strike.
But at the end of 2024, something unexpected happened—two sides desperate for change found the answer in each other. FlyQuest, who had just qualified for the Perfect World Shanghai Major and were improving, still weren’t satisfied. They brought in a young, aggressive, mechanically phenomenal AWPer—and that’s exactly what they got.
Regali joined FlyQuest in one of the most unexpected moves of the transfer window—a Romanian AWPer who had played in Romanian, Danish, and European teams now going to an Australian team hosted by an American organization. And the results were almost instant.
Despite the team still adjusting and even parting ways with veteran IGL and captain dexter (replaced by INS, with 21-year-old Corey “nettik” Browne as the new fifth), regali still looked solid. Marking his career-best Big Event performance with a 1.24 rating at IEM Melbourne 2025, regali is finally finding his groove on FlyQuest—a team that allows an above-average aggressive AWPer, who sometimes wants to spearhead the attack, to thrive.
And yet, it would be inaccurate to say regali isn’t making conscious efforts to limit himself for the team’s sake. Whether it’s throwing flashes on the T-side, holding angles while nettik and Vexite run in, or keeping the atmosphere positive with his relentless energy, regali is both the X factor and the clutch player. With his first-ever Major approaching, he’s ready to show the world what he’s got.
Love “phzy” Smidebrant (Wildcard)
When speaking of North American IGLs who have preferred European AWPers and succeeded in making them shine, one name can’t be ignored: Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz. The 31-year-old has his own heroic return story. After seven Majors and a Top 4 at StarLadder Berlin 2019 with EG, stanislaw had to fight his way back. Just as he did with mixwell on OpTiC and CeRq on NRG and EG—he needed a European AWPer.
After a brief and unfruitful five-month stay on Rare Atom in 2023/2024, Swedish AWPer phzy found himself in need of a new opportunity—a team where he could thrive and feel like a star, even while being a team player. Phzy has never been a “me first” AWPer. He finds comfort in clutches and support, meaning he needs assertive riflers he can assist in winning impossible rounds.
To this day, phzy remains one of the most underrated AWPers at the Tier 1.5 level. A swift decision-maker with good utility usage, he’s willing to sacrifice for the team and adapt to whatever identity is needed for a round.
With experience from Young Ninjas, NIP, Sangal, and Rare Atom, phzy is arguably the most complete AWPer on this list—especially with a top-16 finish at the Perfect World Shanghai Major under his belt. Still, he described that performance as a hidden curse, saying it might have caused Wildcard to overestimate themselves.
Even so, with the team reaching Stage 1 of the Major without complications, phzy is looking to prove he can still go toe-to-toe with the best—and perhaps become yet another European AWPer that stanislaw has led to the world’s biggest stages.
Honorable mentions
Though this article focuses on young and aspiring AWPers, players like Håkon “hallzerk” Fjærli are hard to overlook. The 24-year-old Norwegian Complexity star is rumored to miss the Austin Major—a significant blow to CoL’s ambitions. Over the past three years, hallzerk has proven to be one of the lineup’s most reliable and essential players—a true leader and backbone.
Likewise, while perhaps no longer a “young talent,” M80’s “German surgeon” Fritz “slaxz-” Dietrich will attend only his second Major—his first since IEM Rio 2022, when he still played for Sprout. Slaxz- has been central to M80’s dominant North American run in 2025, and his performance will be key if they’re to make an impact at the BLAST Austin Major.
