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Team Falcons

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Team Falcons
Short nameFalcons
Divisions
Founded2017
Based inSaudi Arabia
CEOMosaad Al-Dossary[1]
Partners
Websitewww.falcons.sa

Team Falcons (formerly Falcons Esports[3]) is a Saudi esports organization. Founded in 2017, the organization fields rosters in multiple esports. The org has garnered a reputation for pursuing high-profile players and coaches, being able to successfully construct "superteams" in the process.

History

[edit]

Team Falcons was co-founded in 2017 by Mossad "Msdossary" Al-Dossary, the winner of the 2018 FIFA eWorld Cup.[4] Msdossary also serves as the CEO of Team Falcons.[1] In August 2022, Grant Rousseau joined Falcons, serving as their Global Director of Esports.[4] Rousseau has stated that Msdossary's goal when founding Falcons was to develop "an esports world for gamers in MENA".[4] Indeed, being a Saudi organization, the team plays in MENA, EMEA, and Asian regions.[5][6][7][8] Since its founding, a lot of Falcons' branding work has been focused on achieving popularity in MENA and Europe, in a similar fashion to the American FaZe Clan.[4] The organization's financial backers have not been formally announced, though Nicholas Taifalos of Dot Esports wrote that "it is believed [the org has] connections with the Saudi royal family".[9]

In July 2022, Gamers8 (a tournament organized by the Saudi Esports Federation), announced that Team Falcons would have their own dedicated spaces at an event in Riyadh.[1] These two spaces were Falcons Arena and Falcons District; the former featured gaming tournaments, meet-and-greet events, and a live cooking show.[1] The latter space featured merchandise, a museum showcasing the team's accomplishments, a gaming PC center, the "Learn to be a PRO" academy, and a streaming area.[1] "Gamers8: The Land of Heroes", another esports festival was held in 2023 at Boulevard Riyadh City.[10] The festival included an attraction dubbed "Falcons HQ", where visitors could play against gaming influencers.[10]

Falcons has been documented targeting high-profile players and coaches who have considerable past success in professional esports, in hopes of signing them.[11] The org has been successful in their courting of these players and coaches, developing a reputation of forming what what esports media writers have referred to as "superteams" in various different esports.[8][9][12] Some players, however, have turned down joining Falcons,[13] with Canadian Counter-Strike player "Twistzz" even stating "obviously, if I wanted the bag and I didn't care about my career, then I would go to Falcons. But I do care about my career. I have morals and it's not about the money."[14] In 2023 and 2024, the organization made a push to form rosters across multiple esports. Taifalos wrote that "Many gaming fans and pundits have likened Falcons' push into esports to 'sportswashing'."[9]

Divisions

[edit]

Team Falcons fields rosters in Apex Legends,[15] Counter-Strike 2,[16] Dota 2,[17] FIFA / EA Sports FC,[6] Overwatch,[8] PUBG,[18] Rocket League,[18] Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege,[5] and Valorant.[19] They have also previously competed in Call of Duty competitions.[20]

In mid-2023, Falcons was aiming to make a deal with Astralis, an org looking to sell its slot in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC). However, talks broke down after Riot Games (League's publisher) did not sanction the purchase; the slot eventually went to Karmine Corp.[18][21]

In May 2024, Falcons announced a partnership with AP Bren, an esports team competing in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournaments.[22] Their partnership was made ahead of the season 13 playoffs of MPL Philippines.[23]

Apex Legends

[edit]

In May 2024, Falcons entered the competitive Apex Legends scene, signing Phillip "ImperialHal" Dosen, Noyan "Genburten" Ozkose, and Rhys "Zer0" Perry.[15] Due to the trio's dominance in professional Apex with their previous teams (TSM for Hal and DarkZero for the latter two), esports media writers considered their joining under Falcons to be a "superteam".[9][15] ALGS Year 4 Split 2's Pro League marked the first competitive campaign for the trio.[24] They won the North American Pro League and later won the silver medal at the 2024 Esports World Cup.[25][26]

Despite entering the ALGS Year 4 Split 2 Playoffs LAN tournament as favorites, the team finished in 20th-place.[27] The disappointing result led to a roster change as Genburten departed from the team, being replaced by Wxltzy.[28] Draugr was also signed as the team's head coach.[28]

Call of Duty

[edit]
Main article: Vegas Falcons

In August 2024, Falcons acquired the Vegas Legion franchise spot in the Call of Duty League from C0ntact Gaming.[29] The team will compete as the Vegas Falcons starting in the 2025 season, utilizing the same roster fielded by Falcons at the 2024 Esports World Cup.[29]

Counter-Strike 2

[edit]

Team Falcons fields a Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) roster.[4] In October 2023, the team signed coach Danny "zonic" Sørensen.[30] zonic previously led Astralis to four Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) major championships, before winning a fifth title with Team Vitality.[4] zonic's signing was considered a surprise as Falcons ranked 55th in the world at the time.[4] Later in October, Falcons signed Emil "Magisk" Reif, who was previously coached by zonic on Astralis and Vitality.[31] Falcons also signed Marco "Snappi" Pfeiffer from Ence.[32] Media reports about Nikola "NiKo" Kovač agreeing to join Falcons were issued,[33] though he denied a transfer to the team from G2 Esports.[13] Instead, Falcons' CS2 roster was ultimately rounded out with the signings of Alvaro "SunPayus" Garcia and Pavle "Maden" Bošković, also from Ence.[32]

In February 2024, Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev joined Falcons on a one-month loan from Natus Vincere.[34] While he was loaned to Falcons specifically to compete in at the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown 2024 tournament, the team was upset by Metizport and eliminated in the first round.[35] The team also failed to qualify for the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.[16] Also in March, they signed Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen to the roster.[16][36]

In April, the team suffered another upset by RUBY in the first round of the European Open Qualifier for the Esports World Cup 2024 tournament.[37] The loss meant that Falcons would not represent its sponsor region in the tournament.[37]

In September, after being eliminated in last place at the BLAST Premier Fall Final, Falcons would sign s1mple for a second loan, this time lasting until the end of 2024 and including the Shanghai Major Europe RMRs.[38]

Roster

[edit]
Team Falcons Counter-Strike 2 roster
Players Coaches
Handle Name Nationality
Magisk Reif, Emil Denmark
s1mple Kostyljev, Oleksandr Ukraine
SunPayus (I) García, Álvaro Spain
dupreeh (I) Rasmussen, Peter Denmark
Snappi (I) Pfeiffer, Marco Denmark
Maden (I) Bošković, Pavle Montenegro
Head coach

Danny "zonic" Sørensen

Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: 27 September 2024.

Dota 2

[edit]

In November 2023, Falcons entered the competitive Dota 2 scene with their signings of Oliver "skiter" Lepko, Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf, Andreas "Cr1t-" Nielsen, Wu "Sneyking" Jingjun, and Stanislav "Malr1ne" Potorak.[39][40] The team won the BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024 tournament in February, with ATF being award MVP honors.[41] In March, the team had a dominant victory in the DreamLeague Season 22 tournament, winning the $300,000 grand prize after a 3–0 sweep over BetBoom Team in the finals.[42]

Overwatch

[edit]

Falcons won the Season 2 tournament of the Overwatch Contenders' European division in July 2021.[3] In February 2024, Falcons constructed a roster for the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS). It was made up of South Korean Overwatch veterans and included some former Overwatch League champions.[8]

Rocket League

[edit]

In March 2021, Falcons Esports acquired Sleeping, a Saudi Rocket League team. The roster consisted of players "Venom", "Ali", "trk511", and "faisal", with "Mr3zo" as their manager.[citation needed] They placed second in the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) 2021–22 Spring Split Major, losing the final series in seven rounds to Moist Esports.[citation needed] In December 2023, they signed twins "Rw9" and "Kiileerrz" from Rule One.[citation needed]

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

[edit]

The Saudi org fields a roster in Rainbow Six Siege (R6). The team qualified for the Six Invitational 2024, though were eliminated in the tournament by Team Liquid.[43][44] In February 2024, Falcons signed Hashem "Hashom" Al Jafri.[45]

Valorant

[edit]

In 2022, Falcons won the inaugural Valorant MENA League, which was held in Riyadh and organized as a partnership between the Saudi Esports Federation and Valorant's developer, Riot Games.[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Gamers8 unveils dedicated space for Saudi's Team Falcons". Arab News. 13 August 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Falcons Esport". Retrieved 30 May 2024 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ a b Lyons, Ben (21 July 2021). "Falcons Esport has won Overwatch Contenders EU Season 2 July". Gamereactor. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Mira, Luís (3 October 2023). "How Falcons pulled off a major coup with zonic and Lars Robl signings". Dexerto. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  5. ^ a b "R6 Esports | Team Falcons". ubisoft.com. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Team Falcons". Electronic Arts. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b Sebastian, Kevin (19 July 2022). "Team Falcons win the inaugural VALORANT Regional League MENA esports tournament". PC Mag. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Lyons, Ben (12 February 2024). "Team Falcons announces Overwatch Champions Series super team". Gamereactor. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d Taifalos, Nicholas (28 May 2024). "Apex legends ImperialHal, Genburten, and Zer0 join forces on Saudi-backed superteam". Dot Esports. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Gamers get the chance to compete against Team Falcons' influencers at Gamers8: The Land of Heroes". Arab News. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  11. ^ Biazzi, Leonardo (6 October 2023). "CS2 streamer claims Saudi organization is targeting NiKo, m0NESY, and Twistzz for 2024". Dot Esports. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  12. ^ Mclaughlin, Declan (6 November 2023). "NiKo reportedly joining Falcons as CS2 super team takes shape". Dexerto. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  13. ^ a b Mclaughlin, Declan (13 November 2023). "NiKo declines Falcons transfer to stay with G2: "I'm not leaving"". Dexerto. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  14. ^ Biazzi, Leonardo (22 November 2023). "Twistzz turned down CS2 interest from Falcons: 'I have morals'". Dot Esports. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Bull, Tom (28 May 2024). "Team Falcons enter Apex Legends esports signing "super team"". esports.gg. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  16. ^ a b c Robertson, Scott (18 March 2024). "Team Falcons has reportedly signed another Astralis legend to its CS2 roster". Dot Esports. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  17. ^ Taifalos, Nicholas (26 May 2024). "Falcons goes back-to-back with frosty DreamLeague Season 23 victory on new Dota patch". Dot Esports. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  18. ^ a b c Esguerra, Tyler (7 July 2023). "Astralis reportedly looking to sell LEC slot with major ERL org in talks as replacement". Dot Esports. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Team Falcons: Valorant Team Profile". VLR.gg. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  20. ^ Patraw, Zack (29 March 2023). "Aw0babobs Continue Early Dominance in Call of Duty League Challengers". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  21. ^ Ciocchetti, Cecilia (18 October 2023). "Karmine Corp officially joins LEC for 2024 season". Dot Esports. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  22. ^ Coloma, AC (20 May 2024). "MLBB: AP Bren partners with Team Falcons; Onic PH to collab with FNATIC". ABS-CBN. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  23. ^ Lojo, Michelle (20 May 2024). "AP Bren partners with Saudi Arabia's Team Falcons". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  24. ^ Bull, Tom (1 June 2024). "Team Falcons "super team" make super start to ALGS Pro League". esports.gg. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  25. ^ Bull, Tom (30 August 2024). "Team Falcons Zer0 "I've never lost a Split 2, so if I lose it with Hal..."". esports.gg. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  26. ^ "Apex Legends". Esports World Cup. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  27. ^ Vincent, Hadley (1 September 2024). "ALGS 2024 Split 2 Playoffs: All scores and standings". Dot Esports. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  28. ^ a b Bull, Tom (24 September 2024). "Team Falcons officially sign Wxltzy ahead of ALGS Champs". esports.gg. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  29. ^ a b Pryor, Matthew "MJP" (21 August 2024). "Vegas Falcons are official as Team Falcons secure a CDL spot". esports.gg. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  30. ^ Cooke, Hunter (3 October 2023). "Saudi esports organization splashes money for zonic to coach CS2 team in 2024". Dot Esports. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  31. ^ Mclaughlin, Declan (27 October 2023). "Falcons CS2 super team set to start with Magisk signing". Dexerto. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  32. ^ a b Cooke, Hunter (17 December 2024). "Falcons complete CS2 roster with Sunpayus, Magisk, and Maden". Dot Esports. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  33. ^ Robertson, Scott (2 November 2023). "CS2 superstar NiKo reportedly leaving G2 to join Vitality veterans on Falcons". Dot Esports. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  34. ^ Robertson, Scott (19 February 2024). "S1mple returns to competitive Counter-Strike, to debut in CS2 with Falcons on one-month loan". Dot Esports. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  35. ^ Miter, Mateusz (7 March 2024). "S1mple's CS2 debut goes horribly wrong as Falcons lose to underdog". Dot Esports. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  36. ^ Taifalos, Nicholas (26 March 2024). "Collect them all: Falcons bolster CS2 roster with yet another ex-Astralis legend". Dot Esports. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  37. ^ a b Williams, Kenneth (18 April 2024). "Falcons blunders Esports World Cup quals to a team you've never heard of". esports.gg. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  38. ^ LucasAM (27 September 2024). "Official: s1mple joins Falcons on loan". HLTV.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  39. ^ Taifalos, Nicholas (11 November 2023). "Falcons make grand Dota 2 entrance with ATF, ex-Tundra duo as season draws near". Dot Esports. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  40. ^ Lozano, Kurt (11 November 2023). "Team Falcons enter Dota 2 with star-studded roster featuring skiter, ATF, Cr1t". Yahoo! News Singapore. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  41. ^ Oliveros, Marco Espinoza (16 February 2024). "Team Falcons are your BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024 champions". esports.gg. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  42. ^ Lozano, Kurt (10 March 2024). "Dota 2: Team Falcons win their second-straight championship this year at DreamLeague Season 22 with 3-0 sweep over BetBoom Team". Yahoo! News Singapore. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  43. ^ Via, David (1 November 2023). "Team Falcons and Geekay Esports qualify for Six Invitational 2024". siege.gg. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  44. ^ Via, David (20 February 2024). "Team Falcons eliminated from Six Invitational 2024". siege.gg. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  45. ^ Via, David (27 February 2024). "Team Falcons signs former Geekay Esports player Hashom". siege.gg. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
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