Astralis appoint NEO as new head coach, Xirreth as performance coach
AstralisAstralis officially announces the hiring of NEO as their new head coach, alongside Xirreth as a performance coach, following a challenging season.
Astralis has made a significant change in their coaching staff, appointing the renowned Polish figure Filip "NEO" Kubski as their new head coach. This decision comes on the heels of last month’s dismissal of Casper "ruggah" Due.
NEO, who has been without a coaching role since March after parting ways with FaZe, brings a wealth of experience to Astralis. During his tenure with FaZe, he collected four major trophies, notably the IEM Sydney 2023 and IEM Chengdu 2024 titles, and led the team to several Major finals in Copenhagen, Shanghai, and Budapest.
Taking the helm of Astralis, NEO faces the challenge of revitalizing a squad that has seen dwindling performance since their runner-up finish at PGL Bucharest in April. The team concluded their previous season with a disappointing exit from the IEM Cologne Stage 2, finishing with a 1-3 record against 9z, TYLOO, and paiN.
In regard to his new position, NEO expressed enthusiasm about joining Astralis, stating, “Astralis has been on top of the Counter-Strike game for a long time, and the brand is still legendary. Going international hasn’t made the task in front of this group easy, and that’s exactly what makes it interesting, especially after the promising results they’ve already shown.”
Joining NEO in the coaching staff is Urszula "Xirreth" Klimczak, who assumes the role of performance coach. Xirreth has extensive experience, having spent nearly three years with Natus Vincere, working with their CSGO and VALORANT teams, as well as previous stints at CLG and ENCE.
Astralis CEO Jonas Gundersen emphasized the strategic significance of this move, stating, "This is an investment in the future. It comes down to a core philosophy: Winning in the long run requires a deeply rooted culture that runs through the entire organization. With these two bringing both the past and the present of what it takes to build that culture, I believe we can, over time, build one of the healthiest and most stable performance cultures out there."
Astralis is scheduled to make their debut under NEO’s leadership later this month in Stage 1 of BLAST Bounty Season 2, where they will compete amongst 32 teams for a spot in the LAN finals.