Gentle Mates has withdrawn from Counter-Strike. HLTV reports that the French organisation is no longer backing the Spanish roster it acquired in 2025, and that the players have returned to the Iberian Soul tag they competed under before the takeover.
The change is already in effect. HLTV says the team is playing under the Iberian Soul name at the Esports World Cup open qualifier, a LAN event, in an attempt to reach the tournament proper.
A tier-two run that stalled
Under the Gentle Mates banner the squad pursued a place at IEM Cologne through the tier-two circuit and climbed the VRS ranking early in the season. HLTV reports that it fell short after a spell of inactivity was followed by poor results at the events leading into the Major.
Its strongest results in that period were a win at IstanbuLAN and second-place finishes at Radio Popular Roman Imperium Cup II, Roman Imperium Cup V and LORGAR RANKINGS Season 1. The team also reached the top four at Perfect World CS Challenge Series 2, StarLadder StarSeries Fall and Roman Imperium Cup III. At the larger events it attended — PGL Astana, IEM Rio, ESL Pro League and PGL Bucharest — it went out in the group stage.
The line-up going into the qualifier
The roster has shifted since the off-season. Antonio "MartinezSa" Martinez left for HEROIC, Joey "CRUC1AL" Steusel is playing as a stand-in, and Daniel "djL" Narancic is working with the team as a coach. Former captain Eloy "deLonge" Suarez recently announced that he had become a free agent.
HLTV lists the team currently competing as Iberian Soul as:
- Alejandro "alex" Masanet
- Alejandro "mopoz" Fernandez-Quejo Cano
- Pere "sausol" Solsona Saumell
- David "dav1g" Granado Bermudo
- Joey "CRUC1AL" Steusel
HLTV does not say whether Gentle Mates intends to return to Counter-Strike at a later date, or whether the roster has secured backing beyond the qualifier.
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