BIG have claimed victory in NODWIN Clutch Series 5 after beating ECSTATIC 2-1 in the $50,000 online tournament's grand final.
It is the third title victory for the German organization after they secured back-to-back LAN trophies at Roman Imperium Cup IV and United21 Esplay Challenge Season 1 in January, and has rocketed them up the live VRS to #21 in the world.
That is enough to put them in contention for an invite to the IEM Cologne Major, leapfrogging illwill , HOTU , and BetBoom for the 16th spot in Europe on our predicted list . However, the bottom end of the invite list is volatile and subject to significant change ahead of the April 6 invite cut-off, as several notable LANs will offer teams on the cusp of qualifying — including the likes of B8 , Ninjas in Pyjamas , Liquid , and 3DMAX — a chance to make up ground.
BIG sat upon a 29.3% chance to make their home Major before today's results according to Mischief's prediction, and even with Liquid increasing their own chances by signing up for Roman Imperium Cup VI, the German organization's win has given them a slender lead over their competition. They now sit at 35.8%, Mischief tells HLTV, just above Liquid and HOTU who hover around 35%, although those odds will immediately shift should B8 sign up for any of the upcoming LANs.
The Major invites notwithstanding, BIG 's start to 2026 has been impressive. The team tumbled down the VRS after essentially starting the year with a two-month-old core after signing Benjamin "blameF" Bremer from fnatic and bringing back Josef "faveN" Baumann .
They have won three out of the four events they've competed in since then, and were hindered in their sole non-first-place finish in CCT Season 3 Europe Series 13 by needing to use David "prosus" Hesse as a stand-in for faveN due to the tournament's roster lock.
BIG 's Overpass defeat to ECSTATIC in the grand final was the sole map loss they endured in an otherwise unblemished run to victory in NODWIN Clutch Series 5, which included wins over illwill , Leo , and AM . Jon "JDC" de Castro ended the event as his team's highest-rated player, averaging a 1.23 over nine maps and topping the server in the title decider.
NODWIN Clutch Series 5 top-eight:
1. BIG - $22,000 2. ECSTATIC - $10,000 3-4. magic - $5,000 3-4. AM - $5,000 5-8. CYBERSHOKE - $2,000 5-8. HOTU - $2,000 5-8. illwill - $2,000 5-8. Nemesis - $2,000
The VRS impact of NODWIN Clutch Series 5: