People say there's no place like home, but, for the Team Falcons Rainbow Six Siege X division, that may not be true. After bootcamping in Paris, France, the European mix will soon fly to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where they will try to defend their crown.
For the now Team Falcons roster, Saudi Arabia is some kind of second home soil. In 2022, Stéphane "Shaiiko" Lebleu and Loïc "BriD" Chongthep won their first international championship as they won the Gamers8 2022. One year later, with Théo "LikEfac" Mariano on the team, the French won 2023's edition. A third championship came in the first-ever Esports World Cup, with Josh "Yuzus" Pritchard and Fatih "Solotov" Türker winning it for the first time.
The team's record in Saudi Arabia is likely one of the reasons why Team Falcons desired to pick the roster up from Team BDS. After all, the Swiss esports organization was undergoing some structural changes, which affected other divisions like Rocket League and League of Legends. Considering the Europeans' record in Saudi Arabia and the importance their performance could have towards the Club Championship, signing the world grand finalists was an investment that made a lot of sense. However, it was not just about Team Falcons; the players also wanted a change of air.
To know more about Team Falcons, their first stage of the season, the Esports World Cup and what it means to the players, we have talked to the team's IGL Théo "LikEfac" Mariano. You can read the interview or watch it on the YouTube video displayed above.
"I think we left BDS because we needed a new story. For Shaiiko he had been for five years, BriD for more than four, I was there for three, so I think that was the time we decided to just have a new story, and look for another opportunity and stuff. And, then, Falcons came to us, one of the best organizations in the world, with a good slot in EML, so we just decided to, okay, let's try this new adventure."
"It's perfect, Falcons is very supportive towards us, even in bad or good results, they are always here for us, they bring us to the best (places), for example, this bootcamp, they just rent it in Paris for us, which is easier for us to travel there, and we still have good facilities, so, yeah, we really want to win Esports World Cup for them."
At the time of writing, Team Falcons currently top the standings of the Esports World Cup 2025 Club Championship with 2,700 points. The Saudi Arabian esports organization is the big favorite to win the championship, as they compete in 22 of the 25 titles that are part of the Esports World Cup. However, the Falcons aren't yet eligible to win as they haven't won any of the tournaments played so far — although this will change tonight if Alirezja Firouzja wins against Magnus Carlsen in today's Chess grand final.
Focusing on Rainbow Six Siege X exclusively, Team Falcons' year has been a mix of feelings so far. The players made their debut in Rainbow Six Siege X with a Top 8 finish in RE:L0:AD, where they got knocked out of the competition after a 1-2 defeat against w7m esports. It could have gone either way, as the third map against the Bulls went to overtime — however, it was the first time the Europeans were knocked out of an international competition in the quarterfinals since the BLAST R6 Major Atlanta.
"In Reload, firstly, we finished in eight five but it was meant to be, because we were there to learn new stuff, to focus more on ourselves and work on the new game, Rainbow Six Siege X."
"We first met the people from Falcons, who are supporting our team every day now, so it was good to meet them and to know them. We also focused on the new game, the new graphics, stuff like this, and mainly the new ban system, which changed the meta, we learned about all of this stuff so we could be on point for this stage and the Esports World Cup."
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Meanwhile, in the Europe and MENA League 2025 Stage 1, Team Falcons lost three BO1 series, finishing in third place of the group stage, and lost two BO3s, as they fell against Team Secret in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals and against G2 Esports in the grand final.
Being worried about a second place finish when you coexist in a league with the likes of G2 Esports, Virtus.pro, and Team Secret would be too dramatic. That's definitely not the case here. But the truth is that this roster only lost two Europe League 2024 games combining stages one and two. They have already lost five this season. According to LikEfac, there are a few reasons to explain the team's slight performance drop.
"I think other teams are catching up, we have been the main team in Europe for one year, let's say, so they have to step forward to catch us, G2 did, because they beat us, even Secret got us in BO3 for the first time, so I think it's this. Also, with the new game and the new bans, we are a team that needs time to adapt to really understand everything and to find the best way to play and stuff, so I think we need more than three months to be ready, I think we will be ready for the SI if we qualify, I hope. Also the veto change, Oregon was one of our best maps, and it's not here anymore. So I think you can also put this in the balance."
It's also important to carefully look at Team Falcons' defeats. Out of these five losses, four were against the other teams that completed the EML's Top 4, including once against Virtus.pro and Team Secret each, and twice against G2 Esports. The only surprising result was a 3-7 loss against WYLDE, a result that only Fabian "Fabian" Hällsten could see coming.
Jokes aside, after speaking about how teams are catching up while mentioning the oppositions they lost to, the Frenchman was brutally honest regarding the team's match against WYLDE, where apparently pressure and WYLDE's playstyle were too much for the Six Invitational 2025 grand finalists.
"I get your point, it was surprising. Basically, in my opinion, that was the eight game I think, WYLDE was already out of the competition, and we were playing to be on top of the EML, so the pressure was on our side and not on their side. Also, WYLDE were supposed to lose, we were supposed to win, so, again, I think the pressure was on our side. They just played really good, like nothing we saw during the stage, they played very good and they got us, I think we got surprise and we were clueless finding solutions, I think it's mainly this, an upset, like we see every year in the EML, it was us this stage."
Regardless of how some games may have gone, the truth is that Team Falcons are one of the best two teams in Europe, and that can't be questioned. Both at an international and a regional level, the European mix has proven to be extremely consistent, especially when it comes to Saudi Arabia. While some viewers say it's because Falcons go berserk when they smell the cash, the truth is that, according to LikEfac, it goes beyond that.
"Most of the people will say money, but it's not only about this. I think the food there, all the facilities and activities there for the players, it's amazing. We like to spend time together, like, for example, playing FIFA (EAFC) on the PlayStation, there's a player launch where you can play, so this is the type of stuff that explains why we're so comfortable during the Esports World Cup."
Team Falcons' debut in the Siege X Esports World Cup will come on August 5 against Team Secret. Depending on the result, the French-majority roster will have to play against the winner or loser of the series between Spacestation Gaming and w7m esports. In other words, beating their European fellows is extremely important to stay as away as possible from elimination.
"I think it's a bit boring to play against an European team, but anyway, it's what it is, also we always play against Team Secret, it will just be a classic, you never know what will happen between us and Secret. Then, for the w7m and SSG, I think they improved a lot since last year, especially SSG with the good comeback in NAL, so it could be a really hard match. And w7m they beat us in Reload, they are in good shape, they didn't did good in Brazil but because teams in Brazil are also very strong, but it will be tough also. We have the hardest part of our bracket for sure."
Defending the crown and repaying Team Falcons' trust will be the Europeans' goal in Riyadh, who, regardless of the opposition, are one of the favorites to, at least, reach the tournament's Top 4. Otherwise, the result could be quite shocking, especially considering how important this Esports World Cup could be for the Saudi Arabian esports organization.
Regardless of what your thoughts are regarding the tournament, the truth is that the Esports World Cup has become a part of the industry that not even the most wealthy organizations and players are willing to ignore. The facilities, the money involved, and the whole experience is hard to ignore... but, as it stands now, the world championship so called Esports World Cup is far from being Rainbow Six Siege's world championship — that title belongs to the Six Invitational.
"SI is the Rainbow Six competition, the competition every Siege player wants to win, even if you are just playing Ranked, or even if you're a pro for ten years, you just want to win this competition. So, for me, SI will stay SI and it will be the biggest competition in Rainbow Six. But if the EWC keep going like they did during the couple of years before, that can be an interesting fight between the EWC and SI, but for now, SI is still the biggest competition for a Rainbow Six player."
Who knows what will happen in the upcoming years, and, most specifically, what will happen to Team Falcons in the upcoming months in Rainbow Six Siege X. After all, in less than six months, the fans, especially the French community, are expecting to see them fighting to lift the hammer in front of a home crowd in Paris, France. Now, it's time to focus on the Esports World Cup, and then Stage 2. The more they learn, the better they will become — and the bigger their chances of lifting the hammer will be.