BIG secured the NODWIN Clutch Series 5 crown with a 2-1 win over ECSTATIC in the online tournament's grand final, played for a $50,000 prize pool. The German outfit dropped only one map on their way to the title and took home the lion's share of the rewards.
The triumph marks BIG's third tournament victory of the season, following back-to-back LAN successes at Roman Imperium Cup IV and United21 Esplay Challenge Season 1 in January. Those results have propelled the team upward in the live VRS standings, placing them at number 21 worldwide.
Beyond the immediate prize money and momentum, the result has important implications for invitations to the IEM Cologne Major. BIG's run has moved them past a number of rivals for the European invite spots — leapfrogging teams such as illwill, HOTU and BetBoom in our predicted list — but the lower end of the invite list remains fragile. With an invite cut-off scheduled for April 6, several upcoming LAN events could still reshape who receives direct invites, giving onlookers like B8, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Liquid and 3DMAX an opportunity to climb.
Prediction models also adjusted after the tournament. Before the event, one projection placed BIG's chance of making the Major at around 29.3 percent; following their title, that figure rose to roughly 35.8 percent. Competitors such as Liquid and HOTU sit close behind, each hovering near the mid-30 percent range, and those odds could shift considerably if teams like B8 enter more LANs.
BIG’s strong start to 2026 comes after a period of adjustment: the organization rebuilt its lineup early in the year, adding Benjamin “blameF” Bremer from fnatic and reinstating Josef “faveN” Baumann. That refreshed core was effectively still in its infancy, but it has already delivered results — the roster has won three of the four events it has contested since those changes.
Their only non-first-place finish in that stretch came in CCT Season 3 Europe Series 13, where a tournament roster lock forced BIG to field David “prosus” Hesse as a stand-in for the unavailable faveN. Despite that hiccup, the squad has otherwise demonstrated consistency and depth across formats and opposition.
In NODWIN Clutch Series 5 BIG’s sole map loss came in the grand final’s opening leg on Overpass, which ECSTATIC took 13-10. BIG answered emphatically, taking Inferno 13-8 and closing the series on Mirage by the same score, 13-8, to secure the championship on March 5, 2026.
Jon “JDC” de Castro finished the event as BIG’s highest-rated player; across the tournament he averaged approximately a 1.23 rating over nine maps and was the stand-out performer in the title-deciding match. Benjamin “blameF” Bremer also impressed throughout the event, with strong numbers that complemented BIG’s collective performances. On the opposing side, ECSTATIC’s Martin “nut nut” Holm Vestergaard led his team’s statistical output despite the loss.
Full event placings and prize distribution saw BIG take first place and $22,000, with ECSTATIC finishing second for $10,000. The two semifinalists, magic and AM, each earned $5,000, while the four teams that placed fifth to eighth — CYBERSHOKE, HOTU, illwill and Nemesis — each received $2,000.
The victory gives BIG both momentum and renewed credibility as they chase a Major invite and further success on the 2026 calendar. With several LAN events forthcoming before the April invite cutoff, the competitive landscape remains dynamic and teams on the cusp will have multiple opportunities to alter the qualification picture.