Gentle Mates expand into Counter-Strike 2 with Iberian Soul

Gentle Mates have entered the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports with the signing of the organisation-less Spanish team Iberian Soul.

The French esports organisation’s inaugural roster features experienced tier-one and tier-two players who have previously represented the likes of KOI, MAD Lions and Ninjas in Pyjamas.

Gentle Mates revealed its expansion into CS2, accompanied by a brief announcement video. The inaugural roster includes the members and staff of Iberian Soul:

“Happiness is the only thing that comes to mind right now, very happy to be able to be part of this great club and back with all my teammates this is just getting started,” shared the team’s new AWPer, Martinez, on X (formerly Twitter).

Iberia Soul had been competing in the tier-two European CS2 scene since its formation in January this year. Most recently, the squad won the Roman Imperium Cup I and EPIC.LAN 45.

The roster’s first match under the Gentle Mates banner will take place today at 5:30 PM BST on Squeezie’s official Twitch channel.

The organisation was founded in 2023 by former Team Vitality player Kevin ‘BroKeN’ Georges, Vitality co-founder Corentin ‘Gotaga’ Houssein and French content creator Lucas ‘Squeezie’ Hauchard.

Since then, the organisation has built a loyal fanbase around its founders and flashy brand identity. As of now, Gentle Mates competes in numerous titles, such as Rocket League, League of Legends and Age of Empires.

The organisation also fields several FPS rosters, including Call of Duty, VALORANT and Fortnite. However, after M8’s relegation to tier two due to an underwhelming 2025 performance, the future of its VALORANT roster remains unclear.