Two-Time Major Winner NBK- Takes Over as Phantom Head Coach

Two-time Counter-Strike Major champion Nathan "NBK-" Schmitt has been appointed head coach of Phantom Esports. The Polish organization announced the signing on Saturday, November 7, putting the 32-year-old French veteran in charge of its Counter-Strike 2 roster.

This will be NBK-'s first job as a head coach, although he already has experience on a coaching staff. Earlier in 2026, he served as an assistant coach for 3DMAX after leaving GenOne as a player.

At Phantom, NBK- takes over the position previously held by Dawid "lunAtic" Cieślak, who left the organization in September. The Frenchman will work with a lineup featuring three Polish and two Danish players.

NBK- Ends Playing Career to Take on New Challenge

In its announcement, Phantom highlighted NBK-'s extensive experience in professional Counter-Strike, saying the French veteran has the qualities the organization was looking for as it enters the next stage of its project.

The organization also emphasized that Phantom will be the first team NBK- leads as head coach. His appointment was officially announced on social media on November 7.

NBK- confirmed his career change in a post on X, announcing that he was officially bringing his 16-year professional playing career to an end to begin a new chapter as Phantom's head coach.

He also said he shares the organization's vision for performance and building a competitive team, thanking Phantom for placing its trust in him.

NBK- Previously Worked as an Assistant Coach for 3DMAX

Although Phantom marks his first head coaching role, NBK- already gained coaching experience with 3DMAX earlier in 2026.

On February 24, the French organization announced the return of Damien "wasiNk" Dufour as head coach, with NBK- joining the staff as his assistant. The team also made changes to its playing roster at the time, including the signing of Kévin "misutaaa" Rabier.

NBK- remained with 3DMAX until August, ending a stint of approximately six months. The role marked his transition from playing to coaching, although he was working under another head coach rather than leading the team himself.

At Phantom, he will take charge of the roster as head coach instead of serving as an assistant.

NBK- Won Two Majors During His Playing Career

Before moving into coaching, NBK- established himself as one of the most accomplished players in French Counter-Strike history. Throughout his career, he represented organizations including VeryGames, LDLC, EnVyUs, G2 Esports, Team Vitality, OG, MOUZ, and Team Falcons.

His biggest achievements came during the CS:GO era. In 2014, he won the DreamHack Winter Major with LDLC. A year later, he claimed his second Major title, this time with EnVyUs at DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015.

The Frenchman also appeared in HLTV's annual Top 20 Players rankings three times, finishing fifth in 2013, 17th in 2014, and ninth in 2015.

After competing across multiple eras of Counter-Strike, NBK- remained active as a player in recent years, including a stint with GenOne that ended in February 2026. He will now bring his experience at the highest level of competition to a different role, helping guide Phantom's development as a team.

Phantom Looks to Build on Recent Results

Phantom is a Polish organization currently competing with a mixed Polish-Danish roster. The team underwent several changes throughout 2026 and had been without a head coach since lunAtic's departure in September.

In October, Phantom climbed to 55th in the global Valve Regional Standings (VRS). The team also won the Elisa BreakOut Series 2 and reached the semifinals of CCT Europe Series 12, which concluded in early November.

Those results have put Phantom in a position to push further on the international stage. Valve's rankings play an important role in determining access to higher-level competitions, including the qualification process for Majors.

NBK- joins at this stage of the team's development, with Phantom turning to a two-time Major champion's experience as it looks to build on its recent progress.

Phantom's CS2 Roster With NBK-

With the French veteran taking over as head coach, Phantom's CS2 lineup is as follows:

• Thomas "TMB" Bundsbæk (Denmark)
• Nico "nicoodoz" Tamjidi (Denmark)
• Kamil "KEi" Pietkun (Poland)
• Kacper "Kylar" Walukiewicz (Poland)
• Jakub "Kunai" Gieremek (Poland)
• Nathan "NBK-" Schmitt (Head Coach, France)

Phantom is scheduled to compete in the NODWIN Clutch Series 14 and Tipsport RUSH Brno 2026, tournaments that could feature NBK-'s first matches in charge of the team.

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Featured image credit: DreamHack

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