Players coming from Aotearoa New Zealand are few and far between in the professional scene. We had the chance to talk to nettik of FlyQuest about being the flag-bearer for New Zealand, how his professional career started out, and his experience at IEM Melbourne 2025.

Over the last 12 years, there have been 22 Major tournaments in Counter-Strike – but only three players from New Zealand have ever qualified. In contrast, 19 Australians, 39 Americans, 42 Swedes, and 55 Russians have made their mark on the big stage.