The glory days of Swedish teams are but a distant memory, with NIP now boasting an international stack— but that might change in 2026. If the King of Banana, aka Adam “friberg” Friberg, has anything to say about it, Swedish CS will be the talk of the town again one day.

The legend has landed his first official coaching gig after retiring, and has high hopes for his country’s prospects on the server – targeting a return for the country, where other countries such as Denmark have fallen.

Friberg Is The Head Coach Of Johnny Speeds

At the end of 2024, friberg announced his retirement from competitive play and plans to transition to coaching. Fast-forward roughly 13 months, and he’s landed his first coaching gig at Johnny Speeds, replacing André “⁠BARBARR⁠” Möller.

He’ll lead the all-Swedish lineup, offering his incredible wealth of experience, with over a decade under his belt. Taking to X, friberg shared his excitement and ambitions: 

“Super excited to join Johnny Speeds and begin a new journey as a coach. I’m confident in myself and the team, but also humble to the work that needs to be done. Let’s bring back Swedish CS where it belongs – in the top!”

The Swedish star is no stranger to success, earned during the CS:GO era as part of the iconic NIP lineup from 2012 to 2017. In case you didn’t know, the NIP era saw friberg and company go on a historic 87-0 map win streak—a record that stands to this day.

TIME TO PROCEED ⚡️

Welcome Coach @fribergCS to Johnny Speeds 🤩#JohnnySpeedsProceeds pic.twitter.com/XuUYr4UurL

— Johnny Speeds ⚡️ (@JohnnySpeedsCS) January 11, 2026

Along the way, NIP picked up many top-tier trophies, including the ESL One Cologne 2014 trophy, a tournament where friberg was named the MVP. That screams pedigree, and teams would probably think twice before picking Inferno against Johnny Speeds now that friberg is onboard. 

Johnny Speeds CS2 Roster & Ranking

There’s a significant hill to climb to get Swedish CS back to the top. While we like the confidence friberg radiates, one has to remember that Johnny Speeds is currently ranked #61 on the global VRS, and #70 on HLTV.

The Johnny Speeds roster shows promise, with multiple changes expected in 2025. From Ludvig “HEAP” Alonso joining in August, to Jonas “Lekr0” Olofsson taking up the mantle of IGL at the end of July last year. The latest addition (apart from friberg) is rising star Jacob “jocab” Nerheden, who completed the roster on November 27, 2025. 

Johnny Speeds roster:

• William “draken” Sundin
• Anton “Sapec” Palmgren
• Ludvig “HEAP” Alonso
• Jacob “jocab” Nerheden
• Jonas “Lekr0” Olofsson (IGL)
• Adam “friberg” Friberg (Coach)

With an exciting lineup of players, there’s a chance that friberg could serve as the strategic mastermind that propels Swedish CS back to its glory days. That’s the complete opposite of what my colleague thinks will happen to Portuguese CS following the BC.Game roster announcement.