T.c Announces Free Agency After Passion UA Exit

Tiaan “T.c” Coertzen has officially entered the Counter-Strike 2 coaching market, confirming that he is a free agent and open to new opportunities after his association with Passion UA came to an end.

The South African coach said he has not been under contract with Passion UA since June, clarifying his status amid a wider period of uncertainty surrounding the organization. HLTV reported the announcement on August 18, 2026.

For T.c, the development closes a chapter that began in April 2025 and included a reunion with several players he had previously coached at Complexity.

 

Quick Summary

Detail	Status
Coach	Tiaan “T.c” Coertzen
Previous team	Passion UA
Current status	Free agent
Free agency announced	August 18, 2026
Contract with Passion UA	Ended in June 2026, according to T.c
Previous organization	Complexity
New team	TBD
Next coaching role	TBD
Confirmation status	Confirmed by T.c; reported by HLTV

 

What happened: T.c confirms free-agent status

T.c announced publicly that he is a free agent and available for new opportunities.

According to HLTV, the coach stated that he has not been contracted to Passion UA since June. His announcement therefore provides an important clarification: although his public association with the organization persisted into the summer, he was no longer contractually tied to the team.

No new organization has been announced for T.c as of August 18.

His destination should therefore be considered TBD, and any discussion connecting him with another CS2 organization remains speculation unless confirmed by the coach or a prospective employer.

 

T.c and Passion UA: background

T.c joined Passion UA in April 2025 following a three-year spell with Complexity. The appointment represented an important change in Passion UA's Counter-Strike strategy as the organization began moving away from its previous all-Ukrainian model.

That transformation accelerated several months later.

In August 2025, Passion UA acquired four players from Complexity: Johnny “JT” Theodosiou, Håkon “hallzerk” Fjærli, Michael “Grim” Wince and Nick “nicx” Lee. The move reunited members of the former Complexity setup with T.c.

Vladyslav “Kvem” Korol completed the starting lineup at the time, while Luca “Munstur” Ioanițiu worked as T.c's assistant coach.

The project produced some notable results. HLTV credits the T.c-led Passion UA side with winning Urban Riga Open Season 1, recording several top-four DraculaN finishes and reaching Stage 3 of the StarLadder Budapest Major.

The team narrowly missed the Major playoffs.

 

Why T.c becoming a free agent matters

T.c brings years of coaching experience from Complexity and Passion UA as he searches for his next CS2 project.

 

The announcement matters beyond a routine coaching change because T.c enters the market with extensive experience working with an international English-speaking roster.

His history with Complexity also gives prospective organizations a relatively large body of results from which to assess his work.

More importantly, his announcement separates his personal competitive future from the ongoing uncertainty around Passion UA.

HLTV reported on August 17 that Passion UA's Counter-Strike roster had been released and that multiple former players and staff were allegedly owed significant sums. Sources cited by HLTV expected the company to enter liquidation, although that outcome had not been formally confirmed at the time of the report.

T.c's statement establishes that his own Passion UA contract had already ended in June.

 

Timeline: T.c's road to free agency

Date	Development
Before April 2025	T.c had spent roughly three years with Complexity
April 2025	T.c joins Passion UA
August 2025	Passion UA signs four members of Complexity's former core
Late 2025	Passion UA qualifies for the Budapest Major
Budapest Major	Team reaches Stage 3 but misses the playoffs
Early 2026	Results decline
April 2026	Passion UA misses qualification for the Cologne Major
May 2026	Passion UA ends its season early and withdraws from BC Game Masters Championship Season 2
June 2026	T.c's Passion UA contract is no longer active, according to the coach
August 17, 2026	HLTV publishes an investigation into Passion UA's financial and organizational problems
August 18, 2026	T.c publicly announces his free agency

Sources for the timeline are HLTV's free-agency report and its investigation into Passion UA.

 

Key details

Category	Information
Full name	Tiaan Coertzen
Nickname	T.c
Nationality	South African
Role	Coach
Former teams discussed here	Complexity, Passion UA
Joined Passion UA	April 2025
Passion UA contract ended	June 2026, according to T.c
Current team	None
Current status	Free agent
Availability	Open to opportunities
Confirmed next destination	None
Ranking/VRS impact	Not applicable directly; no new roster has been announced

 

Passion UA's international project under T.c

Passion UA's international project reached the StarLadder Budapest Major during T.c's tenure.

 

Passion UA's decision to bring in T.c ultimately became part of a much larger restructuring.

The organization had previously built its Counter-Strike identity around Ukrainian talent. Its earlier Ukrainian roster even qualified for the Perfect World Shanghai Major after victories over Virtus.pro, Spirit and Astralis in the European RMR.

Signing T.c and later acquiring Complexity's core shifted the project toward an international lineup.

That strategy initially maintained Passion UA's presence on the Major stage. The new roster qualified for the Budapest Major and reached Stage 3, where its run ended after a deciding series against FaZe.

The trajectory changed in 2026.

Early last-place finishes were followed by roster adjustments, and Passion UA eventually failed to qualify for the Cologne Major. The organization then ended its season early in May.

 

Coaching impact: what T.c could offer another team

T.c's next destination is unknown, so connecting him with any specific organization would be speculative.

However, his recent career provides some clues about the type of project that could logically evaluate him.

He has experience coaching multinational rosters and working with established players across different competitive environments. His long association with the former Complexity core also demonstrates experience maintaining a coaching structure across multiple seasons.

That could make his profile relevant to organizations looking for an experienced head coach rather than someone entering tier-one Counter-Strike for the first time.

The exact tactical impact would depend heavily on the roster he joins. Without a confirmed destination, map-pool changes, role adjustments or tactical responsibilities cannot responsibly be projected.

 

Impact on Passion UA

From a competitive perspective, T.c's free agency further confirms the dismantling of the Passion UA project he coached.

HLTV's August 17 investigation reported that the entire Counter-Strike roster had been released and multiple employees were seeking new positions. The outlet also reported, citing anonymous sources, that Passion UA owed substantial money to its former CS operation.

Those financial claims should be distinguished from T.c's own confirmed announcement.

Confirmed: T.c says he has not been contracted with Passion UA since June.

Reported by HLTV: Passion UA has faced serious financial problems and former players and staff are allegedly owed money.

Not confirmed: T.c's next employer.

 

What changes now?

The most immediate change is that organizations can approach T.c as a free agent rather than negotiating his release from Passion UA.

For T.c, attention now moves from Passion UA's uncertain future to finding his next competitive project.

For Passion UA, there is currently no confirmed replacement coach or rebuilt CS2 roster to evaluate. Any future Counter-Strike lineup should therefore remain listed as TBD until the organization makes an official announcement.

Current coaching status

Position	Status
T.c	Free agent
Passion UA head coach	TBD
T.c's next organization	TBD
T.c's next event	TBD

Passion UA face G2 during Stage 3 of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, one of the team's most important tournament appearances under T.c.

 

What to watch next

The biggest question is where T.c goes next.

A future announcement could reveal whether he intends to remain in tier-one Counter-Strike, join a developing international project or reunite with players he has previously coached.

There are several developments worth monitoring:

an official announcement of T.c's next team;

whether he joins as a head coach or takes another coaching position;

possible reunions with former Complexity or Passion UA players;

the future of Passion UA's Counter-Strike division;

further confirmed information concerning the organization's reported financial situation.

Until one of those developments occurs, T.c should simply be classified as an unattached CS2 coach available for opportunities.

 

FAQ

Is T.c officially a free agent?

Yes. T.c publicly announced that he is a free agent and open to new opportunities. HLTV reported the announcement on August 18, 2026.

When did T.c leave Passion UA?

T.c said he had not been contracted with Passion UA since June 2026. His public free-agency announcement came on August 18.

Which team will T.c coach next?

No new organization has been confirmed. His next team is TBD.

When did T.c join Passion UA?

T.c joined Passion UA in April 2025 after spending approximately three years with Complexity.

What did Passion UA achieve with T.c?

Among the results highlighted by HLTV were victory at Urban Riga Open Season 1, several top-four DraculaN finishes and a Stage 3 appearance at the StarLadder Budapest Major.