NiKo places 18th in HLTV’s Top 20 Players of 2025

Bosnian star Nikola "NiKo" Kovac has found himself in the 18th spot in HLTV's top 20 players of 2025, setting a record for most HLTV top 20 appearances with his 10th appearance on the list. However, it also marks the lowest NiKo has ever ranked on the list.

The 28 year old kicked off the year in a new colour, joining Falcons in January after deciding against it last year. Following a handful of performances that met expectations for a player of NiKo’s calibre, averaging around 1.15, he grabbed an MVP at PGL Cluj Napoca 2025 with a 1.24 rated performance that earned Falcons a second place finish.

After another streak of events where he averaged around 1.10, NiKo earned the EVP at PGL Bucharest 2025 as Falcons lifted their first trophy of the season by beating NiKo's former team G2. Falcons then secured the services of m0NESY to pair up with NiKo, which led to a couple of second place finishes, as NiKo rounded IEM Melbourne 2025 and BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 1 with 1.17 and 1.12 rating respectively.

As the Major was rounding the corner, NiKo dropped his lowest rating of the year, averaging a 1.01 at IEM Dallas 2025. Falcons exited the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 in Stage 2, with NiKo being the highest rated player for the team with his 1.10 rating. It ended another Major dream for NiKo, who floundered in the 1-2 elimination game against MIBR.

Then came the second season, with Falcons unveiling kyousuke as their latest recruit. The 28-year-old endured a rough start, recording his first negative-rated event at IEM Cologne 2025 as Falcons finished second-last. However, NiKo rebounded emphatically, slamming the accelerator with superstar-calibre showings at EWC 2025 and FISSURE Playground 2025.

While the rest of the year still kept NiKo away from trophies and confettis, he rounded up the year with similar performance as his year long, which averaged a 1.14 with an 81.4 ADR and +0.89 Round Swing, helping him reach the top 20 once again.

With NiKo being revealed in the HLTV's Top 20 Players of 2025, the list currently is:

• #18 NiKo

• #19 iM

• #20 b1t