The 34-year-old Belgian is best known for his work between the posts at the Santiago Bernabéu, but he now has a foot in a very different arena. NXTPLAY, until this week a football-only portfolio, has moved into competitive gaming by taking a stake in Fusion Esports Group, the Danish group that owns Astralis.
The size of the investment has not been disclosed.
Courtois framed the move as a personal interest as much as a business one.
“Gaming has always been something I have followed,” he said. “Fusion understands that area really well, and Astralis is a team I have known for quite some time.”
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He also pointed at the wider plan behind Fusion.
“I like where the group is heading and the ambition to build something bigger than esports.”
A football portfolio meets Counter-Strike
NXTPLAY was set up by Courtois and Vila as a multi-club football vehicle. Its existing holdings sit across three leagues: Belgian side KRC Genk, French club Le Mans FC and Spanish second-tier outfit CD Extremadura.
Astralis is a step outside that pattern. The Copenhagen-based organisation is one of the most decorated names in Counter-Strike history, and it is the flagship of Fusion Esports Group, an investor group led by Astralis and BLAST co-founder Jakob Lund Kristensen together with former Ninjas in Pyjamas COO Jonas Gundersen. Fusion bought Astralis in June 2025 and has been rebuilding the operation since.
Gundersen, who serves as a director at Astralis, said the new backer is more than a name on a cap table.
“Having Thibaut Courtois as an investor is fantastic, but he is much more than that. He is a genuine supporter of what we do and loves gaming.”
Astralis eyeing the Singapore Major
On the sporting side, Astralis are currently ranked 14th globally on the Valve Regional Standings and are on course for a direct invitation to stage two of the PGL Major Singapore 2026, the first Counter-Strike 2 Major staged in Southeast Asia.
The tournament runs from 25 November to 13 December 2026, with a $1.25m prize pool and a playoff finale at the 12,000-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium.
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