On June 12, 2025, the Ukrainian Esports Federation began a new chapter under the leadership of President Maksym Krippa. Over the past year: a full-scale national championship, official partner status at the world’s largest national team tournament, social initiatives for veterans, and systematic work in education. Here’s a look back.
A New Board, A New Approach
The first thing that changed after the relaunch was the board’s composition and approach to work. The team welcomed industry professionals with real experience: Vitalii Volochai, Yevhen Zolotarov, Oleksii Kucherov, Andrii Horodenskyi, and Mykhailo Zvieriev. Andrii Gryshchenko became Executive Director.
This wasn’t a cosmetic change. The new board brought business thinking to a space previously dominated by bureaucracy: systematic communication, process transparency, and strategic planning. The federation stopped being a formal body and became an active industry player.
The Ukrainian Championship — From Scratch to a Full-Fledged Structure
One of the first steps was relaunching the Ukrainian Championship. In 2026, a systematic tournament in CS2 and Dota 2 launched for the first time with a clear structure, regulations, participant requirements, and a total prize pool of 1 million hryvnias.
The format is built on gradual progression: open qualifiers — group stage — playoffs — a LAN stage at the end of the season. The first two stages alone gathered over 1,000 participants and more than 200 teams from various regions of Ukraine. Participants range from 14-year-old students to 32-year-old scene veterans.
A separate milestone was obtaining VRS status for the Ukrainian Championship’s CS2 matches. Tournament matches now count toward the official Valve ranking, opening a path for teams to international qualifiers. After Stage 1 alone, Inner Circle Academy entered the world’s top 250 ranking thanks to matches played at the Championship.
Match broadcasts are run in partnership with Maincast. Bringing in experienced commentators familiar from top-tier tournaments raised the quality of the cast and significantly grew audience reach. When the voice behind the microphone knows the scene from the inside and calls the match with the same energy as at a Major, viewers feel it’s the real thing.
International Integration — NTP Status at ENC 2026
The biggest news of the year — UESF received National Team Partner status at the Esports Nations Cup 2026. ENC is the first tournament of national teams at this scale in esports: November, Riyadh, over 150 countries, 16 disciplines. The Esports Foundation received more than 630 applications from 200+ countries — Ukraine passed the selection process under global standards.
As an NTP, UESF forms national rosters in each discipline, runs tryouts, coordinates the qualification process, and officially represents the country. Rosters have already been announced for Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League, Dota 2, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
The Dota 2 national team has already secured its spot in the final stage without qualifiers — Ukraine ranks 12th in the world rankings with 2,975 points and received a direct invitation.
«Over the past year, we’ve worked to ensure that Ukraine is represented on the international esports stage not just by individual teams, but by a full national team. And now we have the opportunity to show the world the strength of Ukrainian esports. Today, our players already rank among the best in the world, and the direct invitation of our Dota 2 national team to the tournament’s final stage confirms the high level of the Ukrainian esports school,», — said Maksym Krippa, President of the Ukrainian Esports Federation.
Partnerships and Events
Over the past year, the federation carried out several important partnership projects. UESF served as a contractor for Red Bull as part of Red Bull ClassiCS — the first tournament of this caliber on the Ukrainian CS2 scene, with its final taking place at FANCON 2026. There was also collaboration with NUFVSU and the SENET platform.
«It’s a great honor for the Federation to work with industry stakeholders. We’re only at the beginning of establishing ourselves as a brand — building major partnerships requires trust. Through our projects and initiatives, we’re steadily moving toward that. We’ll share more later this year. I can give a small spoiler: these will be international companies with global names,» — Andrii Gryshchenko.
Social Projects — Esports for Veterans
Alongside tournaments, the federation actively worked on social initiatives.
Together with the MK Foundation, UESF donated five gaming computers to the TYTANOVI rehabilitation center for the physical and psychological recovery of wounded veterans. The computers are used for motor skill training, simulator practice, and working with bionic prosthetics through the COAPT system.
The federation supported the charity tournament CyberWarCup organized by the “First Line” special unit of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (GUR). Veterans and service members joined the competition, including those with amputations and injuries.
A separate large-scale project — “Veterans Games — Esports.” This year, over 600 veterans from across Ukraine participated in CS2, Dota 2, and EA Sports FC competitions. The project is run together with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs. The final took place in Kyiv on November 28–30.
«When veterans log onto the server, they become part of a team again. This isn’t an escape from reality — it’s a path to recovery, new victories, and new opportunities. We want this movement to become systemic and give rise to a Veterans Esports League,» — Andrii Gryshchenko.
Education — Systematic Work
UESF representatives joined the evaluation and development of the “Esports” bachelor’s and master’s degree programs at NUFVSU. The federation is systematically working to update these programs, bringing in industry professionals and providing recommendations on the competencies and practical skills needed by future specialists.
An industry discussion was held on shaping a professional standard for esports specialists, involving the educational community, employers, and experts. Work has begun on developing the federation’s own educational modules and podcasts — the first products are planned for launch within the next six months.
«A strong industry starts with quality education. Today, it’s important for us not only to run competitions but also to help build an environment where new coaches, managers, referees, and administrators can emerge. That’s why the Federation is actively involved in developing educational programs, professional standards, and our own educational projects,» — Andrii Gryshchenko.
What’s Next
Concrete plans for the near future include the LAN final of the Ukrainian Championship, the national team’s performance at ENC in November, new partnerships, and the federation’s first educational products.
But beyond the plans, in terms of direction — the federation is looking further ahead. A Veterans Esports League as a permanent institution. Original educational products for the entire ecosystem — from players to managers. Ukraine as a recognized and consistent player on the international esports stage.
«It’s been a hard but productive year. A year of discoveries, changes, improvements. A year of mistakes and uncertainties. A year when we became a better version of ourselves. I thank the entire team for their work — none of this would have happened without each person’s contribution. I’d especially like to thank the Federation’s President, Maksym Volodymyrovych Krippa, for his belief in us and his constant, all-around support. We unite through esports and through faith in a better future for Ukraine,» — Andrii Gryshchenko, CEO of UESF.
