Stage 2 of the Ukrainian Championship in CS2 brought together 204 teams across four qualifiers — currently a tournament record. After weeks of intense matches in the group stage and playoffs, WBT Academy became the champions of Stage 2, defeating ZOTIX in the final on a decisive third map.
Qualifiers: Confident Favorites and Unexpected Falls
Four qualifiers selected 16 teams for the group stage. DeeDoSee and tuskem went through their brackets without dropping a single map — 7:0 each, winning five matches in a row in the upper bracket. okura showed a similarly confident result in the second qualifier, winning 2:0 in the final Best-of-Three, but due to a scheduling conflict, they couldn’t take part in the group stage — their spot was taken by Seizer, invited based on results from the same qualifier.
B8 Academy, participants from the previous stage, didn’t give up despite a loss in the fourth round of the upper bracket — they fought back through the lower bracket, securing two wins in Best-of-One series and one in a Best-of-Three, and qualified. Pink Floyd repeated this scenario — making it to the group stage for the second time after participating in the previous stage, starting with four straight wins.
Group Stage: Teams That Know Their Strength
Sixteen teams competed for a spot in the playoffs. B8 Academy capitalized on okura’s replacement by Seizer and won their match without trouble, 2:0 — their level of preparation proved significantly higher. A real battle broke out in Group A: GUESS and TEAM ARYX both started confidently on the first day, but it was TEAM ARYX who secured first place, beating GUESS in a clean 2:0 decisive matchup.
The most dramatic match of the group stage was HellWave against SNITKO Esports — the teams split the first two maps with identical 16:13 scores, and only on the decisive third map did SNITKO Esports pull out a 2:1 win. tuskem and ZOTIX also played a close match — on the first map ZOTIX delivered a near-flawless win, conceding only three rounds, while the second map was won in a tense battle that went into overtime. The result — 2:0 in favor of ZOTIX, who with every match increasingly confirmed their status as one of the strongest teams in the tournament.
Playoffs: Favorites Confirm Their Level
In the quarterfinals, SNITKO Esports edged out B8 Academy in a real battle on the third map, 2:1. KLG gave TEAM ARYX no chance, taking both maps without dropping a single round. WBT Academy and ZOTIX confirmed their status as the main playoff favorites — both teams went through the quarterfinals without dropping a map: WBT Academy dominated DeeDoSee, while ZOTIX steadily built their lead against Fever Squad.
In the semifinals, WBT Academy showed a higher level of preparation and composure in decisive moments, confidently dealing with KLG, 2:0. ZOTIX repeated the result against SNITKO Esports — coordinated teamwork left their opponents with no answer to the pressure.
Grand Final: A Fight to the Last Map
The final between WBT Academy and ZOTIX turned out to be exactly the tense showdown everyone expected from the tournament’s two strongest teams. ZOTIX took the first map, but WBT Academy didn’t give up — they answered on the second and ground out the win against their opponent on a decisive third map in an atmosphere of maximum tension. WBT Academy became champions of Stage 2 with a score of 2:1.
Stage 2 Prize Pool
And of course, players competed not only for glory and victories, but for cash prizes too. Here’s how the Stage 2 prize pool of the Ukrainian Championship in CS2 was distributed:
- WBT Academy — 50,000 UAH
- ZOTIX — 30,000 UAH
- KLG and SNITKO — 10,000 UAH each
UESF Rating After Stage 2
In addition to VRS, every Championship match affects the internal UESF rating — points are awarded personally to each player and stay with them regardless of roster or team name changes. The leaders of the rating following this clash are players from okura and WBT Academy — yukitoro earned 17 points thanks to an MVP award at the first stage, while Sijeyy, munch, m1she4ka, 1mpact, and t0kk added 16 points each to their tally; the same goes for WBT Academy, all of whose players have 16 points each thanks to their Stage 2 victory.
Stage 3 Is Already Waiting
The Ukrainian Championship in CS2 continues. Registration for Stage 3 is open — and every team, regardless of experience, has a chance to make a name for itself and earn its own VRS rating, just like WBT Academy did. Registration — at events.uesf.org.ua
WBT Academy’s First Valve Ranking
Stage 2 held VRS status — matches from the tournament’s semifinals and final counted toward the Valve ranking. Thanks to their winning performance at the Championship, WBT Academy earned their first Valve ranking and currently sit at 219th place in the world rankings. This is yet another confirmation that the Ukrainian Championship opens a real path to the international esports stage.
About the Ukrainian Esports Federation (UESF)
The Ukrainian Esports Federation (UESF) is the official national organization that develops and regulates esports in Ukraine. Under the leadership of President Maksym Krippa, the federation organizes national championships, represents Ukraine on the international stage, and builds an ecosystem where every player — from beginner to professional — has the opportunity to grow. UESF unites players, clubs, the community, and partners around a shared idea: esports is part of modern Ukrainian culture.
