Ukraine’s CS2 national qualifier drew 49 participants—and turned out exactly as it was supposed to. Competitive battles, familiar names, and strong teams from the very first round to the final. Among the participants — fnatic, Lazer Cats, B8 Academy, a stack led by coach Kane, and other teams with a real level of play.
The final came down to fnatic vs Team Ukraine. fnatic took the win 2-1, with fEAR, Jackasmo, jambo, DemQQ, and sdy under coach Independent.
Andrii Gryshchenko, CEO of UESF:
“Historically, Counter-Strike is the flagship of Ukrainian esports — from small local tournaments in the 2000s to world stages today. Despite the packed schedules of professional players, the national qualifier delivered a competitive level and genuine interest among participants. Congratulations to the winners and best of luck in the Eastern European regional qualifier.”
Mykyta Babych, National Team Namager:
“Preparing for the qualifier required active coordination with the ENC organizers — aligning streaming rules, and expanding the number of participants. Some issues were being resolved literally on the day of the qualifier, even though communication with the organizers had started a month and a half before the start date. There was also separate work on player recruitment — reaching out to coaches, teams, and individual players. An important nuance: the qualifier’s timing overlapped with preparations for EWC and VRS tournaments, which limited the participation of a number of top players. Despite this, the field of participants turned out to be genuinely strong — fnatic with LAN experience, Lazer Cats, B8 Academy, and other competitive stacks.”
What’s Next
Tomorrow, July 17, the Eastern Europe regional qualifier kicks off, running through July 19. 16 teams will compete for four slots to the ENC 2026 LAN stage. fnatic enters as the favorite — with a real shot at advancing.
