Counter-Strike veteran Zainab “zAAz” Turkie has criticised Valve after the women’s CS2 scene lost its main international circuit. Her comments followed ESL FACEIT Group’s decision to suspend ESL Impact after Season 8, leaving women’s teams without a comparable global competition structure.
A Veteran’s Frustration
zAAz has been part of Counter-Strike for two decades. Therefore, her statement has sparked a wider debate about Valve’s role in the future of women’s CS2.
I’ve been around esports for 24 years and competing for 20. I’ve watched CS grow from the very beginning to what it is today. I’ve never witnessed such a massive downgrade to a women’s scene. Valve should be ashamed. I’m speechless.
Her post did not name a specific Valve decision. It also did not demand a Major slot or automatic Tier-1 invitations for women’s teams. Instead, it reflected the uncertainty after ESL Impact’s suspension.
ESL Impact Leaves a Major Gap
ESL Impact was the central international league for women’s Counter-Strike. It offered regional competition, international LAN finals, prize money, and a clear pathway for new players.
However, ESL FACEIT Group said the project was not economically sustainable. As a result, the circuit stopped after its eighth season. Importantly, this was an ESL decision rather than a direct Valve decision.
Still, Valve controls the wider CS2 tournament ecosystem. The publisher’s ranking system determines many invitations to top events. Therefore, the lack of a replacement circuit creates a difficult situation for women’s teams.
Women’s rosters can enter open qualifiers and mixed events. In principle, they have the same access to these competitions as any other team. However, open access does not automatically provide a stable route to higher-level tournaments.
Teams need frequent matches to improve. They also need results to gain Valve Regional Standing points. Without a dedicated international circuit, many women’s line-ups have fewer opportunities to build rankings, experience, and visibility.
Imperial Valkyries Earned Their Tier-1 Chances
zAAz played for Imperial Valkyries in 2025. Imperial had built a sufficiently strong Valve Regional Standings position. That ranking made the roster eligible for invitations to major open events. Under Valve’s tournament rules, VRS is used to determine direct invites and seeding for many high-level competitions.
Therefore, Imperial Valkyries earned the opportunity to face established Tier-1 opposition through their results and ranking. The team had a real chance to prove that its domestic success could translate to the wider CS2 circuit.
In January, Imperial faced NAVI in the BLAST Bounty Spring closed qualifier. NAVI won 2–0, taking Ancient 13–7 and Mirage 13–8. Although Imperial lost, the team had competitive moments against one of the world’s strongest rosters.
Imperial then played at the IEM Katowice 2025 Play-in. FURIA beat the roster 2–0 in the opening match. The run ended against BIG. Imperial lost the deciding series 0–2 and did not qualify for the main event in Katowice.
As a result, the roster could not fully capitalise on an opportunity that its VRS position had helped create.
PGL Cluj-Napoca Exposed the Gap
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 was another VRS-based opportunity for Imperial Valkyries. The team had earned access to the tournament through its ranking.
However, Imperial could not convert that opportunity into a successful run. The roster finished 16th after losing all three Swiss-stage series against Eternal Fire, MIBR, and Complexity.
The final series against Complexity ended 5–13 on Ancient and 2–13 on Train. Across the event, Imperial won 23 rounds and lost 78. Consequently, the team left PGL Cluj-Napoca without a single series victory.
This is the key point in the debate around zAAz’s statement. Imperial Valkyries had access to major events because their VRS ranking was high enough. Yet the team did not manage to use those invitations to secure a breakthrough result against Tier-1 opposition.
The End of a Dominant Era
Imperial Valkyries’ strongest result in 2025 came at ESL Impact League Season 7. The team reached the playoffs after a 2–1 group-stage record. It then lost 1–2 to FURIA fe in the semi-final.
Imperial won Train 13–11. However, FURIA fe took Ancient 13–11 and Nuke 13–5. The result gave Imperial a third-to-fourth-place finish and $13,000 in prize money.
The defeat was especially notable because the team’s core had previously dominated ESL Impact. Before Season 7, it had won six consecutive Impact titles. In November 2024, Imperial Valkyries also won ESL Impact Season 6.
However, dominance in the women’s circuit did not translate into victories at Tier-1 open events. During 2025, Imperial lost to NAVI, FURIA, FlyQuest, Eternal Fire, MIBR, and Complexity.
What zAAz’s Criticism Means
Valve is not required to give a women’s team a guaranteed Major slot. It is also reasonable that top-tier invitations depend on rankings and results. Competitive integrity should remain the priority.
Nevertheless, ESL Impact’s suspension removed the main international platform for women’s Counter-Strike. No equivalent replacement has emerged so far. This means fewer regular matches, fewer LAN opportunities, and a harder route for new teams.
That is why zAAz’s criticism has resonated. Her direct blame of Valve is open to debate. However, the underlying issue is clear: women’s CS2 needs a sustainable competitive pathway.
