A women's Counter-Strike team featuring Russian players has chosen to compete against the Ukrainian team NaVi.

This will be the first match for an entirely women's team at this level in a decade.

https://mind.ua/news/20283767-zhinocha-komanda-z-counter-strike-z-rosiyankami-u-skladi-obrala-sobi-v-superniki-ukrayinciv-z-navi2025-01-12 07:19:43

In 2025, Counter-Strike 2 tournaments underwent significant changes, with most teams qualifying based on their global rankings. This development allowed the Brazilian organization Imperial's women's team to participate in the year's first tournament.

Another innovation is that at the newly created BLAST Bounty Spring 2025 tournament, unseeded (weaker) teams can choose their opponents from the seeded teams.

Imperial Fe was listed as unseeded, and when it was their turn to select an opponent, they "picked" the Ukrainian top club NaVi.

The match will take place online on January 16, around 20:30 Kyiv time.

Жіноча команда з Counter-Strike з росіянками у складі обрала собі в суперники українців з NaVi

It's worth noting that the last time a women's team competed in a major tournament of the highest level was back in 2014. Additionally, Imperial Fe will also participate in the upcoming competition in Katowice, Poland, which will be held offline – marking the debut of women's teams at this level.

The roster of Imperial Fe includes players from Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, and two Russians.

Background. The previous season of Counter-Strike 2 concluded with a major series tournament, which was winned by a Serbian-Russian club.