B8 have finally qualified for their first-ever Major. After years of trying, countless heartbreaks, and several failed attempts, the Ukrainian team earned the last spot at the Austin Major 2025 in style. They came back from a 0-2 start in the Closed Qualifier, then won five straight best-of-three matches — a run that showed not only their skill, but their mental strength. The squad is young, and this will be their first time on CS’s biggest stage.

Early attempts

B8’s first serious attempt to qualify came ahead of the IEM Rio Major in 2022. They lost their opening match to Cloud9 but bounced back by beating ECSTATIC and Fnatic. With a 2-1 score, they had two chances to qualify — but lost both to Sprout and GamerLegion. That was their first taste of how cruel the RMR system can be.

Their next shot, for the Paris Major 2023, started much better. They beat MOUZ and Virtus.pro and were one win away from the Major with a 2-0 record. However, they threw away a lead against Fnatic, lost 1-2 to Into the Breach, and then were swept 0-2 by Apeks in the decider. Ironically, both Into the Breach and Apeks went on to reach the playoffs of that Major — but for B8, it was another painful collapse.

In the following cycle, B8 got one last chance in the “last-chance qualifier” for Paris, but couldn’t beat Cloud9 and missed the Major again. Cloud9 would later lose to FaZe and fail to qualify too.

CS2 brings new hope

Moving into CS2, B8 made some roster changes. They signed Andrii "npl" Kukharskyi, formerly of NAVI and a Major participant in Paris. Still, they failed to even reach the RMRs, losing in the Open Qualifiers multiple times. That led to more changes: npl became the new in-game leader, young sniper Artem "r1nkle" Moroz was sold to NIP, and they brought in another former NAVI academy player, Danyyl "headtr1ck" Valitov.

Their next shot came at the Shanghai Major cycle. B8 started to look more confident, making playoff runs at LAN events like ESL Challenger Katowice 2024 (2nd place) and Elisa Masters Espoo 2024 (3rd-4th). But at the RMR itself, they collapsed again, going 0-3 after losing to Spirit, Aurora, and Astralis. The only map they won was against Astralis, but that wasn’t enough. More roster changes followed: Arsenii "cptkurtka023" Derevynskyi left, and the team brought in young talent Artem "kensizor" Kapran.

A historic comeback at the Austin qualifier

With their updated roster, B8 earned enough points to be invited to the Closed Qualifier for the Austin Major 2025. The qualifier was played online, where B8 tend to do better than on LAN. However, things didn’t start well — they lost to Metizport and SAW and dropped to a 0-2 score. To qualify, they now had to win five Bo3 matches in a row.

And they did. B8 beat PARIVISION, then BC.Game, and then 9 Pandas to move into the Last Chance bracket. There, they beat ENCE in a very close match, setting up a final game against Astralis — one of the most experienced teams and a favorite to qualify.

In the deciding series, B8 lost the first map, were down 5-11 on the third, but came back to win in overtime. After four failed Major runs, multiple lineup changes, and crushing defeats, B8 had finally made it. They will start from the Stage 1 of the Major, but more importantly, they made it. They will get their stickers. They are on the map.

A Promising roster full of talent

This B8 roster has grown a lot. They've taken their lessons from past failures and used that experience to build something stronger. Right now, they have five individually powerful players. The addition of npl and headtr1ck was a game-changer, but the final piece was kensizor, who made the team more stable. The player he replaced often underperformed, and kensizor brought fresh energy and confidence.

B8 plays simple but effective Counter-Strike. Their style is based on strong teamplay and individual skill. Their map pool has improved too — they try to play all seven maps, and at this qualifier, it worked. Whether it will keep working is another question, but it’s a good sign.

They are also one of the youngest teams at the Major. The average age is around 20. This means the future is bright for these players. Even if this lineup doesn’t stay together, we’ll see these names again. The same thing happened to Passion UA last year — they qualified, played well, and then their stars were bought by big teams. Fnatic signed Rodion "fear" Smyk and Dmytro "jambo" Semera from that team.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the same happens to B8. There will be offers — especially for npl, who has grown a lot as an IGL. He doesn’t top the scoreboard, but his progress in the last two years after NAVI is impressive. He is still contracted with NAVI and plays at B8 on loan. This might be the last time we see B8 in this lineup — but what a journey it’s been. They earned their spot, and they’ll get their stickers. The years of waiting finally paid off.