The Ukrainian team Passion UA announced that they will participate in all tournaments from Valve's official cycle, even if it means playing on platforms sponsored by Russian bookmakers. However, all prize money from such events will be directed to support Ukraine.

Context and Reason for the Decision

The announcement came shortly after Valve introduced an updated qualification system for the next major — the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. Specifically, the MRQ (Major Regional Qualifier) was canceled, significantly increasing the importance of other events in the cycle. We have already detailed the cancellation of the MRQ and other changes in our special article. Now, teams aiming to participate in the major are forced to compete for points and rankings in literally every available tournament from the official calendar.

For Passion UA, this means they cannot ignore even those tournaments potentially financed by structures associated with Russian bookmakers. Despite ethical concerns, the team decides to participate but with the caveat that all potential prize money from such tournaments will be donated to charity in support of Ukraine.

How the Team Implements Their Strategy

Passion UA confirmed that they will compete in all tournaments included in Valve's official cycle. This includes open and closed qualifiers, regional competitions, and commercial events that award points or influence major qualification. Despite this, the team emphasizes that all prize money earned in such tournaments will be directed to support Ukraine. The management describes this step as an attempt to balance sports goals with civic responsibility:

In the event that a tournament is directly sponsored by companies linked to Russian bookmakers, all winnings will be donated to support Ukraine.

Passion UA

Thus, Passion UA clearly sets a boundary: they are willing to participate but not willing to profit from tournaments supported by structures associated with the aggressor.

Amid the cancellation of the MRQ and increasing competition in the StarLadder Major qualifiers, Passion UA's decision to accept any conditions to reach the major is an example of sports pragmatism allied with moral stance. The CS2 scene in 2025 is becoming not only an arena for esports competition but also a space where team values matter more than just victories.