The Ukrainian Professional Esports Association (UPEA) announced the start of the new CS2 and Dota 2 season. The competitions, with a prize pool of 1.6 million hryvnias, will include LEGION National Leagues and special tournaments. UPEA aims to attract the attention of both spectators and players by offering a variety of competition formats.

The new UPEA season is interesting because, despite the wartime difficulties, the Association continues to develop Ukrainian esport and gives young players the opportunity to participate in tournaments for free.

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Important details and context

With the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, esports is becoming an important platform for social activism. UPEA's mission is unchanged - to create a stable space for young Ukrainians to realize themselves in esports disciplines. Support from Lenovo and LEGION brand allows to realize this ambitious project despite all the difficulties.

Previous UPEA CS2 tournaments, such as UPEA Ukrainian Championship 2021 and UPEA Ukrainian Cup, showed a high level of competition with the strongest Ukrainian teams, including Esports Club Kyiv (later IKLA), B8 and others. These tournaments helped to strengthen the position of Ukrainian players on the international scene. The total prize fund of these tournaments amounted to 715.000 UAH, now it will be 1.000.000 UAH.

The last major UPEA Dota 2 tournaments were UPEA Ukrainian Championship 2021, where blood notes won, and UPEA Ukrainian Cup 2021. The latter tournament was won by the V-Gaming team, consisting of four Kazakhs and one Ukrainian. These tournaments left a bright mark in Ukrainian esports and emphasized the growing competition among the teams in the region. The total prize pool for these tournaments amounted to UAH 500,000, now it will be UAH 600,000.

2024 season details

The UPEA season will run from September to December 2024 and will culminate with the finals, which will be held in an online format. The main event will be the LEGION National Leagues for CS2 and Dota 2 with a prize pool of UAH 1,000,000 for the CS2 tournament and UAH 600,000 for Dota 2. Qualifications will be free and will open the doors to everyone.

For the first time in the new season will be held LEGION Streamer Competition in CS2 and Dota 2. This event will mark the significant growth of the Ukrainian streamer community in recent years. In addition, UPEA will present a new Drone Racing tournament, details of which will be published later.

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Conclusion

War has a significant impact on the life of every Ukrainian, and esports is one of the few areas that continues to develop and bring positivity. UPEA, staying true to its mission, brings back a great season of tournaments, supporting Ukrainian players and attracting new participants to the world of esports.