The MongolZ has failed to qualify for the ESL Pro League Season 22 Playoffs after being knocked out by NAVI in its final Stage 2 match.
The Mongolian national team struggled to find form, bowing out of the Counter-Strike 2 tournament with a 2-3 win-loss record.
During the match, the commentators cited a possible lack of practice as a reason for the team’s recent downward turn in form. Before the tournament, Ayush ‘mzinho‘ Batbold revealed the team had spent a week with family after spending several weeks away competing in other events.
NAVI struck first with a dominant 13-3 victory on Nuke, however, the Mongolians bounced back in the early stages of Ancient, taking a 6-1 lead.
The Ukrainian organisation managed to overturn the deficit, taking the map 16-12 and a 2-0 sweep to send the world’s best Counter-Strike 2 team packing.
The MongolZ recently took the top spot in October’s Valve Regional Standings (VRS) after winning the Esports World Cup in August and recording second-place finishes at FISSURE Playground 2 and BLAST Bounty Season 2.
What Next For The MongolZ?
Following elimination from ESL Pro League Season 22, the focus of The MongolZ turns to the Thunderpick World Championship as it looks to find some form ahead of November’s StarLadder Budapest Major.
Taking place from October 15th to 19th, 2025, the Thunderpick World Championship features eight teams competing for a $340,000 (~£253,062) prize pool in Malta.
The event is one of the final Tier 1 tournaments taking place before the Major. The MongolZ is one of four teams receiving a direct invitation to the event based on its position in the August VRS. It joins NAVI, FURIA, and Aurora Gaming.
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