zAAz Criticizes Valve Over the State of the Women’s Professional CS2 Scene

Veteran esports player Zainab “zAAz” Turkie has spoken out about the current state of the women’s professional Counter-Strike 2 scene. She expressed serious concerns about its decline and criticized Valve for not paying enough attention to women’s esports.

zAAz shared her thoughts on her personal X account, tagging the official Counter-Strike profile. The player noted that she has been involved in esports for 24 years and has competed professionally for around 20 of them. According to Turkie, she has witnessed almost the entire evolution of Counter-Strike, but has never seen such a significant decline in the women’s competitive scene before.

zAAz made it clear that she believes the current situation should give Valve serious reason to reconsider the state of the professional ecosystem. She appeared particularly concerned about the scale of the changes that have affected the women’s scene in recent months.

One of the key issues has been the end of the ESL Impact series. In late 2025, ESL announced that it would no longer run tournaments under the ESL Impact banner, which had served as an important part of the women’s competitive Counter-Strike ecosystem for several years.

Following the decision, the future of the scene became increasingly uncertain. Some esports organizations began shutting down their women’s rosters, citing concerns about the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem. At the same time, several professional players announced their retirement from competitive play.

The decline in tournament activity is also reflected in the numbers. At the time of publication, ten women-only tournaments had been held in 2026, with a combined prize pool of approximately $67,000.zAAz Criticizes Valve Over the State of the Women’s Professional CS2 Scene

Veteran esports player Zainab “zAAz” Turkie has spoken out about the current state of the women’s professional Counter-Strike 2 scene. She expressed serious concerns about its decline and criticized Valve for not paying enough attention to women’s esports.

zAAz shared her thoughts on her personal X account, tagging the official Counter-Strike profile. The player noted that she has been involved in esports for 24 years and has competed professionally for around 20 of them. According to Turkie, she has witnessed almost the entire evolution of Counter-Strike, but has never seen such a significant decline in the women’s competitive scene before.

zAAz made it clear that she believes the current situation should give Valve serious reason to reconsider the state of the professional ecosystem. She appeared particularly concerned about the scale of the changes that have affected the women’s scene in recent months.

One of the key issues has been the end of the ESL Impact series. In late 2025, ESL announced that it would no longer run tournaments under the ESL Impact banner, which had served as an important part of the women’s competitive Counter-Strike ecosystem for several years.

Esports World Cup 2026 Groups Revealed for Counter-Strike 2

Following the decision, the future of the scene became increasingly uncertain. Some esports organizations began shutting down their women’s rosters, citing concerns about the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem. At the same time, several professional players announced their retirement from competitive play.

The decline in tournament activity is also reflected in the numbers. At the time of publication, ten women-only tournaments had been held in 2026, with a combined prize pool of approximately $67,000.