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A Kosovo-based Counter-Strike 2 team called ex-MANA just punched its ticket to the finals of ESL Challenger League Season 52 Europe Cup #2, defeating BasementBoysCS2 in the semi-finals.
The win itself is a milestone for a squad that has only existed since early June 2026. In roughly two months, ex-MANA has gone from a freshly assembled roster to finalists in one of Europe’s most recognized competitive CS2 circuits.
From roster shuffle to rapid ascent
Ex-MANA formed after key players, including cerber, BledarD, and ammar, transferred from the previous MANA organization on June 2-3, 2026.
As of late July 2026, ex-MANA sits at #170 in the global rankings and #208 in Valve’s own ranking system. Their peak ranking hit #83, suggesting the ceiling for this roster is considerably higher than where they currently sit.
Total earnings for the roster clock in at approximately $6,000. That number looks modest when compared to the millions flowing through top-tier esports, but this is a two-month-old team competing in challenger-level tournaments, not a legacy organization with years of prize pools behind it.
The esports-crypto relationship: it’s complicated
Major crypto exchanges like FTX (before its spectacular implosion), Coinbase, and Crypto.com have poured significant sponsorship dollars into esports organizations and tournaments. Ex-MANA, for its part, has no identified connection to any cryptocurrency tokens or blockchain projects. The team appears to be operating under a traditional esports model: compete, win prize money, attract sponsors, repeat.
The collapse of FTX in late 2022 cooled some of the enthusiasm for crypto-esports partnerships, but the category has quietly rebounded. Multiple exchanges and Web3 projects continue to sponsor tournaments and teams across various competitive titles.
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