The third edition of the League’s traditional June cyber tournament has taken place — and it turned out to be the biggest one yet. Here's how it all went down.
This year, the Freedom Media Cyber Cup was held in Astana for the first time, but the EA FC 25 battles on PlayStation 5 began long before the past weekend. To earn a spot in the tournament, players had to go through internal qualifiers within their clubs. These qualifying matches took place at regional Changan Kazakhstan dealerships — the premium partner of the Freedom QJ League.
As a result of the qualifying tournaments, 22 players from the 22 participating League clubs earned their spots and traveled to the capital of Kazakhstan to determine who among them is the best.
The preliminary stage, held on Saturday, took place at the capital’s gaming club The Hood. A draw split the players into four groups, with the top two from each advancing to the playoffs. As a result, the quarterfinalists were: Alikhan Ali (Ontustik), Timur Deshko (Khan-Tengri), Dosymzhan Dossetov (Caspiy), Timur Titarenko (Irtysh), Daniyar Sharabadin (Kaisar), Maksat Abrayev (Astana), Nurkhad Nurymov (Kairat), and Mansur Nurlan (Altay).
It’s worth noting that while Dosymzhan Dossetov dominated Group B with a perfect record, the battle for second place was incredibly tight. Four players — Timur Titarenko, Amirkhan Alikhanov, Zhangir Tolegen, and Artyom Shimansky — each finished with 7 points. The final quarterfinal spot was decided by a tiebreaker: goal difference.
The eight strongest esports players of the League continued their battle for the trophy at Mega Silk Way — on the big stage, in the spotlight of hundreds of mall visitors. Teammates, family members, and friends of the players, as well as all fans, could follow the action online thanks to the live broadcast on Freedom Media — complete with commentators and a matchday studio.
In the first quarterfinal match, Alikhan Ali and Timur Titarenko delivered a thrilling goal-fest. The Ontustik forward came out on top, scoring one goal more — 4:3 — to secure his place in the next round.
It was a tough battle as well between Dosymzhan Dossetov and Timur Deshko — the Khan-Tengri midfielder clinched a spot in the top four with a 3:2 victory.
Meanwhile, Daniyar Sharabadin confidently defeated Mansur Nurlan with a score of 5:1, while Maksat Abrayev kept a clean sheet against Nurkhad Nurymov, winning 4:0.
The semifinals were packed with goals: Sharabadin defeated Alikhan Ali with a 5:3 scoreline, while Abrayev overcame Timur Deshko in a high-scoring 7:4 clash.
Thus, Daniyar and Maksat, having reached the final, got the chance to relive their semifinal showdown from last year — but this time, with much higher stakes.
It’s worth noting that both players chose Real Madrid for the final series — just as they had planned before the tournament began.
It’s worth mentioning that the preliminary stage draw placed Sharabadin and Abrayev in the same group — yet both advanced to the playoffs without issue. Daniyar cruised through the group stage, facing little resistance: four matches, four wins.
Back then, he also defeated Maksat. But in the final series, played in a Best of 3 format, Abrayev managed to turn the tables — just like he did a year earlier — beating Sharabadin with scores of 4:2 and 2:0.
On his second attempt, Abrayev finally lifted the long-awaited trophy — handed to him personally by the League President, Rokhus Shokh.
Maksat’s teammates from Astana rushed onto the stage to share the triumphant moment with him — under a shower of confetti and the iconic anthem “We Are the Champions” by Queen.
For the first time in Freedom Media Cyber Cup history, the tournament was open not only to League footballers but to everyone interested. The prize pool for the open competition totaled one million tenge, with half of it awarded to the winner.
A total of 128 residents and visitors of the city took part in this bracket. Among them were professional FIFA players, two of whom — Alisher (alish_back) Mukanali and Fyodor (Fenuma) Zenin — reached the title match. Just like the finalists of the footballers' tournament, they both chose the Royal Club — and it was Fedor who came out on top, winning 5:1.
It’s worth noting that the winner of the very first cyber tournament — Yernazar Dyussekov, who previously represented Aksu — also tested his skills in the open category. He managed to reach the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, the break for final exams is coming to an end — youth football will return later this week.
Freedom Media is offering a special 3-month subscription for just 5 tenge — exclusively for you! Sign up using the promo code QJ2025!
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