She is Argentine, plays on a Brazilian team and is a world champion in Counter Strike 2.
On May 25th, the country celebrated 215 years of the May Revolution, while in the city of Dallas, in the United States, a young woman began her own revolution. Lucía Dubra , 24, made history by becoming the first Argentine to become world champion of Counter Strike 2 (CS2) in the ESL Impact League , the most prestigious women's league on the competitive circuit.
From her early days at her father's cybercafé to the prejudices she had to battle in a toxic and sexist environment, Dubra spoke with LA NACION from Itapema, Brazil, about her triumph on that national holiday, in front of 10,000 spectators who packed the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and hundreds of thousands more connected online. She also discussed the technical and emotional demands of becoming a professional Counter-Strike player.
“ 'We have to win tomorrow, it's May 25th. It's going to be my revolution ,'” she joked with her teammates the night before the final. That confidence, desire, and leadership weren't coincidental but rather reflections of her experience: her role as a key player for the Argentine national team in two World Cups—Indonesia 2022 and Romania 2023, both finalists—propelled her to leave her mark on Brazil's most powerful team.
“After the first World Cup, my parents saw that this was serious, that there was a way out, and they began to understand it much more. By the second, they were already my fans. My whole life, I wanted to graduate to see them proud, but when I competed, I realized I had achieved it anyway: I could make them proud without a college degree ,” he reflects today.
Lucía Dubra, or " Lulitenz ," as she's known in the gaming world, was born in Buenos Aires in 2001, but her family moved to Carlos Tejedor shortly after, where she spent her childhood. Her father, Gustavo, opened DyD Computación in 2004, the town's first (and only) cybercafé, right at the height of the Counter-Strike and competitive gaming boom. Her first memories of those pixels were when she was just six years old , virtually battling it out with her brother Guido, who was ten years older.
“ At that time, I would just log in and explore the map ,” she recalls, proudly referring to her early days playing the game that had been with her throughout her life. Little by little, she improved, and after the cybercafé closed in 2007, she continued practicing on her brother's computer, the only one in the house. During those sessions, she began interacting online with players from other countries and becoming familiar with Portuguese, as Brazil quickly established itself as the leading country in the region, with the largest number of players and a professional infrastructure.
However, that early passion was interrupted by something stronger than curiosity or skill: the online hostility of other players. “ It was kind of dangerous ,” she admits. The comments, ridicule, and criticism she received simply for being a woman kept her away from the game for a while, but they also made one thing clear to her: that breaking into that world was also going to be a way to spark a revolution .
Years later, her perseverance and passion for the game would lead her to join Brazil's top team, Furia Female . Overcoming prejudice, she and four teammates would win that tight final against the American Supernova Comets by a score of 2-1 to become the best in the world.
This was the outcome of the seventh edition of the ESL Impact League organized by the Electronic Sports League since 2022, one of the esports companies largest in the world, which distributes more than US$120,000 in prizes.
Counter-Strike is a tactical shooter in which two teams of five players battle for control of different maps. Matches are played in rounds of one minute and 55 seconds, which can extend the duel to up to 30 minutes. Every decision, every moment, and every shot defines the course of a confrontation in which strategy, precision, and coordinated teamwork are as decisive as in any traditional sport.
Being hired by an esports team works similarly to that of a conventional athlete with a club: you receive a monthly salary and assume professional responsibilities, which include both training and physical and mental health care. “ We train Monday through Friday, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., with a one-hour break. In the morning, you have to do individual homework, because it's not just about playing as a team: you have to study on your own (maps, weapons, tactics, game updates, and analyzing opponents),” he explains about the preparation of his team, now world champions.
Furia Female is made up of the young Argentine and four other professionals: Karina Takahashi (Kaah), Izabella Galle (Izaa), Gabriela Freindorfer (Gabs) and Bruna Marvila Oliveira do Rego (Bizinha). All with a wealth of experience and recognition at both local and international levels. Having grown up surrounded by Brazilian players, speaking fluent Portuguese and standing out in her performances with the Argentine national team were key factors in her signing. “ It was a big coincidence ,” says the young Argentine, taking no credit. Although at first her arrival generated concern among the team's fans, as she was the only foreigner, she soon earned her place.
The team is completed by Jhonatan Silva Moura , their coach (the team's strategy planner), a data analyst (in charge of gathering all the information on Furia and its rivals), and a group of psychologists and physiotherapists. He emphasizes that the work of the health professionals helps them improve emotional, anxiety, and reflex issues. They also complement this with stretching, decision-making, and reaction training exercises , some of which are very similar to those performed by Formula 1 drivers. For example, reducing reaction time by pressing buttons on screens against the clock and pattern recognition, or with practical exercises to tackle objects in the shortest possible time.
“ There is no longer this discourse that it is not a sport, because it demands a lot, it demands a lot of mental speed ,” he said about esports , which, in 2027, will have their own Olympic Games , endorsed by the International Olympic Committee.
The team arrived at the tournament as South American champions to compete against the top eight teams in North America and Europe. The result was overwhelming: Furia defeated the locals 9-13 on Ancient , 13-7 on Dust II , and 13-8 on Inferno . And they lifted the most important trophy in the women's competitive Counter-Strike 2 scene. Along the way, they added another medal: they defeated Imperial in the semi-finals, another strong team in the scene, which had won the previous six editions.
Neither the stadium lights, nor the crowd, nor the real possibility of making history managed to unnerve the young Argentinian. Her secret? “ Paying attention to enjoying it.” “ That final was played in a unique setting: for the first time, a women's final preceded a men's final . That's why I tried to think positively,” she recalls.
With her place secured and looking to the future, the young woman doesn't set herself any ulterior motives, but she's not content with what she's achieved either: " My goal is to stay focused on where I am and not hit the brakes just because something went well. Our team's mentality is clear: we're going to work the way we need to, and the results will be the result of that effort."
Despite the success and recognition she's garnered recently, Lucía Dubra remains faithful to the values of humility and respect instilled in her by her parents. " I never stop to think about whether I'm the best ," she asserts. Far from confining herself to a bubble of achievements, her public exposure has led her to listen to and support the demands of the female Counter-Strike community. Every day, she answers dozens of messages from women asking for advice on starting the game, joining the world of esports , or confronting sexism, harassment, and discrimination. "I always try to get involved. If I don't do it, I feel like I'm not using something important that I have. I know it will help many girls," she asserts.
She's particularly critical of the attitude of some men on the competitive circuit: from those who refuse to train with women to those who insist on dividing players by gender without any real arguments. "Unfortunately, I've been living with this for so many years that I've gotten used to it. There's nothing they can say to me that hasn't already been said to me." And she admits with a hint of resignation: "To this day, I think, 'Maybe they'll respect me now,' but there will always be someone who doesn't." She also attacks the inequality in investment: " There are a lot of Argentine women who play well, but the problem is that you can't play all your life for the love of the art ."
Her revolution is now irreversible. " What starts to grow never stops growing ," she maintains, and believes that over the years the situation has improved "a little," but that there are still many battles to fight: gender divisions still exist without technical justification, and inequality in salaries and prizes. Her hope is that her story will inspire other young women and that more and more women will be encouraged to play and compete professionally.
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