MESA Nomadic Masters Fall 2025 stripped of ranked status amidst controversy

The MESA Nomadic Masters Fall 2025, a $250k tournament that was going to take place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, has been stripped of its ranked status by Valve.

The tournament violated Section 3.5 of the Tournament Operation Requirements, which prohibits selective access to open qualifiers. Documents revealed that MESA attempted to move the event dates to fall before the StarLadder Budapest Major cutoff, while charging teams a non-refundable $10,000 “first-come, first-served” fee for qualifier spots.

The decision adds to mounting controversy around the organizer, who has already been accused of cutting the prize pool, shifting dates, and failing to pay talent. Complexity’s GM messioso had recently shared the email offer he got from an unnamed TO, with ENCE and Partizan staff also confirming similar approaches. Casters like like Elfishguy had also recently blasted the TO for “ghosting unpaid talent”.

Valve also commented on their decision confirming that "some teams had advance access to the sign-up process for a first-come-first-served open event, which violates 3.5 of the TOR."

MESA then released their own statement in response, stating that prior to the public announcement, they had shared the details of the tournament to the interested teams who had contacted MESA enquiring about the 'scheduling and logistics'. However, their statement made no mention of the entry fee allegations or the claims of unpaid talent.