That Night at the Austin Major, Mentality, New Lineup, and Their Road to Success

Mongolia’s world-class Counter-Strike 2 representative The MongolZ spoke openly at The Tonight Show starring Ankhbayar about the historic moment they reached the grand final of the BLAST Austin Major, the powerful wave of nationwide support from Mongolian fans, the mental pressure of playing on the biggest stage, and the addition of their new player Controlez.

At the beginning of the interview, the host praised the team by saying, “You managed to turn the name Mongolia into a global brand,” and describing the unity and fondness of The MongolZ fanbase as a historic moment in which the entire country came together at the same time.

Austin Major – The night before the Grand Final

The night The MongolZ reached the grand final of the BLAST Austin Major, images and stories spread widely across social media showing supporters gathering across Mongolia — at Sukhbaatar Square, parks, and pubs, even in the countrysides — creating what many called a moment when all of Mongolia breathed as one.

According to the players, tournament staff usually take away their phones about an hour before matches, so they only fully realized the scale of the atmosphere back home after the match ended.

“If we had known before the match, we probably would have panicked and wouldn’t have been able to perform,” the team said.

They also described the atmosphere inside the arena after winning the first map as overwhelmingly intense — “as if the arena might collapse.”

A lesson from the Final Loss

One player shared that the biggest risk after winning the first map was losing focus mentally. Although they won the first map easily with a 13:6 scoreline, they became more relaxed afterward, and their concentration dropped on the following map — especially as the image of lifting the trophy started appearing in his minds, which affected the performance.

Despite the loss, the team expressed strong confidence in their future and emphasized their determination to eventually lift a trophy, while supporters continue to believe their championship moment will come soon.

Controlez and the New Lineup

Another highlight of the interview was the arrival of Controlez. When the host joked that he looked like “The MongolZ logo coming to life,” the players agreed and shared humorous stories about his personality.

They added that, given the extremely busy tournament schedule, playing with Controlez was “the best decision” they could have made.

Their Background: Family, Hard Work, and Opportunity

The interview also included emotional stories about the players’ childhoods, their first computers, and family circumstances. One player revealed that he borrowed nearly six months of his grandmother’s pension to buy the first PC that could run Counter-Strike.

They also spoke about how difficult the early days were when they started competing internationally — with very limited support and almost no sponsors. Some days, food was scarce, and life was tough, but they emphasized that the team never gave up.

First Prize Money: Buying Apartments for Their Parents

When asked what they spent their first prize money on, the team answered:

“Most of us come from middle-class families. With our first prize earnings, we bought apartments for our parents.” This was one of the most powerful moments of the interview.

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The Tonight Show is one of America’s most iconic late-night television programs, known globally for its celebrity interviews, comedy sketches, and music performances. In 2025, Mongolia became the first country to launch an official international adaptation of the format through Central TV, titled The Tonight Show Starring Ankhbayar, hosted by Ankhbayar Ganbold.

That Night at the Austin Major, Mentality, New Lineup, and Their Road to Success -the full interview has been viewed 636,000 times as of this writing, and the full episode is available below.

Credit to The tonight show with Ankhbayar