Team Ireland has achieved a landmark success at the 2025 European Cyber Security Challenge (ECSC), clinching a top-10 finish among 39 nations, the country’s strongest performance to date. Remarkably, this was Ireland’s youngest-ever team, showcasing the extraordinary potential of its rising cybersecurity talent. This milestone caps years of strategic planning, rigorous training, and investment in cultivating the next generation of cyber experts.
Held over four days in Warsaw, Poland, the ECSC is renowned as the world’s most formidable Capture The Flag (CTF) competition. The event’s two intense competition days tested teams across a range of cybersecurity disciplines, including cryptography, reverse engineering, web exploitation, digital forensics, hardware hacking, binary exploitation and attack/defence, where teams defend their own deliberately vulnerable services, while attempting to exploit their opponents. Ireland’s young team delivered a stellar performance, securing a remarkable 8th place on day one and 10th on day two, more than holding their own against Europe’s, and the world’s, elite young cybersecurity talent.
Ireland’s recent ascent in the ECSC has been meteoric: from 25th in 2023 to 16th in 2024, and now a top-10 finish in 2025. This continued improvement emphasises the success of Ireland’s national programs, designed to identify and nurture exceptional talent through competitions like ZeroDays CTF and Cyber-Schools CTF. This was also Ireland’s youngest ever team, and notably, three of the ten players participated at the Cyber-Schools CTF in March 2025, a key stepping stone to their selection for the national team. These national events identify Ireland’s top young CTF players, preparing them to compete on the global stage.
The team is led by manager Mark Lane, whose leadership and vision have been central to Ireland’s success. “This top-10 finish by our youngest-ever team reflects years of dedication from players, coaches, and our supportive community,” said Lane. “Every member of the team, from the players to our coaches and sponsors, has contributed to this historic achievement.”
Supporting Lane is a talented coaching team: Daniel Cahill, Dean Brennan, Michael Hegarty, Ronan Donohue, Slava Opashnyuk, Ivan Novikov and Pietro Bempos, whose expertise and mentorship prepared the team to tackle the ECSC’s diverse challenges. Team Captain Cillian Collins provided crucial leadership, rallying the squad, comprising Cillian, Tony, Kacper, Andrew, Samuel, Finnian, Anya, Ari, Piotr, and Dara, under pressure. “Leading this team was an incredible honour,” Collins said. “Our players gave everything, and with the backing of our coaches and sponsors, we proved we can compete with the world’s best.”
The team’s success was supported by generous sponsors; Cytidel, ReliaQuest, AIB, ZeroDays, the National Cyber Security Centre, and TU Dublin School of Informatics and Cybersecurity, whose support enabled training, travel, and participation in this prestigious event.
This top-10 finish by Ireland’s youngest-ever team is a testament to the passion of dedicated volunteers united by a shared vision. In Warsaw we showcased Ireland’s emergence as a cybersecurity powerhouse. This success reflects the impact of sustained mentorship, collaboration, vision and ambition. With increased investment and resources, Ireland’s cybersecurity program could achieve even greater heights, inspiring and empowering future generations of cyber talent to excel on the global stage.
