As a huge Counter-Strike fan, I’m so excited for the Esports World Cup 2026! They’re really going all out with the CS2 event – the prize pool is an incredible $2 million, and they’re letting 32 teams compete, which is double the usual amount. It’s awesome that everyone will have a chance to qualify through open qualifiers, and the best part? All the matches will be played live on LAN in Riyadh. This is shaping up to be the biggest CS2 tournament we’ve ever seen!
The Counter-Strike 2 tournament at the Esports World Cup 2026 is set to be the biggest ever, with a record-breaking $2 million prize pool. Organizers are also increasing the number of competing teams from 16 to 32.
The competition will run from August 12th to August 23rd, with all matches played on a local area network (LAN). Since it began in 2024, Valve’s Counter-Strike has been a key part of the Esports World Cup, alongside Valve’s other popular game, Dota 2.
The 2026 Esports World Cup for Counter-Strike 2 will feature open qualifiers held at Riyadh’s Esports Boulevard. These qualifiers will decide 4 of the 32 teams that compete in the main event, and will also award a $100,000 prize to the winners.
The main event’s $2 million prize is the biggest in Counter-Strike history, matching the prize awarded at the 2021 PGL Stockholm Major.
Invites and Qualification
The tournament will begin with 32 teams. Twenty-seven teams will be directly invited based on their VRS Rankings. These invites will be decided using the first official VRS Rankings, which will be published in June 2026.
- 21 invited teams (Global VRS Rankings)
- Winner of Asian Champions League 2026
- 2 teams based on North American VRS (not in Top 21)
- 2 teams based on South American VRS (not in Top 21)
- 2 teams based on Asian VRS (not in Top 21)
- 4 teams from Open Qualifier
Format
- Stage 1: A 32-team group stage (4 groups of 8, double elim). Round 1 matches bo1, remaining matches bo3.
- Stage 2: A 16-team single-elimination bo3 playoff bracket with a bo5 Grand Finals.
Prize Pool breakdown
- 1st: $600,000
- 2nd: $340,000
- 3rd: $190,000
- 4th: $110,000
- 5th-8th: $60,000
- 9th-16th: $35,000
- 17th-23rd: $20,000
- 24th-32nd: $10,000
The 2025 Esports World Cup for Counter-Strike 2 was an exciting tournament full of surprises. Unexpectedly, strong teams like Spirit and Navi were eliminated early, while Aurora Gaming showed impressive growth, ultimately culminating in a dominant win for The MongolZ. Featuring a $2 million prize and 32 competing teams, this event could become the largest Counter-Strike 2 competition of 2026.
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2025-10-10 21:11