Reading Time: 2 minutes
Counter-Strike 2 will return to the Esports World Cup once again in 2026, with twice as many teams as ever before, a new format that gives teams more opportunities to succeed, a record-breaking $2 million prize pool, and an open qualifier that will take place in the heart of the Esports Boulevard in Riyadh.
Here’s everything you need to know about CS2 at EWC 2026:
SCHEDULE AND FORMAT
-
The CS2 tournament at EWC 2026 will begin August 12th, 2026, and will conclude with the grand final on August 23rd, 2026. All stages of the tournament will take place entirely on LAN.
-
The CS2 tournament will consist of two stages:
-
Stage 1: A 32-team group stage featuring four groups of eight teams competing in double-elimination brackets. Opening rounds matches will be best-of-one, with the remaining matches being best-of-three.
-
Stage 2: A 16-team single-elimination playoff bracket. All matches will be best-of-three up until the grand final, which will be best-of-five.
-
QUALIFICATION INFO
-
32 teams will qualify for Stage One of the tournament:
-
21 invited teams based on the Global VRS rankings following the first monthly VRS publication of June 2026
-
2 teams invited based on the North American VRS rankings (not including teams in the Top 21 globally)
-
2 teams invited based on the South American VRS rankings (not including teams in the Top 21 globally)
-
2 teams invited based on the Asian VRS rankings (not including teams in the Top 21 globally)
-
The winner of Asian Champions League 2026
-
Four teams from an Open Qualifier that will be played on LAN in-person at the Esports Boulevard in Riyadh
-
Open Qualifier Dates: August 7th-9th
-
Open Qualifier Format: As many Double Elimination Groups needed based off signups
-
Top 4 teams advance to the main event. This is a non-BYOC LAN event that can support up to 128 teams. More information, including how to register, will be made available soon.
-
-
-
Main event tournament seeding will be based on the Global VRS rankings following the first monthly VRS publication of July 2026
PRIZE POOL
This year’s Counter-Strike 2 tournament at EWC 2026 will feature a $2 million prize pool for the main event, the largest ever for a CS2 tournament, and tied for the largest ever in Counter-Strike history with the PGL Stockholm Major in 2021.
Here’s the main event prize pool breakdown:
-
1st: $600,000
-
2nd: $340,000
-
3rd: $190,000
-
4th: $110,000
-
5th-8th: $60,000
-
9th-16th: $35,000
-
17th-23th: $20,000
-
24th-32nd: $10,000
The Open Qualifier on LAN will also feature its own separate $100,000 prize pool in addition to the four available slots in the main event.
-
1st-4th:
-
Qualifies to the Main Event
-
-
5th-8th:
-
$9,500
-
-
9th-16th:
-
$7,750
-
CS2 AT EWC 2025 RECAP
The Counter-Strike 2 tournament at the Esports World Cup in 2025 was a historic event, which saw international fan favorites The MongolZ finally lift the elusive trophy they’ve been chasing.
The MongolZ defeated the likes of GamerLegion, 3DMAX, Team Vitality, and Aurora en route to claiming the $500,000 grand prize. Sodbayar “Techno4K” Munkhbold was named the SONY MVP, after his amazing individual performances at EWC 25 throughout the event. He will receive an additional $10,000 and the MVP medal to recognise his achievements.
While they ultimately didn’t win the CS2 tournament, Team Falcons’ 3rd place result played a major part in securing the club its second straight EWC Club Championship, with superstar Nikola “NiKo” Kovač taking the stage at the Closing Ceremony to lift the illustrious trophy.
The post CS2 at Esports World Cup 2026 Will Expand to 32 Teams, Two-Stage Format With Double Elimination, and Feature Open Qualifier on LAN appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.