Overview

Counter-Strike 2 is one of 24 featured titles at the 2026 Esports World Cup. The event takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and brings together 32 international teams for an in-person competition. Organizers list an all-LAN setup, meaning every match is played on site.

The tournament window is stated as August 12–23, 2026. Some schedules also note August 19–24 for match days in Riyadh. The event uses a reworked format compared with past editions and offers a total of $2 million in prizes for the main event.

Competitive Format

The competition runs in two stages. The goal is to give teams a fair chance to recover from an early loss while still keeping the bracket clear and decisive.

Stage 1: Group phase with four groups of eight teams. Each group uses a double-elimination format. Opening matches are Best-of-One (Bo1). All following matches in this stage are Best-of-Three (Bo3). In double elimination, a team drops to a lower bracket after its first loss and is eliminated after its second loss.

Stage 2: Playoff bracket with 16 teams in single elimination. All matches are Bo3 except the Grand Final, which is Best-of-Five (Bo5). In single elimination, any match loss removes a team from the tournament, so performance in this phase must be consistent.

This structure rewards steady play across multiple series. Teams that start slowly still have a path forward in Stage 1, while Stage 2 places full weight on each match.

Qualification and Team Selection

The main event features 32 teams. Twenty-one teams receive direct invitations based on Global VRS rankings as of June 2026. The remaining 11 spots are decided through qualifiers, including regional events and an open LAN qualifier.

The open qualifier runs August 7–9, 2026, at the Esports Boulevard in Riyadh. It uses a double-elimination format and can host up to 128 teams. The top four finishers in the open qualifier earn places in the main event. This qualifier has its own $100,000 prize pool, which is awarded to teams based on placement.

Regional qualifiers fill the rest of the available slots not covered by invites or the open qualifier. Together, these paths ensure a mix of top-ranked teams and rising squads that prove themselves on LAN shortly before the main event.

Schedule and Venue

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, hosts all stages of the CS2 competition, including the open qualifier and the main event. All matches are played on LAN. The event window is listed as August 12–23, 2026, while some schedules specify August 19–24 for CS2 match days. The group phase is planned for the early part of the window, with playoffs taking place near the end. Any detailed daily schedule, including exact match times, follows the tournament’s official announcements closer to the event.

Match Structure Explained

Best-of-One (Bo1) means a single map decides the match. This speeds up early rounds and helps fit many opening matches into a short time frame. It also increases the chance of upsets because there is no second map to correct an early mistake.

Best-of-Three (Bo3) reduces randomness. Teams must win two maps to advance, which better reflects overall strength across different maps and play styles. Most matches in Stage 1 and all non-final playoff matches use Bo3 to balance time and competitive integrity.

Best-of-Five (Bo5) for the Grand Final gives both finalists a wide map pool to work with. It rewards depth in strategy, stamina, and preparation. A five-map series makes it less likely that a single misstep decides the championship.

Double elimination in Stage 1 creates two paths: upper bracket and lower bracket. A team that loses once still has a chance to reach Stage 2 through the lower bracket. Single elimination in Stage 2 raises the stakes, making every match decisive.

Prize Pool and Distribution

The main event awards $2,000,000 across all 32 teams. First place receives $600,000. Payouts scale down across the field, with 32nd place earning $10,000. The open qualifier adds $100,000 in prizes, bringing the combined total to $2.1 million across both the qualifier and the main event.

Distributing prizes to every team ensures that participants receive compensation for qualifying and competing on site. Larger shares go to teams that progress deeper, reflecting the difficulty of advancing through a long bracket against strong opponents.

What to Expect from the Competition

The field blends invited teams with strong ranking histories and qualifier teams that have proved form on LAN shortly before the event. The two-stage design means early losses are not always the end, but the playoff bracket allows no mistakes. With all matches played in one city and on LAN, conditions are consistent for every participant. The schedule across August, the structured match formats, and the clear qualification path set a stable stage for a high level of play.