Counter-Strike 2 at the Esports World Cup 2026 Tournament Guide—Schedule, Format, and Teams
The Esports World Cup 2026 will feature a 32-team Counter-Strike 2 tournament with a $2 million prize pool. The final roster was determined after the Last Chance Qualifiers, where BIG, 100 Thieves, JiJieHao, and K27 secured their places in the competition. Notably, BC.Game, featuring star player Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev, failed to qualify through the LCQ and will await their Tier 1 debut with the new lineup.
The tournament runs August 12-23, 2026. The group stage takes place from August 12-16, featuring four eight-team groups using a GSL double-elimination format. The top four teams from each group advance to the 16-team playoffs scheduled for August 19-23. All matches are contested in a Best of 3 format throughout the tournament.