Counter Strike 2 #

General Provisions #

These rules inherit all rules from the main rulebook.

These rules apply to all participants of the “Counter Strike 2” tournament (hereinafter “CS2” or “Game”).

The rules may be available in several languages. If the individual versions differ, the English version is considered the source of the truth.

Tournament Information #

Tournament Platform #

The official tournament platform for this tournament is ibexgaming.org .

Please make sure that each Team is registered until 30.09.2026 12:00 CEST. Via The Google Forms provided by the Tournament Admin

The tournament will be played on ibexgaming.org. While the platform supports LAN servers, the SwitzerLAN does not have CS2 servers on site. The tournament will be played servers which are physically located in Bern.

The official tournament page will be Switzerlan 5v5

Tournament Format #

The tournament format is determined by the final number of confirmed teams.

All tournament formats are seeded according to the Seeding Procedure defined in this Rulebook.

Cross-Group Seeding and Tie Resolution #

Whenever teams with the same finishing position from different groups must be compared for seeding, byes, Playoff positioning, or qualification match pairings, the pre-tournament seeding will be used.

Group-stage statistics from different groups, such as match record, round difference, rounds won, or win percentage, will not be used to compare equally placed teams across different groups.

This ensures a consistent comparison in formats where groups may contain different numbers of teams due to predefined BYEs.

Results within an individual group still determine the final placement of teams inside that group.

The pre-tournament seeding is used to determine advantages such as bracket positioning, BYEs, or qualification match pairings. It does not automatically grant qualification unless explicitly stated in the respective tournament format.

When teams from different Round-Robin Groups qualify for the same subsequent stage, their final group placement always takes priority over the pre-tournament seeding.

A team finishing first in its group will always be seeded above a team finishing second in another group, regardless of their respective pre-tournament seeds.

The pre-tournament seeding is only used to determine the order between teams that achieved the same final placement in different groups.

For example, all Group Winners are ranked among themselves according to the pre-tournament seeding before any Group Runner-up is considered. All Group Runner-ups are then ranked among themselves according to the pre-tournament seeding.

This principle applies to Playoff seeding, BYE allocation, Play-In positioning, and qualification match pairings unless explicitly stated otherwise in the respective tournament format.

Round-Robin Group Tie-Breaking #

If two or more teams finish the Round-Robin Group Stage with the same number of match wins, the following tie-breaking criteria will be applied in order:

1. Head-to-Head Result
   If exactly two teams are tied, the winner of the match played between those two teams will be ranked higher.

2. Head-to-Head Record between tied teams
   If three or more teams are tied, only the matches played between the tied teams will be considered. Teams will first be ranked according to the number of match wins achieved in those matches.

3. Head-to-Head Round Difference
   If teams remain tied, the round difference from matches played between the tied teams will be used.

4. Head-to-Head Rounds Won
   If teams are still tied, the total number of rounds won in matches played between the tied teams will be used.

5. Overall Group Round Difference
   If the tie remains unresolved, the overall round difference from all matches played within the group will be used.

6. Overall Group Rounds Won
   If teams are still tied, the total number of rounds won across all group-stage matches will be used.

7. Pre-Tournament Seeding
   If all previous criteria are equal, the higher pre-tournament seeded team will receive the higher group placement.

If a multi-team tie is reduced to exactly two teams during the tie-breaking process, the Head-to-Head Result between those two teams will determine their relative placement.

These tie-breaking criteria apply only to teams within the same Round-Robin Group. Comparisons between equally placed teams from different groups are handled according to the Cross-Group Seeding and Tie Resolution rules.

16 Teams #

The tournament is played in the following stages:

A total of five Swiss rounds will be played.

Teams that achieve three wins advance to the Playoffs, while teams that reach three losses are eliminated.

The Playoff bracket is seeded according to the results of the Swiss Stage.

17–20 Teams #

The tournament is played in the following stages:

The group distribution depends on the final number of participating teams:

Missing team slots are handled through predefined BYEs and distributed according to the Seeding Procedure.

All five Group Winners qualify directly for the Top 8 Playoffs.

The five Group Runner-ups are ranked according to the pre-tournament seeding for the purpose of determining the remaining three Playoff spots.

Group-stage statistics from different groups are not used to compare Runner-ups.

The Runner-up Qualification is played as follows:

• Runner-up Seed #1 qualifies directly for the Top 8 Playoffs.
• Runner-up Seed #2 vs Runner-up Seed #5 — Bo3.
• Runner-up Seed #3 vs Runner-up Seed #4 — Bo3.
• The winners of both Bo3 matches qualify for the Top 8 Playoffs.

This results in:

5 Group Winners + 1 highest-seeded Runner-up + 2 Runner-up Qualification winners = Top 8 Playoffs.

The Playoff bracket is seeded according to the Seeding Procedure.

21–24 Teams #

The tournament is played in the following stages:

The group distribution depends on the final number of participating teams:

Missing team slots are handled through predefined BYEs and distributed according to the Seeding Procedure.

The top 2 teams from each group advance to the Top 12 Playoffs.

All six Group Winners qualify for the Top 12.

The six Group Winners are ranked among themselves according to the pre-tournament seeding and receive Seeds #1–#6.

The six Group Runner-ups are ranked among themselves according to the pre-tournament seeding and receive Seeds #7–#12.

The four highest-seeded Group Winners (Seeds #1–#4) receive a Quarterfinal BYE.

The remaining two Group Winners and all six Group Runner-ups enter the Play-In Round.

Group-stage statistics from different groups are not used to determine Quarterfinal BYEs or Play-In seeding.

Play-In Seeding and Pairings #

The Play-In Round is played as follows:

• Seed #5 vs Seed #12 — Bo3.
• Seed #6 vs Seed #11 — Bo3.
• Seed #7 vs Seed #10 — Bo3.
• Seed #8 vs Seed #9 — Bo3.

The four Play-In winners advance to the Quarterfinals.

The Quarterfinals are played as follows:

• Seed #1 vs Winner of Seed #8 vs Seed #9.
• Seed #4 vs Winner of Seed #5 vs Seed #12.
• Seed #2 vs Winner of Seed #7 vs Seed #10.
• Seed #3 vs Winner of Seed #6 vs Seed #11.

The Playoff bracket is fixed once the Play-In pairings have been created and no reseeding takes place between Playoff rounds.

Quarterfinals and Semifinals are played as Bo3.

The Grand Final is played as Bo5.

25–28 Teams #

The tournament is played in the following stages:

The group distribution depends on the final number of participating teams:

Missing team slots are handled through predefined BYEs and distributed according to the Seeding Procedure.

All seven Group Winners qualify directly for the Top 12 Playoffs.

All seven Group Runner-ups are ranked according to the pre-tournament seeding. Group-stage statistics from different groups are not used to compare the Runner-ups.

The three highest-seeded Group Runner-ups qualify directly for the Top 12 Playoffs.

The remaining four Group Runner-ups play the Runner-up Qualification as follows:

• Runner-up Seed #4 vs Runner-up Seed #7 — Bo3.
• Runner-up Seed #5 vs Runner-up Seed #6 — Bo3.
• The winners of both Bo3 matches qualify for the Top 12 Playoffs.

This results in:

7 Group Winners + 3 directly qualified Group Runner-ups + 2 Runner-up Qualification winners = Top 12 Playoffs.

Top 12 Playoff Seeding and Pairings #

The twelve qualified teams are seeded according to their final group placement and the Cross-Group Seeding rules.

• Playoff Seeds #1–#7 are assigned to the seven Group Winners according to their pre-tournament seeding.
• Playoff Seeds #8–#10 are assigned to Runner-up Seeds #1–#3 respectively.
• Playoff Seeds #11 and #12 are assigned to the two Runner-up Qualification winners, with the higher pre-tournament seeded team receiving Seed #11.

The four highest-seeded Group Winners (Playoff Seeds #1–#4) receive a direct BYE to the Quarterfinals.

The Play-In Round is played as follows:

• Seed #5 vs Seed #12 — Bo3.
• Seed #6 vs Seed #11 — Bo3.
• Seed #7 vs Seed #10 — Bo3.
• Seed #8 vs Seed #9 — Bo3.

The Quarterfinals are played as follows:

• Seed #1 vs Winner of Seed #8 vs Seed #9.
• Seed #4 vs Winner of Seed #5 vs Seed #12.
• Seed #2 vs Winner of Seed #7 vs Seed #10.
• Seed #3 vs Winner of Seed #6 vs Seed #11.

The bracket is fixed once the Play-In pairings have been created and no reseeding takes place between Playoff rounds.

Quarterfinals and Semifinals are played as Bo3.

The Grand Final is played as Bo5.

25–32 Teams #

The tournament is played in the following stages:

A total of five Swiss rounds will be played.

After completion of the Swiss Stage, the top 12 teams according to the final Swiss Stage standings advance to the Single Elimination Playoffs.

If fewer than 12 teams reach three wins due to the number of participating teams or the required BYE structure, the remaining Playoff spot or spots will be awarded to the highest-ranked teams that finished with a 2–3 record. These teams are ranked according to the final Swiss Stage seeding, using the Mid-stage Seed Calculation defined in this Rulebook.

This exception is used only where necessary to complete the Top 12 Playoff bracket.

The Playoff bracket is seeded from #1 to #12 according to the final Swiss Stage seeding.

Swiss Pairing Procedures #

12 Team Swiss Pairing Procedure #

Teams play against opponents of identical W-L record.

Three wins advance—Three losses eliminate

All elimination and advancement matches are to be best of three.

All other matches are to be best of one.

Teams are not to play the same opponent twice in the same stage, if possible.

Match-ups shall be determined by seed. The first round follows the Initial Match-ups. In round 2 and 3, the highest seeded team faces the lowest seeded team available that does not result in a rematch within the stage. In other rounds, refer to the following table and select the top-most row that does not result in a rematch:

Initial Swiss Match-ups #

Match-ups for the first round of the Swiss format are as follows:

Single Elimination Bracket #

• Bracket A:
  • 1 vs. 8
  • 4 vs. 5
• Bracket B:
  • 2 vs. 7
  • 3 vs. 6
• All matches are best of three

25–32 Team Swiss Pairing Procedure #

For tournaments with 25–32 participating teams, the Swiss Stage consists of five rounds.

All teams play together in one Swiss Stage.

• The Swiss Stage consists of 5 rounds • Every team plays all 5 rounds • Matches are BO1 • Teams are paired against opponents based on their current tournament record • After Round 5, all teams are ranked based on their final Swiss record • Top 12 advance directly to the Playoffs

Swiss Tiebreakers Teams with the same match record will be ranked using the following order:

Buchholz Score

Based on the final records of the opponents each team faced.

Head-to-Head Result

If tied teams played against each other, the winner of the direct match is ranked higher.

Head-to-Head Round Difference

Used for multi-team ties where the direct results form a cycle. Only the matches between the tied teams are considered.

Pre-Tournament Seeding

If the tie is still unresolved, the higher Pre-Tournament Seed is ranked higher.

Initial Swiss Match-ups #

For 32 participating teams, the first-round match-ups are:

For 25/27/29/31 participating teams, BYEs may be required. BYEs are assigned according to the pre-tournament seeding and the Swiss pairing procedure.

Subsequent Swiss Rounds #

After the initial round, teams are primarily matched against opponents with the same current win-loss record.

Within each win-loss group, teams are ranked according to the Mid-stage Seed Calculation defined in this Rulebook.

The highest-ranked available team is paired against the lowest-ranked available team, followed by the second-highest against the second-lowest, and so on.

Teams should not play the same opponent more than once during the Swiss Stage.

If the standard pairing would result in a rematch, the next valid pairing combination will be used.

If a win-loss group contains an odd number of teams, teams may be moved between adjacent win-loss groups where necessary in order to create valid pairings and avoid unnecessary BYEs.

If the total number of active teams is odd and a BYE is unavoidable, the BYE will be assigned according to the Swiss seeding procedure. A team should not receive more than one BYE during the Swiss Stage unless no valid alternative exists.

A BYE counts as a match win for the purpose of the team’s Swiss record.

Round 4 and Round 5 Pairing Priority #

For the 32-team Swiss Stage, Round 4 and Round 5 record groups containing twelve teams are paired according to the following priority table.

Teams within the respective W-L record group are ranked from Seed #1 to Seed #12 according to the Mid-stage Seed Calculation.

The pairing priorities are checked from top to bottom. The first priority that does not result in a rematch from an earlier Swiss round will be used.

For Round 4, this table is applied separately to:

• the teams with same record.

For Round 5, this table is applied to the teams with same record.

Teams must not play the same opponent twice during the Swiss Stage if a valid alternative pairing is available.

If none of the listed pairing priorities can be used without creating a rematch, the Tournament Administration will create the next valid pairing by matching the highest-seeded available team against the lowest-seeded available opponent that does not result in a rematch. This process is repeated until all teams in the record group have been paired.

Pairing adjustments must preserve the high-seed versus low-seed principle as closely as possible.

Top 12 Single Elimination Playoff Bracket #

After the Swiss Stage, qualified teams are seeded from #1 to #12 according to their final Swiss Stage seeding.

• Bracket: Playoffs Playins

  • Seed #5 vs Seed #12
  • Seed #6 vs Seed #11
  • Seed #7 vs Seed #10
  • Seed #8 vs Seed #9

Quarter Finals

• Seed #1 vs Winner Game 1
• Seed #3 vs Winner Game 1
• Seed #2 vs Winner Game 2
• Seed #4 vs Winner Game 4

Semi Finals

• Winner Game #1 vs Winner Game #2
• Winner Game #3 vs Winner Game #4

Grandfinal/3rd Place Game Final BO5 on Stage 3rd Place Bo3

The bracket is fixed once the Playoff seeds have been determined. Teams are not reseeded after any Playoff round.

All Playoff matches are Bo3 except the Grand Final, which is Bo5.

Schedule #

The first appointment for the team representative will be the briefing on Friday at 19:00.

The tournament itself will start one hour later at 20:00.

All players must be at the location at the start of the tournament.

No accommodations will be made for other tournaments that may happen during the time of this tournament.

Late Arrival, No-Show and Match Start Times #

All officially communicated match start times are binding.

Teams must have all required players on the match server and must have started the in-game veto no later than 15 minutes after the communicated match start time.

If a team is not ready to play within 15 minutes of the communicated match start time, the team will receive a map forfeit.

In a Bo1 match, a map forfeit results in the match being awarded to the opposing team by default.

In a Bo3 or Bo5 series, the affected map will be awarded to the opposing team by default. The remaining maps may still be played if the team becomes ready and the Tournament Administration allows the series to continue.

A team’s first no-show during the tournament results in a warning in addition to the applicable map or match forfeit.

A second no-show during the tournament results in disqualification from the tournament.

Match Start Times and Rolling Schedule #

Matches may not be started earlier than their currently communicated start time without prior approval and communication from the Tournament Administration.

The tournament operates on a rolling schedule. This means that later rounds may be moved to an earlier start time if previous matches finish significantly ahead of schedule.

For example, if all matches of a round are completed earlier than expected, the Tournament Administration may move the following round forward.

Any change to a communicated match start time will be announced by the Tournament Administration before the affected match.

Once a new start time has been officially communicated, that time becomes the binding match start time and the 15-minute no-show period will be calculated from that time.

Delays caused by the Tournament Administration, tournament operations, game servers, network infrastructure, or other circumstances outside the control of the affected team will not be counted as a team no-show.

In case of such delays, the Tournament Administration will communicate the updated match start time or further instructions to the affected teams.

Seeding #

Pre-event Seeding #

All participating teams with an eligible Valve Regional Standings (VRS) ranking are seeded based on the VRS publication from 7 September 2026, which serves as the official VRS seeding cutoff for the tournament.

To retain eligibility for that VRS ranking after 7 September 2026, the team must maintain a core of at least three players from the roster associated with that VRS ranking.

If a team no longer maintains the required three-player core, its VRS ranking will not be used for tournament seeding and the team will instead be seeded based on its average FACEIT Elo.

Teams without an eligible VRS ranking will be seeded based on the average FACEIT Elo of their five registered main players. Registered substitute players are not included in the FACEIT Elo calculation.

If one of the five registered main players does not have an available FACEIT Elo value, a base value of 1000 Elo will be used for that player when calculating the team average.

The FACEIT Elo values used for seeding will be recorded at the registration deadline on 30 September 2026 at 12:00 CEST. Any FACEIT Elo gained or lost after this deadline will not affect the tournament seeding.

Once the registration process has been completed and the registration deadline has passed, the registered roster is considered locked and players may no longer be changed or replaced except where explicitly permitted under the Roster and Substitute Rules for emergency replacements.

The resulting pre-tournament seeding is used for group allocation, Swiss seeding, Playoff positioning, BYE allocation, and any cross-group ranking or qualification procedure where this Rulebook refers to the pre-tournament seeding.

Stage Seeding #

• Stage 1:

  • All teams will use their pre-event seed.

• Playoffs:

  • All teams will use their final seed from Stage 1/2 (see Mid-stage Seed Calculation).

Mid-stage Seed Calculation #

For all Swiss match-ups, after the initial matches, seed is determined (in order) by:

1. Current W-L record in the stage
2. Difficulty Score in the current stage
3. Initial seeding of the current stage

Difficulty Score (Buchholz) #

Each team’s Difficulty Score is tracked for the purpose of tie-breaking.

The Difficulty Score is the sum of current wins minus the sum of current losses for every opponent a team has faced.

Example: #

Team A’s prior opponents are 2-0 and 1-1. Team A’s Difficulty Score is 2 (prior opponents have 3 wins total, and 1 loss total, so 3-1 = 2)

Team B’s prior opponents are both 1-1. Their Difficulty Score is 0 (prior opponents have 2 wins and 2 losses in total, so 2-2 = 0)

Therefore, if both Team A and B have the same win-loss record, Team A gets the higher seed because it played against teams that were more difficult to defeat.

Game Settings #

Map pool #

• Inferno
• Mirage
• Nuke
• Cache
• Dust 2
• Anubis
• Ancient

Map Selection Process #

The map veto is conducted directly on the official match server.

Both teams must be present on the server and ready to begin the veto no later than 15 minutes after the officially communicated match start time.

If a team is not present or not ready to begin the veto within this period, the Late Arrival and No-Show rules apply.

Teams may not intentionally delay the veto. If a technical, server-related, or tournament-related issue prevents the veto from starting on time, the Tournament Administration must be informed and will provide further instructions.

The veto itself is conducted according to the Bo1, Bo3, or Bo5 procedure defined below.

Team A and Team B #

For all map veto procedures, the team displayed in the upper or first position on the official tournament match page is considered Team A. The opposing team displayed in the lower or second position is considered Team B.

This assignment determines the order of bans, map picks, and side selections described below.

Where a Knife Round is required, the winner of the Knife Round chooses the starting side (CT or T) for that map.

Bo1 #

To choose on which map the match will be played, the ban will be done as follows:

• Team A starts ban followed by Team B until there is only one map left. This map will be played.
• A Knife Round will be played. The winner of the Knife Round chooses the starting side.

Bo3 #

To choose on which map the match will be played, the ban will be done as follows:

• Team A starts banned followed by Team B.
• Team A chooses one of the five remaining maps, this will be the first map played during the Match. Team B chooses the side of the first game.
• Team B chooses one of the four remaining maps, this will be the second map played during the Match. Team A chooses the side of the second game.
• Team A ban 1 of the Remaining 3 Maps followed by Team B who removes one of the 2 Maps remaining.
• The remaining map will be played for the tiebreaker. A Knife Round will be played, and the winner chooses the starting side.

Bo5 #

• Team A starts banned followed by Team B.
• Team A chooses one of the five remaining maps, this will be the first map played during the Match. Team B chooses the side of the first game.
• Team B chooses one of the four remaining maps, this will be the second map played during the Match. Team A chooses the side of the second game.
• Team A chooses one of the three remaining maps, this will be the third map played during the Match. Team B chooses the side of the third game.
• Team B chooses one of the two remaining maps, this will be the fourth map played during the Match. Team A chooses the starting side of the fourth map.
• The remaining map will be played for the tiebreaker. A Knife Round will be played, and the winner chooses the starting side.

Match Settings #

• Rounds: Best out of 24 (mp_maxrounds 24)
• Round time: 1 minute 55 seconds (mp_roundtime 1.92)
• Start money: $800 (mp_startmoney 800)
• Freeze time: 20 seconds (mp_freezetime 20)
• Buy time: 20 seconds (mp_buytime 20)
• Bomb timer: 40 seconds (mp_c4timer 40)
• Overtime rounds: Best out of 6 (mp_overtime_maxrounds 6)
• Overtime start money: $12,500 (mp_overtime_startmoney 12500)
• Round restart delay: 5 seconds (mp_round_restart_delay 5)
• Break during half time: 5 minute
• Break during half time in overtimes: disabled
• Prohibited items: none (mp_items_prohibited “”)

Overtimes #

In case of a draw after all 24 regulation rounds have been played, overtime will be played in best out of 6 mode (mp_maxrounds 6) and with $12,500 start money (mp_startmoney 12500). At the start of each overtime, teams will stay on the side from which they played the previous half - during half-time sides will be swapped. Teams will continue to play overtimes until a winner has been found.

Match Server #

Matches are played on servers provided by Admins and will be Local Hosted Game Servers. Teams are required to check all necessary game aspects (including skins, bugs on load etc.) and network components (latency and server variance) no later than 5 minutes before the scheduled match start. Failure to do so, and to let the match start, will mean that both teams have accepted the state the map and server is in, and the match might be continued under these conditions.

In-game Chat #

Usage of the in-game chat during the match is limited to communication with the tournament administration only. Any sort of advertisement or unrelated comments are not allowed before or after the match. Penalties may be applied if the in-game chat function is used to the goal of annoying the opponent or interrupting the flow of play. Pre-match communication with opponents is only allowed in a respectful manner.

Coaching #

Participants are allowed to have their registered coach behind them during their official matches. During the match, the coach will be connected to the voice communication system and will only be allowed to talk to the players during tactical pauses and half times. The coach is not allowed to communicate in any other way including, but not limited to, shouting or non-verbal communication (e.g. touching) with players outside of the specified time windows. Any coach found to be in breach of the communications restrictions outlined in this section will receive one (1) warning from the referees. This warning stays in place for the duration of the event. If this rule is breached again, or the first instance is severe enough, the coach will be ejected from the game and forfeits their right to coach for the remainder of the match. The administration team will pause the match for the duration of the removal and this pause is considered to be equal to a technical pause for communication purposes. Teams may be given a preemptive warning in case they are considered repeat offenders. In case of a preemptive warning, the first incident will result in the coach being ejected. An ejected coach cannot be replaced by another staff member for the remainder of that match. Warnings are logged by the tournament administration and may be reviewed for sanctioning purposes. If the incident has clearly and relevantly impacted the game, the consequences for the coach and/or the team will be accordingly more severe.

Coach and Team Staff #

Each team may register one official coach for the tournament.

The registered coach is the only person permitted to act as the team’s coach during official matches. The coach may not be replaced by another staff member during the tournament unless explicitly approved by the Tournament Administration under exceptional circumstances.

The registered coach may act as a substitute player if required, provided that the substitution complies with the Roster and Substitute Rules defined in this Rulebook.

Additional team staff members may be present at the LAN venue provided that they are valid LAN participants and comply with all applicable event rules.

During an official match, additional staff members are not permitted to communicate or otherwise interact with the players or the registered coach. This includes verbal communication, electronic communication, gestures, signals, physical contact, or any other form of communication that could influence the match.

Only the registered coach may communicate with the players during the permitted coaching periods defined in the Coaching rules.

A coach who is removed or ejected from a match due to a rule violation may not be replaced by another staff member for the remainder of that match.

Player Cameras #

A webcam is mandatory for every player participating in the tournament and must be available and operational for all official matches.

Each player must have a webcam positioned so that the player can be clearly identified during the match.

Players who do not have their own suitable webcam may rent one from the tournament organizer for a fee of CHF 20 per player, subject to availability.

Rental webcams must be requested and arranged with the Tournament Administration before the player’s first official match.

During the Playoffs, player camera feeds will additionally be used as part of the official tournament broadcast and may be displayed in the broadcast HUD.

Players may not intentionally cover, disable, reposition, disconnect, or otherwise interfere with their camera during an official match without approval from the Tournament Administration.

Any technical issue involving a player camera must be reported to the Tournament Administration immediately.

Teams are responsible for ensuring that all required player cameras are installed, connected, and operational before their scheduled match start.

Failure to comply with the player camera requirements may result in the affected player or team being prevented from starting or continuing the match until the issue has been resolved.

Usage of Pause Function #

The Pause function can be used at any time, but it will only come into effect during freeze time (immediately if used during freeze time, else at the beginning of the next freeze time).

Technical Pause #

Technical pauses may only be used for legitimate technical issues that prevent a player or team from continuing the match under normal conditions. The technical pause function can be called by typing “.tech/!tech”.

Whenever a technical pause is called, the opposing team must be informed immediately through the in-game chat about the reason for the pause.

If the issue can reasonably be resolved within approximately 5 minutes, the affected team should attempt to resolve the problem during the technical pause. During a technical pause, headsets must stay on and all communication between players and coaches is strictly prohibited unless explicitly permitted by the Tournament Administration.

If the issue cannot be resolved within approximately 5 minutes, or if it is clear that the issue will require more time, the affected team must:

• Immediately inform the opposing team through the in-game chat.
• Contact the Tournament Administration through the official Discord communication channel.
• Wait for further instructions from the Tournament Administration.

A Tournament Administrator will then come to the affected team’s playing area and assess the situation. The Tournament Administration will determine how the match proceeds depending on the nature and severity of the technical issue.

Technical issues caused by tournament infrastructure, tournament-provided servers, the tournament network, or the Tournament Administration will be handled separately and will not be considered the responsibility of the affected team.

Teams must not use technical pauses to gain additional tactical discussion time. Any abuse of the technical pause function may result in penalties.

Timeout #

Each participant is allowed to invoke a timeout of thirty (30) seconds up to three (3) times in regulation rounds per map. Timeouts can be called by participants via the in-game vote system (ESC → Call Vote → Call Tactical Timeout). Participants are allowed to take all three timeouts at once by calling them all individually once the previous timeout expires. If a map reaches overtime (OT), all remaining timeouts will be removed and each team will receive one (1) timeout to be used in that OT (OT1) period. If the map progresses to another OT (OT2), the same process will happen - any remaining timeouts will be removed and each team will receive one (1) more timeout. Banked timeouts cannot be stacked higher than one (1) in overtime.

Tournament Administration Pause #

The tournament administration can pause the game from their station, or from a participant station, when it is required. Communication is only allowed with the tournament administration.

Player Settings #

Configuration Files #

All configuration changes are allowed as long as they do not give an unfair advantage comparable to cheating. A player or team may be penalised for disallowed settings in any config file, regardless of if it is in use, or even stored in the game folder in question. Participants are required to contact the tournament administration if they are unsure on the validity of a command and its value.

Scripts #

All scripts are strictly prohibited, with no exceptions. This includes any in-game binds that execute more than one movement and/or attack action. Participants may be penalised for forbidden scripts in any config file, regardless of if it is in use, or even stored in the game folder in question.

Buying scripts is the exception.

Graphics Drivers #

Any modification or changing of the game using external graphics solutions or other 3rd party programs are strictly prohibited and may be punished as cheating.

Overlays #

All kinds of overlays which will show the usage rate of the system in any way in-game (e.g. Discord overlay, Rivatuner Overlay) are forbidden. Overlays which show only the frames per second (FPS) are not forbidden and can be used.

Custom Data #

Players are not allowed to use any form of custom game files during their official matches. Counter-Strike skins are allowed to be changed, but “Agent” player skins are forbidden. Any other changes including, but not limited to, modification of sprites, radars, HUDs and scoreboards are strictly forbidden.

Device Drivers #

Using device drivers to pre-install/pre-script illegal macros on the participant’s devices (keyboards, mice, sound cards) is forbidden and may be punished as cheating.

In-game Items #

All in-game items, including skins, nametags, and stickers (or any combination of stickers), must fully comply with the code of conduct and contain no racism, homophobic or other content that may cause harm.

Match procedures #

Match breaks #

Participants will have at least a 15 minute break between matches and 10 minutes between maps in a best of three (Bo3) match. The exact length of these breaks will be communicated by the tournament administration.

Roster and Substitute Rules #

Teams may register substitute players as part of their official tournament roster until the registration deadline.

All substitute players must be officially registered in accordance with the tournament registration requirements and must be physically present at the tournament venue before they are eligible to participate in an official match.

After the registration deadline, roster changes or the registration of additional players are only permitted in exceptional circumstances and require prior approval from the Tournament Administration.

Before the start of the tournament, an emergency replacement may only be approved for the following reasons:

• Medical reasons
• Visa issues
• Travel issues that prevent a registered player from attending the tournament

Once the tournament has started, emergency replacements are only permitted for medical reasons.

Emergency replacements are not automatically accepted. The affected team must contact the Tournament Administration before the replacement player is used.

The replacement player must:

• Be physically present at the tournament venue.
• Be approved by the Tournament Administration.
• Be properly registered according to the tournament requirements before participating.
• Meet all applicable tournament eligibility and roster requirements.
• Provide any required player information requested by the Tournament Administration.

A team may not simply bring an unregistered player to the tournament venue and use that player as a substitute or stand-in. Any player who has not been properly registered and approved by the Tournament Administration is not eligible to participate in an official match.

The Tournament Administration may request reasonable evidence supporting the reason for an emergency replacement.

A substitute or emergency replacement may only be introduced before the start of an official match. Player substitutions during an ongoing match are not permitted.

Once an official match has started, the five players who started the match must complete the match unless a player becomes unable to continue due to a medical or technical emergency. In such cases, the Tournament Administration will determine how the match will proceed according to the applicable Match Interruption and Number of Players rules.

Only players officially registered or explicitly approved by the Tournament Administration may participate in tournament matches.

Number of players #

All matches have to start with five players per team (5vs5), no other combinations are allowed. If a participant fails to show up with enough players, the match will be counted as a no-show.

If a player disconnects during an ongoing round, the current round will be finished. If the map is not over at that point, the game should be paused until the player can return. If the original player is unable to return, the team has the choice to forfeit the series or to continue it with four players, subject to the Tournament Administration’s decision in accordance with the Roster and Substitute Rules.

If a participant would have to play on with less than four players, the opposing participant will receive a default win.

Match interruptions #

If a match is interrupted for reasons beyond the control of the participants (e.g. server or player crash), the tournament administration will restore the round using Counter-Strike’s backup & restore feature, but in some scenarios, as detailed below, may decide to replay the round or even a whole match:

• If the issue takes place before any damage or significant gameplay has occurred, and the opponent or referee has been immediately notified, the round will be restored.
• If the issue takes place during a round and after damage has been made, and the outcome of the round can still be determined (e.g. a single player has dropped but others remain), then the round will not be replayed or restored. The round will continue to be played and will count. Special exceptions can be made if the damage dealt was ruled insignificant e.g. accidental teammate damage dealt at the start of the round or if the damage dealt was by the team that was affected by the crash.
• If the issue takes place during the round, after damage has occurred and the outcome of the round cannot be determined (e.g. due to server crash), the match will be restored to the beginning of the round.
• If the issue takes place during the round, after damage has occurred and the outcome of the round is obvious (e.g. one team is saving with 10 seconds remaining), but it cannot be continued due to, for example, a server crash, then the round can be awarded to the team that was likely to win that round.

Matches will not be stopped and/or rounds will not be restored or replayed in cases where it is clearly a participant’s fault (e.g. mis-buying a weapon).

Use of bugs and glitches #

The intentional use of any bugs, glitches, or errors in the game is forbidden. It is at the tournament administration’s discretion as to whether or not the use of said bugs had an effect on the match, and whether or not they will award rounds, or the match, to the opposing team, or if they will force a rematch.

The usage of the following bugs is strictly forbidden:

• Moving through clipped areas where the movement is not intended by the design of the map (any walls, ceilings, floors etc).
• The bomb may not be planted in a location where it cannot be defused.
• Planting the bomb in such a way that no one can hear the beeping sound, or the planting sound.
• Pixel walking. A player is considered to be pixel walking if they sit or stand on invisible pixels on the map, where there is no visible edge.
• Disrupting any map features with the use of items (e.g. stopping the train on Overpass).

It is recommended to check with tournament administration whether or not a certain bug or glitch is considered illegal.

The following bugs are explicitly allowed:

• Covering the bomb with objects in the map or graffiti spray.
• Using graffiti spray to track the bomb timer…
• Molotovs that spread through terrain.

The tournament administration reserves the right, retroactively or otherwise, to add more bugs to the list of explicitly allowed bugs.

New Positions #

If a participant intends to use a new or uncommon position, bug-related position, boost, pixel walk, or similar game mechanic whose legality may be unclear, they should contact the Tournament Administration before using it in an official match.

Participants should contact the Tournament Administration as early as reasonably possible, as certain positions or mechanics may require additional review.

Known rulings regarding specific bugs, pixel walks, boosts, positions, or other game mechanics may be added to this section at any time, including shortly before the start of the tournament.

Any ruling published by the Tournament Administration before the affected match is considered part of the tournament rules and must be followed by all participants.

Reconnecting #

Participants are not allowed to reconnect during the live round. If they encounter a technical issue that requires a reconnect, they should pause the game, state the reason and only then reconnect.

If a participant has crashed during the round, they should wait until the round is over and paused before reconnecting. Any breaches of this rule will result in at least one (1) penalty point being awarded.

Joining the wrong team on the server when reconnecting is strictly forbidden.