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

All matches will be played Locally Hosted Server.

The official tournament page will be shared via the main communication channel established in the main rulebook.

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.

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 according to the pre-tournament seeding.

The four highest-seeded Group Winners receive a Quarterfinal bye.

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

Teams entering the Play-In Round are seeded according to the pre-tournament seeding.

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

The remaining eight teams play four Bo3 Play-In matches, with the four winners advancing to the Quarterfinals.

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 8 Playoffs.

All seven Group Runner-ups enter the Last Chance Qualification for the remaining Playoff spot.

The Runner-ups are seeded according to the pre-tournament seeding. Group-stage statistics from different groups are not used to seed the Last Chance Qualification.

The Last Chance Qualification is played as follows:

• Runner-up Seed #1 receives a first-round BYE.
• Runner-up Seed #2 vs Runner-up Seed #7 — Bo1.
• Runner-up Seed #3 vs Runner-up Seed #6 — Bo1.
• Runner-up Seed #4 vs Runner-up Seed #5 — Bo1.
• The three Opening Round winners join Runner-up Seed #1 in the LCQ Semifinals.
• Both LCQ Semifinals are played as Bo1.
• The LCQ Final is played as Bo3.
• The winner of the LCQ Final receives the final Top 8 Playoff spot.

This results in:

7 Group Winners + 1 Last Chance Qualification winner = Top 8 Playoffs.

The Top 8 Playoff bracket is seeded according to the Seeding Procedure.

Quarterfinals and Semifinals are played as Bo3.

The Grand Final is played as Bo5.

29–32 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 top 16 teams advance to the Single Elimination Playoffs.

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

Swiss Bracket #

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

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.

Seeding #

Pre-event Seeding #

Coming into the event, all participating teams are seeded based on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) published on 7 September 2026, which serves as the official seeding cutoff for the tournament.

Teams without a VRS ranking on the cutoff date will be seeded based on the average FACEIT Elo of their registered roster.

This pre-tournament seeding is used for group allocation, Swiss seeding, Playoff positioning, BYE allocation, and any cross-group ranking or qualification procedure where the 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 #

Bo1 #

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

• The top team in the tree is considered team A. The other team is by definition team B.
• 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 to define the side of the teams.

Bo3 #

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

• The top team in the tree is considered team A. The other team is by definition team B.
• 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 to define the side of the teams.

Bo5 #

• The top team in the tree is considered team A. The other team is by definition team B.
• 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 tree 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 forth map played during the Match. Team B chooses the side of the forth game.
• The remaining map will be played for the tiebreaker. A Knife round will be played to define the side of the teams.

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 via the coach substitution. 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.

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 #

If a participant has a problem that prevents them from playing on, they are allowed to use the pause function . The technical pause function can be called by typing “.tech/!tech”. The participant has to announce the reason for the pause before or immediately after they paused the match. During a technical pause, headsets have to stay on. Unless the tournament administration specifically instructs the participants otherwise, any form of communication including, but not limited to, text, voice or any form of non-verbal communication between players and coaches is strictly forbidden during a technical pause.

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.

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 or be replaced by a substitute. If the original player is unable to return and no replacement can be brought in, the team has the choice to forfeit the series or to continue it with four players. 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 any participant wants to use a new position which is not commonly known, it is strongly recommended to contact the tournament administration to check if that position is allowed before using it in any official match. Participants have to consider that it takes time to check new positions and therefore they have to contact tournament administration in a reasonable timeframe before an official match. An exhaustive list of allowed bugs & pixel walks will be maintained here.

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.