Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026: Teams, format, schedule, and prize pool
Owen Harsono
One of the most important Counter-Strike 2 tournaments of the year is right around the corner, with the IEM Cologne Major 2026 set to begin. It’s shaping up to be the biggest event of the year so far, and it’d be a crime to miss it. Here’s everything you need to know about the IEM Cologne Major. IEM Cologne will be the first Major tournament of the 2026 season. It’s …
Esports Betting
ESL FACEIT Group and TikTok court doomscrolling esports fans with vertical livestreams
Michael Hassall
I can honestly say I’ve never willing wanted to watch a live broadcast of an esports event in a portrait (or vertical, as the nomenclature has decided is the ‘correct’ term) format, and I’m sure most esports fans haven’t either. But that’s not stopped tournament organizers ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) from partnering with TikTok to deliver vertical esports broadcasts to the small screens across the globe. The partnership kicked off …
Esports Betting
EWC officially heads to Paris for 2026 as early reports confirmed
Michael Hassall
The Esports World Cup 2026 will take place in Paris, France from July later this year as per an new announcement by the EWC organizers, the Esports Foundation. Revealed in a post on their official social media, and an accompanying release and blog post, the announcement confirmed earlier speculation that the event would move location due to the “regional situation” around Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Here’s the info: The Esports World …
Counter-Strike
Team Spirit vs Team Falcons betting preview, odds, and best picks: PGL Astana 2026 grand final predictions
Owen Harsono
We’re getting a clash of titans in the CS2 grand final of PGL Astana 2026, as Team Spirit take on Team Falcons for all the marbles. Both teams are looking to secure their first trophy of the year and will give it everything they’ve got. Here are our Team Spirit vs Team Falcons for the PGL Astana grand final predictions. Tournament: PGL Astana 2026 Stage: Grand Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 …
Counter-Strike
Team Vitality vs NAVI: BLAST Rivals Spring 2026 predictions and odds
Owen Harsono
We have another grand final matchup between Team Vitality and Natus Vincere. The former is looking to extend their reign of dominance, while the latter is looking to deny it. Here are our Team Vitality vs NAVI BLAST Rivals Spring 2026 grand final predictions. Tournament: BLAST Rivals Spring 2026 Stage: Grand Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best of 5 Betting tip: Team Vitality demolished NAVI 3-0 in their previous grand …
Counter-Strike
Team Vitality vs GamerLegion: BLAST Rivals Spring 2026 predictions and odds
Owen Harsono
Team Vitality are looking to extend their era at BLAST Rivals Spring 2026, but they take on an unlikely opponent in the form of GamerLegion. This is a BLAST Paris Major grand final rematch happening years later. Here are our Team Vitality vs GamerLegion BLAST Rivals Spring 2026 predictions. Tournament: BLAST Rivals Spring 2026 Stage: Semi-Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best of 3 Betting tip: GamerLegion could catch Team Vitality …
Counter-Strike
NAVI vs FaZe Clan: BLAST Rivals Spring 2026 predictions and odds
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike 2 fans are in for a treat, as we’re getting the classic NAVI vs FaZe Clan matchup in the semi-finals of BLAST Rivals Spring 2026. The former are looking for their second trophy of the year, while the latter are trying to make an impression with their new roster. Here are our NAVI vs FaZe Clan BLAST Rivals Spring predictions. Tournament: BLAST Rivals Spring 2026 Stage: Semi-Final Game: Counter-Strike …
Counter-Strike
This is everything to know about the AT&T Annihilator Cup 2026
Khizar Mundia
The sixth edition of the AT&T Annihilator Cup is almost here, with dates, matchups and teams all now officially confirmed. The AT&T Annihilator Cup 2026 is a multi-week esports tournament where teams made up of content creators will battle each other across multiple games. Each round will be held once a week, with a different title being played each time. Team performances will determine the points, and each game will …
Senzu joins BC.Game Esports active roster on loan
Hannan Mundia
Counter-Strike
BC.Game Esports has announced that Senzu will join the team’s active roster on loan from The MongolZ, playing alongside the likes of s1mple. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that BC.Game Esports is one of the most controversial CS2 teams currently. The team has powerhouse players such as s1mple and electroNic, but has failed to really win any significant tournament since its inception despite showing promise. After a series …
Team n0thing Wins Ludwig CS Minor Streamer Event
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
Popular streamer Ludwig Ahgren just pulled off his first Counter-Strike 2 event, and it’s safe to say it went pretty well. The Ludwig CS Minor brought together former pros, content creators, and streamers for a very fun and action-packed day of Counter-Strike. Here’s what happened at the event. Ludwig’s tournament featured four teams, which were each led by a captain. Former Counter-Strike pros and content creators n0thing, shroud, fl0m, and …
FaZe Clan’s CS2 team announces Neityu as stand-in player
Hannan Mundia
Counter-Strike
After karrigan’s recent departure from the roster, FaZe Clan’s CS2 team has announced that Neityu will be the team’s temporary stand-in. FaZe Clan’s CS2 team has been in a major slump recently, failing to secure a single victory since early 2024. The DraculaN Season 6 and HLC Belgrade PRO tournaments made it clear that something had to change, leading to karrigan leaving the team after six years. Unfortunately for FaZe, …
ESIC suspends CS2 team after suspected $5 million match-fixing attempt
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has made a move on Counter-Strike 2 team NOMERCY after very suspicious bets were reportedly placed on the team’s matches. While conducting further investigation, ESIC decided to temporarily suspend the team before making a final decision. NOMERCY is a Counter-Strike 2 team consisting of a mix of European players. The team competed in Roman Imperium Cup VIII last March, which was a $10,000 Tier 2 …
Falcons sign karrigan as IGL following FaZe Clan departure
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Falcons have confirmed the signing of veteran in-game leader Finn “karrigan” Andersen, shortly after he announced his departure from FaZe Clan. Earlier, Falcons announced that it had benched Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski following the team’s third-place finish at IEM Rio on Sunday. That announcement was followed by one from FaZe Clan, who confirmed the end of karrigan’s five-year stint under the organization. Now, the Saudi-based organization has added one of Counter-Strike’s …
Who is MAUSchine? The player who struck an opponent at CAGGTUS Leipzig LAN
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
A local German Counter-Strike 2 LAN tournament turned ugly after semi-pro player MAUSchine struck his his opponent on camera, casting a shadow over what should have been a celebration of grassroots competition. CAGGTUS is Leipzig’s premier gaming festival, bringing together esports fans since 2023. While primarily rooted in the local German scene, the event is making headlines worldwide for all the wrong reasons. At the end of the CS2 LAN …
Stake Ranked Episode 2: FaZe on List of Invited Teams
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
Popular bookmaker Stake is running it back with their second Counter-Strike tournament – Stake Ranked Episode 2. Below, we’ll break down everything you need to know about Stake Ranked Ep. 2, including teams, schedules, and format. Like the first iteration of Stake Ranked, the tournament organizers are choosing quality over quantity, as we’ll only see a total of eight participants. On April 21, the esports betting site revealed six direct …
FalleN to retire at end of 2026 after 20 years in Counter-Strike
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo took to the main stage of IEM Rio 2026 to confirm that he’s retiring from Counter-Strike at the end of 2026 The final of IEM Rio 2026 was action-packed, with Team Vitality once again reaffirming its current dominance in CS2. However, the moment that took the spotlight was FalleN’s unexpected announcement. The Godfather of Counter-Strike, stepped to the microphone and, through tears, announced that 2026 would be …
Cache is making its competitive CS2 comeback on FACEIT
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Voting for the eighth FACEIT map is now complete, with Cache winning the race with 148,840 votes as the favorite map to appear in Season 8. FACEIT is often considered the only platform in Counter-Strike 2 where real competition happens. This is all thanks to the FACEIT anti-cheat, which makes it almost impossible for malicious actors to cheat in the game. For this reason, serious CS2 players prefer FACEIT over …
Team Vitality vs Team Spirit: IEM Rio 2026 grand final predictions
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
Team Spirit look to deny Team Vitality’s second ESL Grand Slam by taking them down in the grand final of IEM Rio 2026. Can the Eastern European squad win their first trophy of the year, or will we see yet another trophy for Vitality? Here are our IEM Rio 2026 Team Vitality vs Team Spirit predictions. Tournament: IEM Rio 2026 Stage: Grand Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best of 5 …
Team Vitality vs FURIA: IEM Rio 2026 predictions and odds
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
Team Vitality take on the hometown heroes of FURIA in the IEM Rio 2026 semi final. This is a matchup for the books, and is shaping up to be the most anticipated series of the event. Here are our Team Vitality vs FURIA IEM Rio 2026 predictions. Tournament: IEM Rio 2026 Stage: Semi Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best of 3 Betting tip: Both teams are extra motivated to win …
Team Falcons vs Team Spirit: IEM Rio 2026 predictions and odds
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
Team Falcons will take on a familiar opponent in the form of Team Spirit in the first semi final match of IEM Rio 2026. Both teams are still looking for their first trophy this year, and a win here would put them one step into the right direction. Here are our Team Falcons vs Team Spirit IEM Rio 2026 predictions. Tournament: IEM Rio 2026 Stage: Semi Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 …
Counter-Strike has long been among the biggest titles in esports and competitive gaming, even going back to esports’ deepest roots from decades past. What’s more, the game continues going strong today, with developer and publisher Valve releasing the latest iteration of the franchise in 2023. The newest version, Counter-Strike 2, has not been without its issues. But its popularity continues the enduring prominence of the Counter-Strike series, signaling that the venerated franchise is likely here to stay for many years yet to come.
But how did the franchise come be to so prominent in the esports space, and role does CS2 have to play in the industry moving forward?
Counter-Strike has roots in the beginnings of esports
Counter-Strike was unquestionably one of the biggest drivers of what we would today consider to be early professional esports movement. It was far from alone, and it wasn’t the most advanced. That likely was StarCraft: Brood War, a real-time strategy game from famed developer Blizzard that caught on in South Korea and led to a professional scene in the country well ahead of any examples of esports industry elsewhere in the world.
But outside of Korea, Counter-Strike quickly became the driving force behind competitive gaming and esports. First released in 1999 as a modification for popular first-person shooter Half-Life, the game was easy to pick up and play for many gamers. Half-Life was borderline ubiquitous software for gamers with a PC, and adding a mod to it was as simple as downloading and applying said mod. So it was that Counter-Strike began to catch fire and spread across the world.
As it spread, so too did its competitive play. Early competitions often centered around online play, most prominently including the Cyberathlete Amateur League (CAL) in North America and the Clanbase Eurocup in Europe. But live, in-person tournaments, similar to those enjoyed by StarCraft players and fans in Korea, were also rising in prominence.
Within just a few years, there were a number of major annual tournaments being held for the original version of Counter-Strike. Notable international tournament organizers included the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) in the United States, the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) in France, and the World Cyber Games (WCG) in Korea. This was in addition to many other regional tournaments through which teams could test their mettle and battle over smaller prizes.
But even at bigger tournaments, prizes weren’t what they are today, and in general there was far less money available to professional Counter-Strike players than there is in today’s thriving esports industry which sees many players and teams playing at the full-time pro level. That’s a far cry from a time when perhaps a small handful of players were able to make a true living through playing CS alone, and even them, it was often a modest one.
Counter-Strike 2 at the fore of a bigger esports scene than ever before
Counter-Strike 2 was released to a far different esports space than that which the original Counter-Strike occupied. But what exactly is it that has changed the scene so much, besides the accrual of years?
Esports betting is at the top of the list. The sports betting industry is growing and expanding around the world each and every year, and esports has absolutely been a part of that. As esports betting continues to grow and thrive, it brings its benefits to the games that are being bet on. And Counter-Strike 2 is at the top of that list.
These benefits have arrived through a myriad of means. Fan interest in tournaments has gone up and become more consistent with betting markets available for each and every game played, which further incentivizes tournament organizers and their sponsoring partners. But those partners are also now more likely to work with the pro teams and players themselves. Betting operators are among the most common and most generous sponsors in the pro CS2 space, showing how esports betting’s rise has contributed to Counter-Strike’s continued prominence in esports and competitive gaming as a whole.
