Esports Worlds Cup increase CS2 tournament prize pool to $2m

The Esports World Cup Basis has revealed particulars for its Counter-Strike 2 event going down at its 2026version.

The competition will expand in a number of methods, with an extended event run, extra groups attending, and an elevated prize pool of $2m (~£1.48m).

The tournament is scheduled to happen from August twelfth to twenty third, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Just like 2025, all occasions, together with the Open Qualifier, shall be performed in-person on LAN. Invited groups shall be based mostly on the primary accessible month-to-month VRS publication in June 2026, with seeding based mostly on the outcomes a month afterwards.

In response to the announcement by the Esports World Cup (EWC), numerous adjustments are coming to the 2026 version.

The prize pool has elevated by $750,000 (~£558,500) in comparison with the 2025 tournament. There shall be 11 days of competitors, six days greater than in 2025, with a five-day Group Stage and six-day Playoffs. It’s estimated that over 80 hours of Counter-Strike 2 shall be performed, over double the time performed at 2025 EWC.

There shall be 32 groups competing, a rise of 16, with 28 invited and 4 advancing by the open qualifier. There shall be 4 teams of eight groups in a double-elimination Group Stage. The highest 16 groups will enter the Playoffs, with matches in a BO3 format besides the BO5 Grand Remaining.

The Counter-Strike 2 competition throughout EWC 2025 was received by The MongolZ, which took residence $500,000 in winnings after defeating Aurora Gaming within the Grand Finals.

Particulars of the Counter Strike 2 event comply with the announcement of 20 returning titles for EWC 2026, together with different aggressive shooters like VALORANT, Rainbow Six Siege X, and Name of Responsibility Black Ops 7.

While anticipated, Counter-Strike 2’s return to EWC is a controversial choice, because the occasion itself continues to attract criticism on account of its affiliation with, and backing by, the Saudi Arabian authorities. Specifically, criticism is focused in direction of the nation’s controversial social insurance policies and human rights document surrounding ladies and LGBTQ+ communities.