CCT Season 2 has officially wrapped up, marking another crucial period for tier-2 teams in the competitive CS2 scene. Over the years, the CCT circuit has been one of the few opportunities for emerging teams to earn prize money, improve their rankings, and secure spots in larger tournaments.

With the introduction of Valve’s ranking system, CCT tournaments have gained even more importance. These events now play a key role in the official ranking process, giving lower-tier teams a clear pathway to qualify for top-tier events, including the upcoming Major.

CCT Season 2 Winners

Throughout the season, multiple tournaments took place across Europe, North America, and South America, each offering a prize pool of $50,000 for European events and $20,000 for NA/SA tournaments.

Europe

The European region saw OG, BC.Game, B8, and 500 dominate the final events of the season. Their success ensured them a strong position in the Valve ranking, increasing their chances of securing direct invites to the Major qualifiers.

Other notable winners from earlier in the season included Monte, GamerLegion, SINNERS, and BetBoom. With these victories, several of these teams are now well-positioned to receive invites to future Major qualifiers.

North America

While fewer tournaments were held in North America, NRG emerged as the standout team, winning Series #4 in early 2025. Other winners throughout the season included BOSS and Wildcard, both of whom showed strong performances but struggled to find consistency.

South America

In South America, Fluxo proved to be the strongest team, securing four tournament victories throughout the season. Other notable performances came from Imperial, paiN, and Solid.

CCT Season 2 South America Winners

Fluxo’s consistency throughout the season has made them a top contender for future tier-1 tournament invitations.

New Ranking System

With the introduction of Valve’s Regional Standings (VRS), CCT events have become essential for teams looking to gain ranking points. This system determines which teams receive direct invites to Major qualifiers, making every match in CCT tournaments highly competitive.

Currently, all major winners of CCT Season 2—including 500, B8, BC.Game, and OG—are now within the invite zone for the Major closed qualifiers. Their victories at CCT events have given them a strong position in the global rankings.

This system has also widened the gap between successful and struggling tier-2 teams. Those who failed to win key events have fallen behind in the rankings, making future Major qualifications much harder.

The CCT Series 16 Invite Scandal

One of the biggest issues of CCT Season 2 involved Series 16, which lost its ranking status due to concerns over the invite process.

In early 2025, several tier-2 European teams—including Nexus, Partizan, and NAVI Junior—were denied invitations to Series 16 despite meeting Valve’s ranking requirements. This raised major concerns about transparency and fairness in the selection process.

Some teams were shadow-banned from CCT tournaments due to suspected match-fixing or integrity risks, even though no official explanation was given. Many affected players spoke out against the lack of transparency, claiming they were wrongly blacklisted from competitions.

Following this controversy, ESIC (Esports Integrity Commission) announced plans to work with CCT to ensure a fairer invite process for future events. However, the scandal has left many players questioning the integrity of tier-2 esports.

Upcoming: CCT Global Finals 2025

Although the regular season is over, CCT Global Finals 2025 is set to take place from April 24-27, 2025. This invite-only event will feature eight of the best tier-2 teams, competing for a $150,000 prize pool.

Tournament Format

• Double-elimination bracket
• All matches are Best-of-3
• Top teams invited based on Valve Regional Standings (VRS)

Confirmed Invites (Based on VRS Ranking)

• Europe: 6 teams (Starting from 9th-ranked team in VRS)
• North America: 1 team (Top-ranked NA team in VRS)
• South America: 1 team (Top-ranked SA team in VRS)

This tournament will be a key test for top-tier-2 teams, bridging the gap between smaller events and tier-1 international competitions. The winner will not only secure a major payday but also improve their chances of receiving direct invites to future ESL, PGL, and BLAST events.

CCT Season 3 Announced

With the conclusion of CCT Season 2, organizers have officially announced Season 3, which is set to begin in May 2025. So far, no major format changes have been revealed, meaning the tournament structure will remain the same. However, two European events have already been scheduled:

• Series #1 – May 6 to May 18, 2025
• Series #2 – May 14 to June 1, 2025

More details about additional regions and the full season calendar are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

CCT’s Growing Role in CS2

CCT Season 2 proved to be one of the most impactful circuits for tier-2 teams. With increased ranking significance, these tournaments now offer a clear path to the Major for smaller teams. However, controversies like the Series 16 invite scandal show that there is still room for improvement in ensuring fair opportunities for all teams.

With the CCT Global Finals approaching, all eyes will be on whether this event can truly establish itself as the defining tournament for tier-2 CS2.