The Esports World Cup has officially confirmed the return of Counter-Strike 2 for the 2027 and 2028 tournaments. The next event will take place in Riyadh from July 20 to August 1, 2027, with teams competing for $2 million.
EWC 2027 will be entirely LAN-based
All stages of the tournament, including open qualifications, will be held live at the Esports Boulevard in Riyadh.
Invitations to the main tournament will be determined by the first available VRS publication in June 2027, and team seeding will be based on the rankings published in July.
The main stage will consist of 32 teams:
- 20 invitations via global VRS;
- 2 invitations for North America;
- 2 for South America;
- 2 for Asia;
- 2 wildcard invitations;
- 4 teams from the open qualification in Riyadh.
Tournament Format
In the first stage, teams will be divided into four groups of eight participants. The group stage will follow a double-elimination format, with the top four teams from each group advancing to the playoffs.
The playoffs will feature 16 teams. All matches up to the grand final will be in a Bo3 format, while the decisive series will be in a Bo5 format.
$2 Million Prize Pool
The total prize pool for EWC 2027 will be $2 million. The winner will receive $700,000, the finalist will earn $300,000, and the teams in third and fourth place will take home $150,000 and $90,000, respectively.
Positions 5–8 will receive $60,000 each, 9–16 will get $35,000 each, 17–23 will earn $20,000 each, and teams ranked 24–32 will receive $10,000 each.
Open Qualification
Before the main tournament, a LAN qualification will take place in Riyadh from July 16–18, 2027, with the top four teams earning spots in the EWC.
The qualification prize pool will be $100,000. Teams finishing in 5–8 places will receive $9,500 each, and participants in 9–16 positions will get $7,750 each.
CS2 will remain in EWC for 2028
Organizers have also confirmed the inclusion of Counter-Strike 2 in the Esports World Cup 2028. The tournament is tentatively scheduled for July 14–30, 2028.
Thus, CS2 is guaranteed to remain part of the EWC program for at least the next two years.
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