EWCF Announces Counter-Strike 2 For Esports Nations Cup 2026

Counter-Strike 2 is the latest title confirmed for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup. The road to Riyadh will begin with over 3,000 teams and 15,000 players competing in national qualifiers, culminating in a final showdown where 24 national teams will battle for glory from November 10 to 15.

To date, the Esports World Cup Federation (EWCF) has announced seven of the event’s 16 featured games, including Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Honor of Kings, with more titles to be revealed in the coming days.

ENC 2026 will be the first time major nations field dedicated CS2 rosters to compete for international glory. Although a new format, it replicates the national-team showdown seen at the Esports World Cup 2025 Grand Final, where The MongolZ’s all-Mongolian lineup triumphed over Aurora Gaming’s all-Turkish squad for the coveted trophy.

With national pride on the line, CS2 fans worldwide eagerly anticipate watching their countries battle for glory on this global stage.

Here’s more on CS2 at ENC 2026, including its schedule, format, and qualification system.

Schedule and Format

The Counter-Strike 2 main event at Esports Nations Cup 2026 will run from November 10 to 15. The tournament will begin with a round-robin group stage, featuring all 24 national teams. These teams will be divided into four groups of six, with each team playing every other team in its group once in a best-of-one format.

The top four teams from each group will advance to the playoffs, where 16 teams will compete in a single-elimination playoff bracket. All playoff matches up to the Grand Final will be played as best-of-three series. The Grand Final match will be decided by a best-of-five series.

Qualification System

To advance to ENC 2026, national Counter-Strike teams must first progress through a two-stage qualification process. This preliminary stage will be held from July 6 to 19 and will utilize a newly created CS2 National Team Ranking system.

This new ranking system will determine which countries will feature national qualifiers; it will also be used to seed teams within those qualifiers. The system is derived from the Valve Regional Standings (VRS), and each club's points will be equally shared among the team members who participated. A national team's total ranking points are then calculated by accumulating the points of its top five eligible players.

The cut-off date for the CS2 National Team Ranking is June 1, 2026. For nations and rosters not covered by the VRS Ranking, the FACEIT Elo point system will be used as a secondary mechanism to identify qualifying nations and seed teams accordingly.

The first qualification stage will be National Qualifiers, held across 96 countries and territories to determine each nation's best CS2 lineup.

The winner of each National Qualifier will advance to a Regional Qualifier, where a coveted spot at the ENC 2026 will be at stake. With brackets ranging from 32 teams to up to 64 in larger nations, this massive open qualification system will provide more than 3,000 teams and 15,000 players a chance to honor their nations on the world stage.

National Qualifiers will feature a single elimination bracket and will run in the following regions:

North America (8 National Qualifiers)
South America (8 National Qualifiers)
Western Europe (16 National Qualifiers)
Eastern Europe (16 National Qualifiers)
Middle East + Central Asia (16 National Qualifiers)
North Africa (4 National Qualifiers)
South + Central Africa (8 National Qualifiers)
South + East Asia (8 National Qualifiers)
Southeast Asia (8 National Qualifiers)
Oceania (4 National Qualifiers)

The Regional Qualifiers will determine which national teams will qualify for the ENC. These qualifiers will feature a double-elimination bracket and will take place in the following regions:

North America (3 slots)
South America (3 slots)
Western Europe (4 slots)
Eastern Europe (4 slots)
Middle East + Central Asia (3 slots)
North Africa (1 slot)
South + Central Africa (1 slot)
South + East Asia (2 slots)
Southeast Asia (2 slots)
Oceania (1 slot)

Eligibility Rules

The CS2 tournament at the ENC 2026 will be classified as a VRS Tier 2 event. The event eligibility rules require national rosters to feature players with the same citizenship. Additionally, for teams listed in the VRS rankings as of the June 1, 2026 cut-off date, only a maximum of three players from any single VRS-ranked club can be registered on a national roster.

An interesting point to note is that clubs that release three players from their core lineup for national team duty will have the opportunity to earn VRS points based on their national team's performance at the ENC.

Follow the action on the Strafe tournament page as the Esports Nations Cup unfolds. Check out Strafe Esports for all the latest Esports World Cup news and our X account for the latest content and coverage. Also, stay tuned to Strafe YouTube for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.

Featured Image Credits: EWCF

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