Main formats of CS: GO tournaments

One of the most popular games in the world is Counter-Strike. For over 20 years it has been the staple of the stage game and sets the benchmark for all other competitive shooters. This provides some of the most lucrative prospects in esports with year-round csgo tournaments.

While other games consider the organized LAN tournament as a significant achievement, CS:GO gathers world grandmasters around esports cs go tournaments every month. Participants who become winners receive millions of dollars and gold.

Tournament types

Each year, the CS:GO ecosystem hosts different types of championships, and you can see many of them in the CS:GO 2023 Tournament Schedule. Typically, they will include the following:

• Qualifications
• B-level
• C-level
• A-Tir
• S Tier

Generally speaking, these counter strike tournaments are interconnected, but their format, structure, accumulated prizes, and teams are different. Thus, it is necessary to take a closer look and discuss each type separately. But before moving on, you can use the website to check the csgo schedule and see other details of upcoming or completed cs go esports tournaments.

Qualifying Events

Usually, these are unpaid events that are suitable for further championships. They are a testing ground for all cs go tournaments teams that are trying to fight for the cup. The most famous qualifications are as follows:

• FACEIT Pro League Challenger
• eSports Championship
• ESL Challenger
• Esports Entertainment Association League

The format of such events is clear: teams from different regions compete online with each other, their results are placed in a rating system, and then the best teams gather to become part of other cs:go tournaments online.

B-level

Level B tournaments include both LAN and online events, which are different from small or large championships. They are usually held in different countries and unite the csgo major schedule teams, which make up events such as:

• BLAST Pro Series
• Open Dreamhack
• IESF World Esports Championship
• TWR Eastern European Masters

In general, B-tiers cover csgo tournaments which are more localized and have some big teams, but not all the best teams. Regarding qualifiers, teams become eligible for such competitions either through special invitations or through open and closed qualifiers.

Several csgo pro tournaments of this type are held throughout the year, which is in direct contrast to the PGL Major, which is one annual tournament.

C-level

Level C or Minor tournaments are the lowest-ranked competitions usually played online with Tier 3 participating teams. In ranking terminology, these teams are below the top 15 and they don’t make big LANs, or if they do, mostly qualifiers (CIS qualifier, Asian qualifier) give them a ticket to big events. The list of such counter strike tournaments includes:

• ESEA Cash Cup
• Champions of Central and Eastern Europe
• EGL Prime Minister
• dream hack beyond

A-Tir

These csgo major schedules welcome some of the top tier 1 teams to showcase their skills and share in the massive prize pool. Every team has a dream to win a major tournament. These esports events are:

• PGL Major
• HCG Masters
• ESL League of Influence
• Funspark ULTI

Often such tournaments are organized in different countries and teams come there. As for the qualification, the best teams usually receive a direct invitation to such csgo pro tournaments depending on their performance in the Minors.

For viewers, Majors are one of the best events on the calendar, allowing everyone to enjoy the competition and win big with affordable stakes. In addition, counter strike global offensive tournaments are undoubtedly interesting for players due to the souvenir packs dropped during the Major. Best of all, dates and prize pools for such events are known in advance.

S-Tier

Premier tournaments with a large prize pool, but they are also very difficult. They are considered the most prestigious events with the highest reach in space and feature the biggest counter strike tournament of the first level. These events are:

• Intel Extreme Masters
• BLAST Premier: World Finals
• BLAST Premier: Autumn final
• DreamHack Masters
• ESL Pro League
• Rubet Cup

They are hosted by well-established hosts including Valve and Intel. To qualify for them, teams must receive direct invitations based on closed qualifiers. In addition, these events are part of the special Intel Grand Slam award and they are also included in the csgo schedule. This award is a $1 million prize for the first team to win any four ESL or DreamHack Masters-sponsored S-Tier events.

Swiss bracket

As we said earlier, these types of tournaments are interconnected and similar in bracket structure. There are two main systems:

• A one-elimination group where the teams play the series once and the loser is eliminated from the competition. Thus, there are no second chances for everyone. This system is mainly used in the playoffs.
• A double elimination group where teams play a series of games and advance to the top/bottom brackets according to the results. Even after losing, a team can still qualify for the final. This system is mainly used in the group stage.

Match types

Matches in CS:GO competitions consist of a different number of maps. The three main formats are listed below:

• Best of 1: Teams must play one map to win the entire match. So they veto the cards one by one and finally play the rest. This structure is mainly used for the opening matches or qualifications.
• Best of 3: Teams play up to two wins (2–1 or 2–0). In the beginning, they vetoed the least-liked cards and chose the most loved cards one by one. This is the most popular format.
• Best of 5: Teams play up to three wins (3–2, 3–1, or 3–0). This format is played in some finals such as ESL Bo5 matches take a lot of time.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is one of the most popular first-person shooters since its release in 2012. It has become a staple in the esports world, with many tournaments and events taking place around the world. If you want to take part in a CS:GO tournament or are a new spectator, it is important to know the rules and regulations that govern the game.