NAF on NA CS in 2025: “My best advice would be to go play VALORANT.”

In part two of a dive into CS2 pro thoughts about the 2025 calendar, Team Liquid’s Keith “NAF” Markovic explains the state of North American competition and why the region’s prodigies should consider moving to Europe — or another esport entirely.

Nicholas Taifalos

Nicholas Taifalos

esports.gg Counter Strike 2 Game Page

FaZe rain on pro CS2 in 2025: “There’s way too much oversaturation; it’s going to be mentally tough.”

2025 ushes in a new era of competitive CS2 with the dissolution of franchise leagues and a more open calendar for tournament organizers to play with.

Nicholas Taifalos

Nicholas Taifalos

esports.gg Counter Strike 2 Game Page

Vitality win IEM Kraków 2026, beat FURIA in the grand final

The tournament highlights the current power balance on the top CS2 esports scene. The grand final is a rerun of the Chengdu battle.

Eugene Bozhenko

Eugene Bozhenko

esports.gg Counter Strike 2 Game Page

Playoffs at IEM Kraków 2026: Top CS2 esports in a new arena

This year, it’s the first big LAN finals powered by the energy of a live crowd. For the first time ever, Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) crowns Counter-Strike champions in Krakow instead of Katowice.

Eugene Bozhenko

Eugene Bozhenko

esports.gg Counter Strike 2 Game Page

Group Stage at IEM Krakow 2026: The top CS2 teams join the event

This tournament phase mixes the Play-In teams and higher-seeded invited competitors. The main intrigue moments are the performance of PARAVISION, the return of s1mple, and pre-playoff clashes of the top players.

Eugene Bozhenko

Eugene Bozhenko

esports.gg Counter Strike 2 Game Page

Play-In stage at IEM Krakow 2026: s1mple and more to kick off the show

The tournament in Krakow kicks off with matches featuring smaller teams that still have big ambitions and impressive potential. It marks the first top-level event for BC.Game Esports, led by Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev.

Eugene Bozhenko

Eugene Bozhenko

esports.gg Counter Strike 2 Game Page

PARAVISION win CS2 Bounty Winter 2026, smash the favorites

It’s another BLAST event where Falcons defeated Vitality. They still couldn’t claim their first big CS2 trophy. PARAVISION won the grand final and thus took down three powerhouses in the Playoffs.

Eugene Bozhenko

Eugene Bozhenko

esports.gg Counter Strike 2 Game Page

LAN Finals at BLAST Bounty Winter: The first CS2 trophy of 2026

It’s a remarkable Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports event! The best teams gather in Malta to kick off the offline competitive season.

Eugene Bozhenko

Eugene Bozhenko

esports.gg Counter Strike 2 Game Page