Counter-Strike 2 Confirmed as First Title at Esports World Cup 2027

Counter-Strike 2 Confirmed as First Title at Esports World Cup 2027

Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) has officially been named the first esports title for the Esports World Cup 2027, with the tournament scheduled for July 16 to August 1, 2027, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

This announcement follows Valve’s rules for major CS tournaments, which require that organisers reveal top-level events at least two years in advance of the main event. 

What We Know So Far

The Esports World Cup has been held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia since 2024. CS2 has featured in each edition of the event so far, and now it will continue as one of its flagship tournaments.

The 2027 edition will span about two weeks—an extension from earlier shorter formats.

In 2025, during the previous Esports World Cup, the CS2 finals pulled over 730,000 peak viewers

The event is organised by the Esports World Cup Foundation, supported by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Because of this, it continues to draw criticism from some in the esports community due to Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.

Related/Additional Context

The Esports World Cup in 2025 featured record prize pool figures and expanded participation: more games, higher stakes.

Saudi Arabia is making big moves to become a global hub for esports and gaming more broadly, under its Vision 2030 program. The investment in hosting large events like the Esports World Cup is part of that strategy.

Also planned for 2027 is the Olympic Esports Games, backed by the International Olympic Committee, though many details (formats, participating national teams, etc.) are still to be confirmed.

What We Don’t Yet Know

• Specific details about teams: which rosters will take part, how qualification will work, how many teams per region.

• Prize pool details for CS2 in the 2027 Esports World Cup. The total prize pools in past events (e.g. 2025) can serve as a reference, but nothing has been announced yet specifically for 2027’s CS2 event.

• Format specifics (group stages, playoff structure, etc.) have not been officially released at this time.