Twistzz Calls for Major CS2 Tournament in Canada After IEM Atlanta 2026

Canadian Counter-Strike 2 star Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken has urged major tournament organizers to finally bring a Tier-1 CS2 event to Canada. Following the conclusion of IEM Atlanta 2026, the FaZe Clan player publicly called on ESL, BLAST and PGL to consider Vancouver or Toronto as future host cities for premier Counter-Strike tournaments.

Twistzz Wants a CS2 Event in Canada

After IEM Atlanta ended, Twistzz shared his thoughts on X, highlighting how unusual it is that Canada has never hosted a modern Tier-1 Counter-Strike arena event despite producing multiple elite players over the years.

“Now that Atlanta is over, PLEASE PGL/BLAST/ESL consider Canada, Vancouver/Toronto are perfect locations for events — especially Vancouver,” Twistzz wrote. He added: “Playing 10 years and never had the opportunity to play in front of a Canadian crowd.” 

The statement quickly gained attention across the Counter-Strike community. Fellow Canadian pro Justin "FaNg" Coakley supported the idea publicly, while Robin "ropz" Kool also reacted positively and said he would like to visit Canada for an event. 

Why Vancouver and Toronto Make Sense for CS2

Vancouver and Toronto are among the largest esports markets in North America and regularly host major gaming and entertainment events. Vancouver also has historical ties to Counter-Strike itself. Minh “Gooseman” Le, one of the original creators of Counter-Strike, developed the iconic Half-Life mod while studying at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.

Canada has produced several world-class Counter-Strike players, including:

Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken

Keith "NAF" Markovic

Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski (frequently associated with North American CS alongside Canadian rosters)

Justin "FaNg" Coakley

Despite this talent pool, Canada has rarely appeared in the modern CS2 tournament circuit.

Previous Counter-Strike Events in Canada

One of the last notable international Counter-Strike LAN tournaments held in Canada was DreamHack Open Montreal 2017. The event featured eight teams competing for a $100,000 prize pool in Montreal.

Another significant event was ESWC 2015 Montreal, which included 16 teams and a $75,000 prize pool. 

Since then, Canada has largely been absent from the global Counter-Strike calendar, while the United States, Germany, Denmark, Poland and Brazil have become regular tournament destinations.

FaZe Clan’s Result at IEM Atlanta 2026

Twistzz made the comments shortly after IEM Atlanta 2026 concluded. Natus Vincere won the tournament after defeating GamerLegion 3–0 in the grand final. Meanwhile, FaZe Clan finished in 9th–12th place after losses to paiN Gaming and Team Vitality. 

Could Canada Host a Major CS2 Tournament?

Interest in a Canadian Counter-Strike event has grown significantly online following Twistzz’s comments. Fans pointed out that Vancouver offers strong infrastructure, a large esports audience and convenient travel connections for teams from Europe and North America.

With CS2 continuing to expand globally, organizers such as ESL FACEIT Group, BLAST and PGL may eventually consider adding Canada to the international tournament circuit.

For Twistzz, however, the request is also personal. After nearly a decade competing at the highest level of Counter-Strike, the Canadian star still has never played a home arena event in front of local fans.