Things To Know About CS:GO Tournaments

The Counter-Strike match series are considered one of the prosperous and dynamic competitive communities that drive the eSports sector. Countless competitions are held every year in this discipline, from the smallest leagues to multimillion-dollar events. In this article, we want to identify the main types and formats of CS:GO championships that the scene has to offer. 

Tournament Types

Every year there are different types of championships hosted within the CS:GO ecosystem. In general, these will include the following:

• Qualifiers
• B-Tier
• C-Tier
• A-Tier 
• S-Tier

Generally speaking, these tournaments are interconnected, but their format, structure, accumulated prizes, and teams are different. Thus, there is a need to take a closer look and discuss each type separately. But before moving any further, you can use csgo stats checker website to check all the types of CS:GO events and view other nuances of upcoming or finished matches.

Qualifier Events

These are usually unpaid events that qualify for further championships. They are essentially a testing ground for teams that try to compete for the cup. The most famous qualifiers are as follows:

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

The format of such events is clear: teams from different regions compete online against each other, their results are put into a ranking system, and then the best squads gather to become a part of other championships.

B-Tier 

B-tier tournaments feature both LAN and online events that are different from Minor or Major championships. They are usually held in different countries and bring together 2 tier teams that makeup events like:

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

In general, B-tiers cover events that are more localized and have a few big teams but not all the top teams there. As for qualifications, teams become eligible for such contests either by special invitations or through open & closed qualifications.

There are several tournaments of this type held throughout the year, which contrasts directly with the PGL Major, which is a single annual tournament.

C-Tier 

C-tier tournaments or Minors are the lowest-ranked events, usually played online with tier 3 of the teams participating. In the ranking terminology, these teams are below the top 15, and they aren’t making big LANs, or if they do, it’s mostly qualifiers (CIS qualifier, Asia qualifier) that give them a ticket to participate in Major events. The list of such events includes:

• ESEA Cash Cup
• CEE Champions
• EGL Premier
• Dreamhack Beyond

A-Tier 

These events welcome some of the best 1 tier teams to demonstrate their skills and share a huge prize pool. Every team has a dream of winning a Major tournament. Such eSports events are:

• PGL Major
• HCG Masters
• ESL Impact League
• Funspark ULTI

They are usually held in different countries, and the participating teams travel to compete. As for qualifications, the best teams usually get a direct invitation to such events based on their performance in the Minors.

For spectators, the Majors are some of the best events on the calendar that allow everyone to enjoy the contest and win big with available bets. In addition, such tournaments are undoubtedly exciting for players because of souvenir packages dropping during the Major. Best of all, the dates and prize pools for such events are known well in advance. 

S-Tier 

These are Premier tournaments with an outstanding accumulated prize pool and a high game quality increasing exponentially. They are considered the most prestigious events with the highest coverage in space, and the top 1 tier teams are participating. Such events are: 

• Intel Extreme Masters
• BLAST Premier: World Final
• BLAST Premier: Fall Finals
• DreamHack Masters
• ESL Pro League
• Roobet Cup

They are hosted by well-established organizers, including Valve and Intel. To qualify for them, teams need to get direct invites based on closed qualifications. Also, these events are a part of the Intel Grand Slam special reward. This reward is a prize of $1 million to the first team that wins any four S-Tier events sponsored by ESL or DreamHack Masters. In 2021, Natus Vincere took first place and won the $1,000,000 prize.

Tournament Brackets

As we have said before, these types of tournaments are interconnected and similar in the way of bracket structures. There are two main systems as follows:

• Single-elimination group, where teams play a series one time, and the loser is eliminated from the competition. So, there are no second chances for everyone. This system is mostly used in the playoff stage.
• Double-elimination group, where teams play a series of games and advance to the upper/lower brackets according to the results. Even after losing, it is still possible for the team to get to the finals. This system is mostly used in the group stage.

Match Types

Matches in CS:GO competitions consist of different numbers of maps. Below, there are listed three main formats:

• Best of 1: teams should play one map to win the whole match. So, they veto maps one by one and finally play the remaining one. This structure is mostly used on opening matches or qualifications.
• Best of 3: teams play until scoring two victories (2-1 or 2-0). In the beginning, they veto the least favorite maps and choose the most favorite picks one by one. It is the most popular format.
• Best of 5: teams play until scoring three victories (3-2, 3-1, or 3-0). This format is played in some finals like ESL. Obviously, Bo5 matches are time-consuming and can last up to eight hours.