Counter-Strike

Latest news

• Latest news Esports World Cup names 20-person main stage talent for Paris

  Organisers announced a 20-person main stage talent roster for the Esports World Cup. The crew will operate on-site in Paris to provide live coverage of the event's main stage. A dedicated on-site team ensures the tournament has full broadcast presence for viewers and attendees.

• Latest news FaZe Clan signs French player Neityu to permanent roster spot

  FaZe Clan has signed French player Neityu to a permanent contract after a four-month stint as a stand-in. The move promotes him from temporary replacement to a full-time member of FaZe's active roster and ends his stand-in status.

• Latest news Betclic signs Polish talent Roland; he will return to speaking Polish

  Betclic has announced the signing of Roland, a talent from Poland. Roland will be speaking his native Polish again as part of the move. The signing provides Betclic with direct Polish-language representation for its audience or operations.

• Latest news $10,000 Fantasy Season continues with 32-team EWC group stage; game now live

  The $10,000 Fantasy Season has moved into a 32-team EWC group stage and a new Season game is live on the site. Thirty-two teams are competing in the EWC group-stage segment of the Fantasy Season. Fans can access the live Season game on the website to participate in the ongoing competition.

• Latest news 1win releases roster; former squad now unattached and will compete as Color

  1win has released its former roster. The players are now unattached and will continue to compete under the name Color. The squad remains active in competition despite no longer being signed to the 1win organization.

• Latest news paiN Gaming replaces Russia's BetBoom at BLAST Open Porto after visa issues

  paiN Gaming will take BetBoom’s spot at BLAST Open Porto after BetBoom were unable to attend because of visa issues. The swap changes the event lineup for the BLAST tournament in Porto, Portugal. The move highlights recurring visa problems that have affected Russian teams’ international participation.

• Latest news MongolZ and FaZe invited to FISSURE's $1M FPG 3 in Suzhou

  FISSURE has invited MongolZ and FaZe to participate in FPG 3, a tournament being held in Suzhou. The event carries a $1,000,000 prize pool and has attracted multiple teams ranked inside the global top 20. The combination of the large purse and top-ranked entrants makes FPG 3 a high-stakes competition for professional rosters.

• Latest news Vitality performance manager Jack Birtwhistle on focus, structure and 1% gains

  HLTV interviewed Jack Birtwhistle, Vitality's Performance Manager, in a lengthy conversation about the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the roster focused and consistent. He outlined how marginal gains and formalized processes create the structure supporting an era-defining team. The piece highlights performance management as a deliberate, team-wide effort that contributes to competitive longevity.

• Latest news HLTV publishes Week 32 'Short news' digest with bite-sized Counter-Strike updates

  HLTV released its Short News roundup for Week 32, presenting brief Counter-Strike items to help readers catch up quickly. The digest compiles multiple short updates into a single, concise piece for fans and followers. This format continues HLTV's weekly short-news series to provide fast, easy-to-scan coverage.

• Latest news All 12 VRS-invited teams accept ESL Pro League S24 invites for Poland

  All top 12 teams that received VRS invitations have accepted entry to ESL Pro League Season 24 in Poland. Their acceptance finalizes the invited portion of the tournament field. With the invited roster set, organizers will integrate those teams into the event schedule and brackets.

• Latest news rain exits IGL role after team sought a 'more fiery' leader

  rain, the Norwegian Counter-Strike veteran, has moved away from his team's in-game leader duties after the group sought a more fiery IGL. He says his personality is 'maybe a little bit too chill' and describes himself as laid back and calm. The change removes rain from the team's tactical in-match leadership and hands those responsibilities to someone else on the roster.

• Latest news BIG rifler JDC says Major is chance to prove team, hopes to 'take the next step'

  JDC, a German rifler for BIG, called the upcoming Major an opportunity to prove the team belongs among contenders. He said the team wants to "prove that BIG is a good team and that we are here to play" and expressed hope this is the year they "take the next step." The comments raise expectations that BIG aims for a deeper run at the Major and to validate recent competitive progress.

• Latest news Esports World Cup group stage starts Wednesday with 32 teams

  Groups for the Esports World Cup have been revealed and the group stage kicks off Wednesday. The field will feature 28 pre-qualified teams joined by four Last Chance Qualifier winners, forming a 32-team group stage. The published groups set opening matchups that determine which teams advance toward the tournament's next rounds.

• Latest news Come Here podcast analyzes AWP 'Big Green' in Counter-Strike 2 with btrams

  The Come Here podcast hosted btrams for an analytical episode focused on the AWP—nicknamed 'Big Green'—in Counter-Strike 2. The conversation breaks down the weapon's role and implications for competitive CS2 play, targeting AWP enthusiasts and competitive players. The episode aims to inform how AWP use affects round outcomes and strategy in the new title.

• Latest news JiJieHao's result finalizes EWC main event as CacaNito beats HOTU

  JiJieHao's qualification completes the roster for the EWC main event. CacaNito and his teammates defeated HOTU to secure the final group-stage spot. HOTU failed to qualify and will not appear in the main-event group stage. The main-event field is now set ahead of the EWC group-stage matches.

• Latest news BIG, K27 advance to EWC main event; BIG beats Sashi

  BIG and K27 have secured spots in the EWC main event. BIG entered as the tournament's number two seed and clinched their berth by defeating Sashi; Sashi's pre-match trash talk did not change the outcome. K27 also earned a main-event place, joining the field of teams that will compete for the event title.

• Latest news 100 Thieves beat 1win to reach EWC group stage; Gizmy posts 1.44 rating

  100 Thieves defeated 1win to secure a spot in the EWC group stage. 100T's player Gizmy led their qualifier run with a 1.44 rating across matches. The result sends 100 Thieves into the tournament group phase and leaves 1win outside the group stage.

• Latest news TaZ praises BC.Game's fight after narrow loss to 100 Thieves, cites Esports World Cup lessons

  BC.Game lost a close match to 100 Thieves. TaZ said he was proud his players fought until the end and called the resilience an improvement from the start of the year. He also highlighted lessons the team gained from competing at the Esports World Cup in an interview with HLTV.

• Latest news gla1ve bests TaZ as 100 Thieves eliminate BCG in EWC open qualifier

  In the Esports World Cup open qualifier round of 16, 100 Thieves eliminated BCG. 100 Thieves' player gla1ve won his matchup against veteran TaZ, a key moment in the tie. The result advances 100 Thieves in the qualifier and ends BCG's EWC campaign.

• Latest news fnatic beat HEROIC to reach EWC qualifier, extending strong run after roster change

  fnatic defeated HEROIC to advance to the EWC qualification game. The victory extends fnatic's strong run since forming their latest lineup. Reaching the qualification game puts fnatic one match away from a spot at the main EWC event.

• Latest news 1win eliminate Liquid; 100 Thieves to face BC.Game in playoff 'bracket of death'

  1win knocked Team Liquid out of the tournament, eliminating Liquid from contention. 100 Thieves will meet BC.Game in the next round of the playoffs. Several legendary teams are concentrated in this part of the bracket, creating a 'bracket of death' where top contenders face each other early.

• Latest news MUTiRiS says SAW rebuild will take three to four months

  MUTiRiS, SAW's Portuguese captain, says rebuilding the team's roster will take three to four months before they reach a 'good level'. He described the rebuild as challenging and expects the timeline to shape the team's competitive readiness. The comment sets expectations that SAW may not be at peak form in the immediate future.

• Latest news nafany says 1win's new roster 'can do really good damage'

  Daniil "nafany" Kaznacheev says his newly-constructed 1win roster is coming together "like a dream." He stated the lineup "can do really good damage." His comments express clear confidence that the new 1win squad can be competitive going forward.

• Latest news 100 Thieves, BCG, Liquid and FOKUS share one side of EWC qualifier playoff bracket

  100 Thieves, BCG, Liquid and FOKUS have been placed on the same side of the EWC qualifier's single-elimination playoff bracket. The bracket will award four spots in the EWC main event. Because these teams occupy the same half of the draw, they will face one another as the bracket progresses, increasing the chance that multiple high-profile teams are eliminated before the main event.

• Latest news 1win, Fluxo, SAW and Iberian Soul clinch final playoff spots at EWC Paris qualifier

  1win, Fluxo, SAW and Iberian Soul secured the last playoff berths at the EWC open qualifier held in Paris. Their results advance each squad into the playoff stage of the qualifier. Those playoff berths keep the teams in contention for progression through the EWC qualifying pathway.

• Latest news SINNERS and Sashi advance to EWC open qualifier playoffs; Metizport eliminated

  SINNERS and Sashi advanced from their groups into the EWC open qualifier playoffs. Metizport, a higher-profile club, was knocked out in the penultimate round of the group stage and will not reach the playoffs. These outcomes finalize part of the field for the upcoming open qualifier playoff bracket.

• Latest news Gizmy: I’ll only be happy if my team qualifies for the EWC; Major is the team target

  Gizmy, a British in-game leader, said he will only be satisfied if his team earns qualification for the EWC. He added that the squad’s general target is to qualify for the Major. Those remarks set EWC qualification as his personal benchmark and reaching the Major as the team’s stated objective.

• Latest news 100 Thieves and Team Liquid advance as eight teams reach EWC Open Qualifier playoffs

  100 Thieves and Team Liquid are among eight teams that moved on from Groups 9–16 to the EWC Open Qualifier playoffs. Those teams have advanced into the playoffs stage of the Open Qualifier. Advancement keeps them in contention within the EWC qualification pathway.

• Latest news ASTRA, HLTV 2025 Women's Player of the Year, leaves Counter-Strike for VALORANT

  ASTRA, who won HLTV's Women's Player of the Year in 2025, has announced she is leaving Counter-Strike to pursue a career in VALORANT. The decision ends her competitive CS tenure and adds an award-winning player to the VALORANT talent pool. The move removes one of the top female CS competitors from that scene and increases VALORANT's roster of high-profile players.

• Latest news Eternal Fire upset by NADE in EWC Open Qualifier opener

  Eternal Fire were upset by NADE in their opening match at the EWC Open Qualifier, ending their day-one run. The Eternal Fire lineup included jottAAA in the match. The loss leaves Eternal Fire without a day-one win and complicates their route to qualify for the EWC.