Esports Nations Cup Will Have Biggest CS2 Qualifier Ever

It has been confirmed that the Esports Nations Cup will have 96 different qualifiers to determine the competing 24 Counter-Strike 2 teams.

With 96 qualifiers across 96 different countries and territories, with more than 15,000 expected players it will be CS2’s largest open qualifier ever.

These National Qualifiers will decide the rosters which will represent each nation, then those teams will compete in Regional Qualifiers.

Unlike most ENC tournaments, there will be no direct invites for the $1.32m CS2 tournament. Teams will have to compete for limited regional spots.

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Esports Nations Cup CS2 National Qualifiers

The Esports Foundation used the VRS rankings of players to determine which 96 regions were eligible to compete in the qualifiers.

The local qualifiers will take place from July 6-16, and then the regional qualifiers will take place between July 17-19.

Between 32 to 64 rosters will be able to compete to represent their nation at the first-ever ENC, with the usual rules that a roster can only contain a maximum of three players from one professional organisation.

Here are the countries that can host National Qualifiers and, in parentheses, how many slots in the Regional Qualifiers are available:

• Western Europe (4 ENC Slots): Denmark, France, Sweden, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Finland, Portugal, Belgium, Norway, the Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Iceland, and Italy
• Eastern Europe (4 ENC Slots): Ukraine, Israel, Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Kosovo, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia
• North America (3 ENC Slots): United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico
• South America (3 ENC Slots): Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Paraguay
• Middle East & Central Asia (3 ENC Slots): Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iraq, Palestine, United Arab Emirates, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Armenia
• North Africa (1 ENC Slot): Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt
• Sub Saharan Africa (1 ENC Slot): South Africa, Mauritius, Senegal, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Ghana, and Angola
• South & East Asia (2 ENC Slots): Mongolia, People’s Republic of China, Pakistan, India, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong China, Chinese Taipei, and Japan
• Southeast Asia (2 ENC Slots): Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Brunei Darussalam
• Oceania (1 ENC Slot): Australia, New Zealand, Guam, and Fiji

Which players or nations are you most excited for? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord.

And for more CS2, check out our interview with Niko after his IEM Cologne triumph.