Many CS2 cups ask for a full team of five. Ascend Cup #1 does not: you sign up alone, and the organizer makes balanced teams of 5 from everyone who signs up. It is free to enter, it is in Europe and there is €500 in prize money. Ascend is a partner of cswatch.gg.
When
Saturday 12 December 2026 at 18:00 CET. Check-in opens at 17:00; the captain of each team checks the team in during that hour, and a team that does not check in is out.
How sign-up works
- Sign up alone: sign in with Steam on the cup page; you are signed up as soon as you are back, if you pass the check. There are 80 places; after that you go on a waiting list and move up when someone withdraws.
- Balanced teams: the organizer makes teams of 5 by FACEIT level and ELO and picks a captain for each team.
- Dates: sign-ups close on Thursday 10 December at 23:59 CET, and the teams are announced on Friday 11 December.
- Minimum: the cup goes ahead with at least 40 players (8 teams).
Who can play
You need a FACEIT account and a cswatch trust score of 60 or more. A VAC ban, a game ban in the last 2 years, a FACEIT ban for cheating or a FACEIT ban that still runs keeps you out. Every player is checked at sign-up, again when the teams are made, and at check-in.
Format
Single elimination, best of 1, with a best-of-3 final. Teams are seeded by average FACEIT level. The captain pastes the FACEIT room link after a match and the result comes in by itself.
Prize money
€500 in total: €350 to the winning team and €150 to the team in second place, split equally between the players who played. It is paid within 30 days after the final, by bank transfer or PayPal, once each player's Steam account is confirmed. Players under 18 are paid through a parent or guardian.
Sign up on the cup page. Ascend is a partner of cswatch.gg.