G2 open the EWC CS2 playoffs in Paris

The heaviest week of the 2026 Counter-Strike 2 calendar began this morning in Paris. G2 Esports and Astralis opened the EWC CS2 round of 16 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, starting a five-day run that ends on 23 August at the Accor Arena, the venue where ZywOo was MVP of the last CS:GO Major in 2023.

A knockout with no safety net

Sixteen teams arrived. Only eight get through this stage, and a defeat now ends the tournament. All playoff series are best-of-three, except the final, which is best-of-five. In practice that changes everything: map-pool depth, reading between sides and mental resilience all weigh more with every round.

The tournament hands out 2 million dollars, the biggest CS2 prize pool ever seen at the EWC. And there is an extra layer of pressure. For organisations such as Team Falcons, Team Vitality and Natus Vincere, the result in Paris also affects the final tally of the Club Championship, which pays 7 million dollars to the circuit’s overall leader.

Favourites, traps and the weight of Paris

G2 entered the bracket as one of four teams that came through the group stage without losing a series, alongside Team Falcons, FaZe Clan and GamerLegion. That made them favourites against Astralis, who survived through the lower bracket and arrive already playing on the edge.

But the bracket spared nobody. Thursday holds two ties that look like an early final: FaZe Clan against Team Vitality and Team Falcons facing the reigning champions, The MongolZ. On paper the Falcons hold a huge advantage. On the server the story could tighten considerably, especially because the core of bLitz and 910 remains capable of breaking any plan through sheer impact.

Vitality target the same stage as 2023

The tournament was moved to Paris after the EWC 2026 changed venue, and that gave the knockout stage a rare context. For Vitality, playing the final at the Accor Arena would mean returning to exactly the building where the organisation won the BLAST.tv Paris Major and watched ZywOo lift his first Major trophy.

It is not only nostalgia. If the French team reach Sunday, they will have the crowd, the memory and the atmosphere in their favour at a level few CS2 events have managed to offer so far. That is why this week is worth more than a title: it could redefine the competitive season and also the financial close of the EWC for some of the scene’s biggest organisations.