Stake has confirmed the 14 teams that reached Pulse Beat II through open registration, HLTV reports. The Counter-Strike 2 LAN runs from September 21 to 26 in Stockholm, Sweden, with a $60,000 prize pool.
The field was not invited. Teams registered themselves, and the 14 places went to the highest-ranked entrants measured against the August 3 VRS update. 100 Thieves, HEROIC, Astralis, fnatic, Virtus.pro and EYEBALLERS are among the names HLTV picks out of the confirmed list.
Two places left
The remaining two spots are decided by open qualifiers on August 20 and August 21, one place each day. Those brackets are single-elimination and run best-of-one throughout, with only the grand final played as a best-of-three, so a single bad map can end a run before it starts.
The two winners join the 14 registered sides to complete a 16-team field. Their prize is the same tournament package that the teams entering through registration paid $3,000 for, handed over free of charge. HLTV quotes it as covering "accommodation, practice facilities, meals, local transportation, and full player access throughout the event", which makes a qualifier run worth $3,000 before a single map is played at the LAN itself.
Groups then a bracket
At the event itself the 16 teams are split into four GSL groups played as best-of-threes, a format that guarantees every side at least two series before elimination. The top two from each group advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket.
Beyond the prize money, the draw is ranking points. Pulse Beat II offers VRS points to teams trying to climb the standings before the November 2 cut-off, the date that settles which teams are in contention for the PGL Major in Singapore.
That deadline is what gives a $60,000 September event its weight. With the Major cut-off six weeks after the Stockholm final, this is one of the last chances for teams outside the top tier to move their ranking, and the open qualifier route means two of them will arrive without having had to register at all.
