Elisa BreakOut Series #2 – Lantrek 2026
The Elisa Esports BreakOut Series #2 is coming to Lantrek 2026 in Tampere, Finland.
BreakOut Series is built to spotlight rising players, hungry teams and unforgettable moments on one of Finland’s biggest gaming stages. Expect high-intensity CS2, fresh storylines and the atmosphere that only a live esports event can deliver.
The entire tournament will be played on-site at Lantrek 2026, with the Group Stage taking place in front of a live audience and the Playoffs concluding the competition on Saturday.
EVENT INFORMATION
Event Name: Elisa Esports BreakOut Series #2
Tier & Sanctioning: Tier 2 VRS-ranked event
Tournament Dates: 15-17 October 2026
Location: Lantrek 2026, Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre, Tampere, Finland
Number of Teams: 8
Prize Pool: €15,000
Tidsschema
Thursday, 15 October – Group A
Friday, 16 October – Group B
Saturday, 17 October – Semi-finals & Grand Final
TEAM ELIGIBILITY
Registration is open to teams worldwide.
No prior qualification or minimum VRS ranking is required to register.
All players must have valid Counter-Strike 2 accounts in good standing and must not have an active VAC ban.
A roster may include a maximum of two players holding Russian citizenship.
A maximum of 8 lag will participate in the tournament. Each team consists of 5 players, with the option to register 1 coach.
All players and coaches must be available to attend the tournament on-site in Tampere, Finland.
REGISTRATION
Registration is open to eligible teams worldwide.
Teams may register regardless of their current VRS ranking. All registrations must be submitted through the official registration form before the registration deadline.
Registration Period
Registration opens: Friday, 21 August 2026 at 15:00 CEST
Registration closes: Tuesday, 15 September 2026 at 15:00 CEST
Each registration submission is automatically timestamped.
Following the registration deadline, all eligible registered teams will be considered for the available tournament slots and prioritized according to the Global VRS Ranking published on 7 September 2026.
The 8 highest-ranked eligible registered teams will be selected for the tournament.
To be eligible for VRS-based selection, a roster must meet all applicable tournament eligibility requirements and the applicable Valve VRS requirements.
If fewer than 8 eligible VRS-ranked teams are registered by the registration deadline, any remaining tournament slots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis according to registration timestamps, subject to all applicable eligibility requirements.
Teams that are not selected will be placed on the waiting list according to registration order.
Teams must register through the official registration form: TBA
PAYMENT & CONFIRMATION
The participation fee is:
€1,000 + VAT per team
Following the VRS-based team selection, selected teams will receive an invoice for the participation fee.
Teams have 72 hours from the delivery of the invoice to complete the payment and provide proof of payment to the Tournament Operator.
The 72-hour payment period begins when the invoice is delivered to the team’s registered contact email address.
If a selected team declines its place, withdraws from the tournament, or fails to complete the payment process within the applicable deadline, the available tournament slot may be offered to the next highest-ranked eligible registered team according to the Global VRS Ranking.
This process will continue until all available tournament slots have been filled.
Once payment has been confirmed, the team’s representative will receive the official team information collection form via email. The form must be completed to finalize the team’s participation.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Teams that need to withdraw from the tournament must notify the Tournament Operator as soon as possible.
4+ Weeks Before the Tournament
Cancellations made four weeks or more before the first tournament day may be replaced by the next eligible team according to the applicable VRS ranking or registration order.
The participation fee is non-refundable.
Less Than 4 Weeks Before the Tournament
For cancellations made less than four weeks before the first tournament day, the participation fee is non-refundable.
The Tournament Operator may still offer the vacant slot to the next eligible team according to the applicable VRS ranking or registration order.
Less Than 2 Weeks Before the Tournament
For cancellations made less than two weeks before the first tournament day, the team will not be replaced.
The participation fee remains non-refundable, and the team will forfeit its remaining scheduled matches. Such matches may be recorded as walkovers in accordance with the official tournament rules.
Teams are strongly encouraged to notify the Tournament Operator of any potential withdrawal as early as possible.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
The registration form will require the following information:
• Team name
• Team/contact person – full name
• Team/contact person – phone number
• Team/contact person – email address
• Team/contact person – Discord ID / username
• Team logo
The list of registered teams will be published on the official tournament website.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
Group Stage
The 8 participating teams will be divided into two groups of four teams.
The Group Stage will be played in a Round Robin, Best-of-One format, with each team playing against every other team in its group.
Group Stage Points
• Win: 3 points
• Overtime Win: 2 points
• Overtime Loss: 1 point
• Loss: 0 points
In the event of tied standings, tiebreakers will be applied according to the official tournament rules.
Official Tournament Rulebook:
Playoffs
The Playoffs will be played as a Single-Elimination Best-of-Three bracket.
Semi-finals: Saturday, 17 October
Grand Final: Saturday, 17 October
All Playoff matches will be played on LAN at Lantrek 2026.
SEEDING
Tournament seeding will primarily be based on the official Global VRS Ranking published on 5 October 2026.
For teams that do not have a Global VRS Ranking in the 5 October 2026 VRS snapshot, the official HLTV World Ranking will be used as the secondary seeding criterion.
The HLTV ranking snapshot will also be taken on Monday, 5 October 2026.
PRIZE POOL
The total prize pool for Elisa Esports BreakOut Series #2 is:
€15,000
1st place: €7,500
2nd place: €3,500
3rd–4th place: €2,000 per team
There are no additional appearance fees, guaranteed payments, revenue shares or other compensation for Teams, Rosters or Players beyond the published prize pool.
TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATION & PRACTICE FACILITIES
Teams and participants are responsible for arranging and covering all travel and accommodation costs associated with attending Elisa Esports BreakOut Series #2.
The Tournament Operator does not cover or reimburse:
• Flights or other travel expenses
• Local transportation
• Hotel or other accommodation costs
• Meals or other personal expenses
There will also be no dedicated practice rooms or official practice facilities provided for teams at the tournament venue.
Teams are responsible for arranging their own accommodation, travel and any practice facilities they may require before or during the tournament.
No additional travel allowance, accommodation allowance or appearance fee will be provided.
VISA & TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
As the tournament takes place in Finland, participants travelling from outside the Schengen Area may require a visa or other travel authorization.
Obtaining the necessary visa, travel authorization and other required travel documents is the responsibility of the participating team and individual participants.
Teams are advised to begin the visa application process as early as possible.
The Tournament Operator can provide reasonable assistance with visa applications, including supporting documentation and confirmation of tournament participation, upon request.
The Tournament Operator cannot guarantee that a visa or travel authorization will be granted and is not responsible for delays or refusals issued by the relevant authorities.
All costs related to visas, travel and accommodation remain the responsibility of the participating team and/or individual participants.
CHECK-IN & ON-SITE REQUIREMENTS
All participating teams must check in at the venue on Day 1 by the designated check-in time.
The exact check-in schedule will be announced on the official tournament website.
All team members must be on-site and ready at least one hour before their first scheduled match.
Failure to check in on time may result in disqualification from the tournament.
All participating players and coaches must be able to attend the event physically at Lantrek 2026 in Tampere, Finland.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION – VALVE TOURNAMENT OPERATION REQUIREMENTS
The following information is provided in accordance with the Additional Information requirements for Ranked Tier 2 Tournaments.
VRS Selection Criteria
VRS Region: Global
The Global VRS Ranking will be used as the primary selection criterion for determining the participating teams from the pool of eligible registered teams.
The following additional roster eligibility filter applies:
A roster may include a maximum of two Athletes holding Russian citizenship.
This filter applies equally to all Rosters and is not targeted at any individual Team or Roster.
All applicable Valve VRS eligibility requirements for Tier 2 Tournaments also apply.
VRS Ranking Used for Team Selection
The Global VRS Ranking published on 7 September 2026 will be used to determine the ranking order of eligible registered teams.
The 8 highest-ranked eligible registered Rosters will be selected to participate in the tournament.
Direct VRS Invites
Direct VRS Invites: None
The tournament does not use a Direct VRS Invitation process.
Instead, eligible teams must register during the published registration period, after which the registered teams will be prioritized according to the applicable Global VRS Ranking.
Wildcard Invites
Wildcard Invites: None
VRS-Based Team Selection
Following the registration deadline, eligible registered Rosters will be ranked according to the Global VRS Ranking published on 7 September 2026.
The 8 highest-ranked eligible registered Rosters will be selected to participate in the tournament.
If fewer than 8 eligible VRS-ranked Rosters are registered by the registration deadline, any remaining tournament slots will be allocated according to the published first-come, first-served registration order, subject to all applicable eligibility requirements.
If a selected Roster declines its place, withdraws from the tournament, or fails to complete the required payment within the applicable deadline, the available tournament slot may be offered to the next highest-ranked eligible registered Roster according to the Global VRS Ranking.
This process will continue until all available tournament slots have been filled.
Selection / Notification Date
15 September 2026
The registration period closes on 15 September 2026, after which the VRS-based team selection will be completed and selected teams will be notified.
VRS Publication Date for Team Selection
7 September 2026
The official Global VRS Ranking published on 7 September 2026 will be used for the VRS-based selection process.
VRS Publication Date for Seeding
5 October 2026
The official Global VRS Ranking published on 5 October 2026 will be used for tournament seeding.
For Rosters without a Global VRS Ranking in this snapshot, the official HLTV World Ranking published on 5 October 2026 will be used as the secondary seeding criterion.
Visa Region
Schengen
Open Qualifier
No Open Qualifier will be held.
Tournament Stages – Online / LAN
The entire tournament will be played offline on LAN.
Group Stage: 15–16 October 2026
Playoffs: 17 October 2026
All stages will take place at Lantrek 2026, Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre, Tampere, Finland.
Prize Pool & Distribution
The total prize pool is €15,000, distributed as follows:
• 1st place: €7,500
• 2nd place: €3,500
• 3rd–4th place: €2,000 per team
No additional compensation, appearance fees, guaranteed payments, revenue shares or other financial compensation will be provided to Teams, Rosters or Players outside of the published prize pool.
The Tournament Operator does not cover or reimburse travel, accommodation, local transportation, meals or other participation-related expenses.
No dedicated team practice facilities will be provided at the tournament venue.
Integrity & Conduct Rules
All participating Rosters and Players must comply with the applicable Valve rules and the official tournament rules.
A Roster is not eligible for VRS-based selection if it fails to satisfy the applicable VRS eligibility requirements or the published tournament eligibility criteria.
All participating Players must have valid Counter-Strike 2 accounts in good standing and must not have an active VAC ban.
The eligibility and disqualification criteria applicable to the VRS-based selection process are based on objective and publicly available criteria and will be applied equally to all Rosters.
Further tournament rules, match schedules, registered teams and other event information will be published on the official tournament website as they become available.
